As nations mark World AIDS Day, NDI lends its support to political leaders around the world who have made efforts to address the governance challenges surrounding HIV/AIDS and worked to make democracy deliver critical services to those affected by the disease.

PARA SU PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA

24 de noviembre del 2009                                                               

As the countries of southeastern Europe struggle to move beyond a legacy of violent conflict and consolidate their democratic institutions, women leaders play an essential role. Frequently, women serve as the vanguard of political change, willing to break with established traditions and accepted wisdom to advocate for reforms. However, women politicians in the region have little place at their parties’ decision-making tables and are frequently absent when policy is developed. To foster cooperation among like-minded women leaders in the region, NDI, from Oct.

NDI is conducting an international election assessment mission for the Nov. 29 general elections in Honduras. The Institute is mobilizing 20 international experts who will be deployed around the country to provide an impartial assessment of the conduct of the elections.

With parliamentary elections approaching, Iraqi women are looking for ways to ensure that their voices and concerns are not excluded from the political debate. For the past several years, the ability of Iraqi women to contribute to policy debates has been constrained by security concerns, political instability and corruption. Though Iraqi women are slowly increasing their involvement in government, political parties and civil society organizations, they are still largely absent from decision-making positions within those bodies.

Parallel vote tabulations (PVTs), a powerful citizens' tool to analyze the integrity of voting and counting processes as well as the accuracy of official election results, were the subject of a "PVT Academy" held at NDI's Washington office Nov. 17-20. Some 23 participants from 17 countries, all experienced in conducting PVTs, came together to share expertise and harmonize best practices.