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Ahead of Afghanistan elections, a focus on technology and youth involvement to produce credible polls
The legitimacy of Afghanistan's next government will hinge in large measure on whether next April’s elections are regarded as credible. A recent conference in Kabul focused on how technology could be used to make elections more transparent. The ElecTech conference brought together senior officials from government, civil society, the international community and the private sector to examine approaches and tools— such as SMS, social media and electronic voting— that could help make Afghanistan's elections more transparent. Read more»
A second gathering, the National Youth Conference, brought together 200 young people to discuss how they could boost their role in politics, with a particular focus on the 2014 presidential election and the parliamentary polls in 2015. They created a formal declaration on youth political involvement that included recommendations for solving a range of problems facing young people, such as security, lack of civic education for young voters, and lingering discrimination against youth by older, entrenched leaders. Read more»
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Smooth Presidential Election Bodes Well for Georgia's Democracy
Against the backdrop of a peaceful and smooth election day, Georgians demonstrated that the fundamentals of democracy are taking hold. That was among the conclusions of an NDI international election observation mission for the Oct. 27 presidential election. The delegation said the election process complied with Georgia's laws and international principles, but that minority rights, polarization and other issues need to be addressed. Read more»
Education Lowers Barriers for Roma Youth
Seventeen-year-old Vlado, one of Europe's 10 million Roma citizens, has his eye on the future—going to college, learning English and maybe even running for office. But will his ambition be enough to get him out of the cycle of poverty? Despite being Europe's largest minority, Roma reap few benefits of democracy and are often targets of violence at the hands of extremist movements throughout the region. That is why NDI has been working with Vlado and other Roma and non-Roma teenagers in Central and Eastern Europe to promote tolerance by teaching them about human rights, how democratic governments function and how to participate in civic affairs to benefit their communities. Read more»
New Training Resources Address Challenges Women Face in Politics
Building on its work over 30 years to give women an equal voice in politics, NDI is now offering training materials and other resources on women's political participation. The materials cover topics such as campaign management, fundraising, political party participation, communication and more. They are available for download at www.ndi.org. Read more»
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Women’s Discussion Club Brings Kyrgyz Women Together
In Kyrgyzstan, where women still struggle to carve out leadership roles in the legislature and political parties, the Women’s Discussion Club, winner of NDI’s 2012 Madeleine K. Albright Grant, has formed a coalition of women from 10 political parties. It is working with parliamentarians on issues ranging from budget transparency to helping local women representatives improve their skills and, in some cases, run for parliament in 2015. Read more»
Grassroots Efforts Improve Local Life in Burkina Faso
What does electricity mean for women in rural Burkina Faso? In the village of Namoungou, it means newborns are literally delivered into a brighter world. After six months of advocacy, a local civic organization helped secure electricity for the local hospital in Namoungou, so that children are no longer delivered by flashlight. In Namoungou and other villages across Burkina Faso, NDI is helping civic organizations gauge what issues are most important in their communities—from electricity to healthcare to education—and advocate for changes to address them. Read more»
Malawians Use Education to Improve 2014 Elections
“Campaigning is not about mudslinging or fighting, but about what candidates will do for the people.” This message will be used for posters and jingles for Malawi's 2014 elections— the first tripartite elections in the nation's history. It is one part of a plan to educate voters on the election process. Malawi election officials and community groups are trying to combat problems such as votes cast on the basis of regional loyalties and lack of political tolerance. Their goal is to educate voters about voting on issues rather than personality. Read more»
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Save the Date
NDI will host its 2013 Democracy Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 10 in Washington, D.C. The dinner will celebrate NDI’s 30th anniversary by honoring "civic innovators" who are identifying ways to improve the responsiveness and transparency of government institutions around the world. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Speakers include NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Read more»
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