The participation and empowerment of citizens in all their diversity are the keys to healthy and resilient democracies, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the realm of environmental sustainability. The unique climate-related challenges that face communities around the world require innovative, local solutions that address the needs of those affected, especially the marginalized communities who feel the effects of climate change most acutely.

Amid Poland's diverse urban landscape, citizen-led initiatives are reshaping communities and addressing pressing issues with the support of NDI’s Central Europe Civic Engagement Project (CECEP). The project aims to empower citizens and foster stronger collaboration between civil society and the government. Within Poland's dynamic urban centers, grassroots activism is gaining momentum, tackling environmental challenges head-on.

In the lead-up and aftermath of Ethiopia’s 2021 elections, NDI worked with its civil society organization (CSO) partners, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE), Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), and Federation of Ethiopian Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FEAPD) to strengthen  their external communications capacity and implement outreach strategies pertaining to citizens election observation (a process that leads to major gains in electoral integrity, accountability, transparency, inclusion and long-term public engagement around ele

As democracies across Asia face new and sophisticated threats to their integrity, it is crucial for the next generation of leaders to have opportunities to help strengthen their home countries’ civic institutions and democratic processes. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) has long invested in the future of electoral integrity by nurturing young, like-minded individuals throughout the region, prioritizing the inclusion of youth in conversations around evolving electoral processes as they face new and emerging threats.

Over the past few years, Ecuador has gradually been taking steps to achieve gender parity in political processes. To further this effort, NDI has established and provided technical support to the Violet Coalition (Coalición Violeta, CV), a multi-sector coalition to promote increased women’s participation in Ecuadorian politics made up of members representing academia, civil society organizations, media outlets, and the private sector.

From its earliest days in the 1980s NDI recognized that throughout the world young people were driving forces in democracy movements. From the Philippines’ People Power Revolution to Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, from South Africa’s struggle to end apartheid to student protests against Panama's dictator nullifying elections, young people played key roles in autocracy yielding to democracy. NDI also recognized that young people were not politically monolithic nor necessarily politically active and that significant barriers excluded them, even within democratic structures.

Ukrainians from all sectors are working to secure a future for their country where people from all walks of life can make their voices heard, where all people have a genuine opportunity to shape the political and civic future, and where the government listens to the voices and needs of the public.

For political systems to be representative, all parts of society must be included. When young people are disenfranchised or disengaged from political processes, a significant portion of the population has little or no voice or influence in decisions that directly affect their lives. As a result, young people are increasingly getting frustrated and turning away from formal political participation.