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Happy Democracy Day!
September 15 is the International Day of Democracy, an annual global celebration of human rights, the rule of law and other principles that unite democracies around the world. This day was designated by the United Nations to reaffirm the universality of democratic values, and recognize people's aspirations to have a say in how they are governed and make free choices about how they live their lives.
From Latin America to Africa, NDI is connecting political innovators to learn from each other’s successes, helping citizens monitor elections, bringing together women to advocate for a place at the decision-making table and much more.
For 30 years and in 130 countries, NDI has worked to support and strengthen democratic institutions through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. In honor of Democracy Day, please consider making a contribution to help NDI continue its mission to give citizens around the world a real voice in how they are governed.
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Georgia's Presidential Election Offers Opportunity to Solidify Competitive, Multiparty Politics
In the run up to Georgia's October presidential election, an NDI pre-election delegation last week assessed the country's electoral preparedness. It found that Georgians are enjoying an environment shaped by the fundamentals of democracy -- a credible opposition, increasingly independent judiciary, active civil society and a lively media environment. But Georgia needs to tackle issues decisively that could adversely affect the integrity of the election process, such as politically motivated violence, changes of local political authority outside of elections and intolerance toward minorities, the delegation said. Read more»
In Somalia, Civic Education Campaign Helps Citizens Understand Constitution
After emerging from two decades of civil war, Somalia has a parliament, a new president and is transitioning toward a new democratic political system. As the new government moves to establish a permanent constitution, many Somalis lack access to basic information about the constitution-making process. But a civic education campaign is seeking to help them understand how their government works using a series of short film and radio dramas. Ten dramas, which will air on two Somali television stations as well as on radio, aim to educate citizens about the content of the provisional constitution, how to engage with political leaders and how to take part in a popular referendum on the provisional constitution, scheduled for 2016. Check out the first short film in the series here»
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NDI Establishes Presence in Silicon Valley
Building on the increasingly important role that technology is playing in democratic reform efforts globally, NDI has named a partnerships representative located in Silicon Valley. NDI staff member Sarah Oh is now based in the Bay Area. By establishing its presence in Silicon Valley, NDI seeks to deepen and expand its relationships with technology innovators to aid its international democracy assistance programs. Read more»
Citizen Election Monitors from Across Africa Study the Basics of PVTs
Citizen election monitors from across Africa came together Sept. 9-12 to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of running a parallel vote tabulation (PVT), a powerful citizens' tool to analyze the integrity of voting and counting processes as well as the accuracy of official election results. Participants practiced technical aspects of a PVT, such as how to organize and train observers, analyze election data, communicate with the public and more. Learn more by following #AfricaPVTAcademy on Twitter, and check out photos from the event here»
International Democracy Day Conference
In honor of the International Day of Democracy, the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy will bring together members of parliament and democracy and human rights leaders from the U.S., the European Union, Latin America, Eastern Europe and elsewhere for a Capitol Hill forum on Sept. 18. Topics include assisting democracy in the Middle East, greater protection of human rights in Latin America, and expanding and enhancing Europe’s partnership with emerging democracies in Eastern Europe. The event was organized by the National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican Institute, the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament’s Liaison Office with the U.S. Congress and NDI. The program, which runs from 1-5 p.m. in the Cannon House Office building, is open to the public. Read more and register here»
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