October 2009
NDI Offers an "In-Country Perspective"
More than 1,000 expatriates and local staff work for NDI in nearly 80 countries around the world. Their daily interactions with NDI's partners on the ground give them unique insights into the challenges of supporting and strengthening democratic institutions, sometimes under very difficult circumstances.
A special section on our website, "In-Country Perspectives" at www.ndi.org is devoted to highlighting their stories. Here are a few examples:
- NDI senior program officer Michael Rifer's narrative about the impact of NDI's radio distribution and civic education program in the Sudanese village of Leer. Read more»
- An interview with NDI's Macedonia Director Chris Henshaw about a code of conduct campaign that NDI supported during spring elections that helped Macedonia largely avoid violence and voting irregularities. Read more»
- In Iraq, young activists from different ethnic, religious and regional backgrounds attended a "Youth for Change" camp, sharing ideas and collaborating on solutions to political challenges in their country. Read more»
- John Manley, former Canadian deputy prime minister and a member of NDI's delegation to observe the Aug. 20 elections in Afghanistan, reflected on his experience in an op-ed in the Toronto Globe and Mail. Read more»
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In preparation for elections in southern Sudan next April, the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), a network of over 70 Sudanese civic organizations, with NDI support has concluded a successful two-week voter education campaign, conducting 375 events in 37 counties in all 10 states of southern Sudan. The presidential, parliamentary and local elections will be the first nationwide vote since the start of Sudan’s civil war, which began in 1986 and ended in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Read more»
The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the internationally recognized government of Somalia since 2004, launched its first official website with technical and strategic support from NDI. The government’s website is a major component of the TFG’s initiative to increase dialogue with Somali citizens. It includes an "Ask The Government" section that helps citizens connect with their elected leaders.
Read more»
The Democracy Video Challenge, a global project to celebrate democracy through film, has launched its second annual competition. NDI is a partner in the Challenge, which invites citizens from around the world to create video shorts that complete the phrase: "Democracy is..." in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy.
Winners of the inaugural challenge came from Iran, Brazil, Poland, Zambia, Nepal and the Philippines. Watch the winning videos from 2009 or enter your own video to win in 2010.
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With the announcement of a runoff presidential election in Afghanistan on Nov. 7, NDI recommended steps to address problems of the August balloting, such as so-called "ghost" voting. The Institute, which conducted an international observation mission for the Aug. 20 elections, has continued to monitor the process and will field a group of experts for the runoff.
Read more»
Current and former women leaders from across the political spectrum recently came together in San Salvador to discuss women's issues in the country, and to decide on an agenda to move those issues forward. The women set as their priorities promoting a national budget with a gender focus, advancing a law that guarantees equal opportunity for women and men, and a law against femicide, the killing of a woman based on gender, a crime that is not currently recognized and often goes unpunished.
Read more »
NDI frequently publishes reports, handbooks, manuals and assessments about the state of democracy in many of the countries in which it works. Some recent publications:
- NDI's assessment of the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina since the Dayton accords identifies challenges to democracy that the young nation continues to face. Read the assessment»
- Imagining the Election is the culmination of interviews and focus groups from across Sudan, which analyzes the country's hopes and expectations for the April 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections. Read the report»
- The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in central and eastern Europe. A new NDI report analyzes the political progress they've made in the region and the challenges they still face. Read the report»
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