Over two-thirds of the global population living with HIV/AIDS resides in Southern Africa. NDI has been working throughout the region to strengthen parliamentary leadership and outreach on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.

NDI projects have helped to bridge the knowledge gap between members of parliament and public health experts, strengthen relationships between elected representatives and civic groups, promote dialogue and information sharing with the private sector and enable legislators to carry out their oversight function on HIV/AIDS policy issues.  

A poor and vulnerable segment of the population, women in Guinea who aspire to leadership roles face a steep climb. The literacy rate for women is only 18 percent, compared to 42 percent for men, and in the last civilian government, women occupied only 19 percent of the seats in the national assembly and 15 percent of positions at the ministerial level.

But with legislative elections scheduled for early next year, NDI is working to help a great number of these women overcome the odds to become elected leaders.

The Democracy Video Challenge, a global project to celebrate democracy through film, launched its second annual competition at the United Nations on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy. NDI is a partner of 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. Other partners include democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia and the U.S.

With its eye on membership in the European Union, Macedonia held peaceful local and presidential elections this spring without the violence that marred previous polls. The success of the election process was attributable, in part, to a Code of Conduct campaign that rallied political party leaders, candidates and voters alike to show that Macedonia can hold elections consistent with international standards.