In May of 2001, NDI proposed a new idea: support our long term partner, South Africa’s Ministry of Environment, to help local and provincial governments understand climate change; expand civil society and local communities participation across the country on these issues; and increase overall public awareness and understanding about South Africa’s environmental fragility as a result of climate change.

For a country that has not witnessed national elections since 2014, municipal elections are an important way for many Libyans to make their voices heard within their communities and participate as active citizens. Participation in these elections also has the potential to improve the daily lives of Libyans - when provided with adequate support, municipal councils can address local issues, provide basic services, and implement municipal legislation.

Political gridlock, partisan stalemate and ideological tensions that go years back. Isn't that far too often the situation in the political landscapes in today's world? Lack of unity and locked positions tend to overshadow the real need for change. But maybe we are witnessing something new happening. Climate issues can actually pave the way for a cross-party culture.  

As the climate crisis intensifies, many countries are struggling to respond. While government commitments to international climate regimes exist, these commitments have not uniformly resulted in more sustainable environmental outcomes. To counter narratives that democracies are ill-equipped to handle climate change, NDI is strengthening the capacity of political actors to adopt sustainable and targeted policies that advance environmentally friendly outcomes across natural resource industries and sectors.

Across the globe, citizen election observers play a critical role in ensuring electoral processes meet national and international standards. During the October 2020 general elections in Tanzania, NDI supported citizen election observation through its USAID-funded CEPPS program in both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar – a first for the Institute.

Burkina Faso is rich in mineral resources; its deposits of gold, zinc, copper and manganese are found in an arc that spans the country’s southeast to its northwest regions. It is a globally-ranked producer of gold -- both industrial and artisan-mined -- with more than one million Burkinabe citizens employed in this sector.

Countries in the Pacific Islands have some of the lowest rates of women’s political participation and highest levels of gender-based violence in the world. Historically, women have been excluded from political structures and processes, which are dominated by patriarchal and traditional tribal norms.

For years, Georgia has held an election nearly every October, whether for local, parliamentary or presidential offices. The faces of political leaders are thus often plastered across walls, billboards and TV broadcasts. Yet, these images have one clear common characteristic: they’re almost uniformly men. Women face multiple barriers to enter into politics, including prevailing gender stereotypes and institutional obstacles, and often face harassment, threats and violence.