Henrietta Fore Award for Excellence in Development
The Henrietta Fore Award for Excellence in Development is an annual award given in recognition of an individual or a group who has made exemplary contributions to the field of development, either as a US Government official or in support of American developmental work. It is one of the Academy’s highest honors and its purpose is to highlight the important contribution of all aspects of development to the broader enterprise of diplomacy and to the nation’s business more broadly.
This new award is equivalent in prestige to the Academy’s Annenberg award for Excellence in Diplomacy. Ms. Henrietta Fore, who formerly served as the first woman Administrator of USAID and the Executive Director of UNICEF, proposed the idea and the endowed the award in 2023. Subsequently, the Academy members chose to name the award after her.
The award recipient is selected annually by members of the Academy’s serving on the Development Award Committee. The award is presented formally at the Academy’s Annual Awards Luncheon, held at the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State.
Recipient - 2024
President Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. served as president of the United States of America from 1977 to 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiation of peace between Israel and Egypt and for his global humanitarian work through The Carter Center.
Significant foreign policy accomplishments of Jimmy Carter’s White House administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He also made human rights a central element of U.S. foreign policy. Prior to APLU, he was President of Michigan State University for 11 years, vastly increasing study abroad participation, controlling tuition costs, bringing a law school to the university, and increasing research.
After leaving public office, President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the nongovernmental, not-for profit Carter Center, devoted to advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering. Since 1982, The Carter Center has worked to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease in many of the world’s poorest nations. The Center has spearheaded the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which will be the second disease in history to be eradicated, and has observed 101 elections in 39 countries since 1989.