|
High-Level Panel Discusses Technology, Women and Democracy at Albright Award Luncheon
Madeleine Albright, NDI chairman, presents her 2013 namesake grant to Laura Inés López Padilla, president of the board of Mexico’s Network of Support for Women Municipal Leaders (REAMM) at NDI's annual award luncheon.
Experts in technology, politics and media gathered in Washington, D.C., May 29 to discuss how technology can open more political opportunities for women around the world, and how to increase women's access to technology in developing countries where they particularly lag behind.
“As technologists we are there to solve problems,” said Ping Fu, chief strategy officer for 3D Systems and one of the participants in the panel. “Whenever there is a problem there is an opportunity.”
“It is the big failure that wakes us up and helps us to create solutions to solve those problems,” she said.
Other panelists were Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state and NDI chairman; Stephanie Cutter, former deputy campaign manager for President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign and partner at Precision Strategies; Shelly Esque, vice president at Intel Corporation; and Laura Inés López Padilla, president of the board of Mexico’s Network of Support for Women Municipal Leaders (REAMM). Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast and Newsweek, moderated the panel.
At a luncheon following the panel discussion, López Padilla received the 2013 Madeleine K. Albright Grant in recognition of REAMM's efforts to support women’s leadership at the local and national level of politics in Mexico. The $25,000 grant, established in 2005, supports grassroots organizations around the world that work to support women's political participation.
American filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney gave the keynote address, saying that “no group of people has ever been better suited to the current technological changes than women.”
Also during the luncheon, Hodan Ahmed, NDI’s 2013 Andi Parhamovich fellow, introduced the the Madeleine K. Albright Project, a new global fund in honor of NDI’s chairman that will support and enhance NDI’s work, helping women globally to participate, compete and lead in democratic politics.
“You can’t make long-term improvements to peoples’ lives without having the politicians and the political institutions make those issues a priority,” said Ahmed. Read more»
To stay up to date on the Institute's work around the world, visit www.ndi.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube or Flickr.
|
|
NDI Statement on Egypt Trial Verdict
NDI said it was shocked and deeply distressed by the conviction June 4 of 43 individuals who worked for NDI, the International Republican Institute, Freedom House, the International Center for Journalists and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Egypt. The Institute said they were unjustly convicted and that it would seek to have the verdict overturned. Read more»
Democracy in a Tech-Empowered World
NDI co-hosted a two-day conference in Silicon Valley that brought together senior tech leaders, innovators, policymakers and scholars from around the world to explore the impact of technology on the way citizens interact with government. Experts gathered April 23-24 to discuss such issues as how technology is making it easier for citizens to hold governments to account and how governments can better harness the latest technology to improve their communications with citizens. Read more»
Local Haitian Groups Work to Improve Life in Their Communities
Across Haiti, some 300 local community action groups, or Initiative Committees (ICs), are joining with other civic groups to build bridges with government leaders to take action on important issues in their communities. Action by more than 3,000 citizens has led to the building of health clinics, schools and roads; job-skills training; cholera prevention activities; HIV/AIDS education; and disaster relief efforts, among other projects. Read more»
Mexican Legislators Engage Citizens Through Public Hearings
In Mexico, where there is no official policy for public hearings, many senators are pushing to conduct hearings to strengthen the legislative process and give citizens the chance to provide input on such pressing issues as citizen security and justice reform. Read more»
|
|
Pakistan's Elections: A Victory for Democracy
Pakistan’s May 11 polls were a major step forward in the country’s return to democracy. With millions of voters turning out to cast ballots despite threats of violence, an international observation mission deployed by NDI and the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) called the polls “a victory for democracy and the people of Pakistan." The election has set the stage for Pakistan’s first peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another. Read more»
‘Week of Women’ Empowers Women in Kosovo to Run for Office
NDI’s second annual Week of Women — held in Pristina, Kosovo — brought together 100 representatives from parliament, business, local government, civil society and media to discuss women’s political careers, how women are rising in party ranks, making the decision to run for office, and running successful campaigns. Women from different regions, ethnicities and ages from across the country participated in the five-day event. Read more»
Leaders Across Mali Commit to Peaceful, Credible Elections
Since last year's coup in Mali, governance and security crises have halted political activities and hindered communication among political parties, civic groups and the government. At an April 25-26 retreat in Bamako , NDI and IFES brought together more than 100 Malian political and civil society leaders to discuss how to ensure that Mali’s presidential poll, scheduled for July, is peaceful and inclusive, and marks a positive step toward stability in the country. Read more»
Tunisia Campaign School Helps Aspiring Politicians
Aspiring politicians from across the Middle East gathered in Tunis, Tunisia, this spring to learn how to run more effective campaigns. The regional campaign school allowed participants to meet with experienced politicians, and to work on how to define campaign messages, communicate with the public, and run campaigns that are more responsive to voters. Read more»
|
