For 14 years the National Democratic Institute has worked in Georgia to increase the political participation of national women leaders from across the political spectrum through the Future Women Leaders (FWL) program. In 2015, NDI expanded its support to build the skills and capacity of women at the local level.

NDI announced the release of two new online resources -- the Youth Political Participation Programming Guide and the Change My Community platform -- for strengthening youth political participation. These resources respond to the aspirations of young women and men around the world to become more politically organized and active, and make their voices heard.

NDI convened senior party leaders from 20 ruling and opposition parties from across Southern Africa in mid-May for the third iteration of the Political Party Strengthening Institute (PPSI). The week-long event convened party leaders from seven countries to engage in constructive cross-party democratic dialogue and peer-to-peer learning on how best to build inclusive, responsive and representative party structures that are equipped to address the challenges they face in their home countries.

Editor's Note: Since the publication of this story, NDI has established the INFO/tegrity Initiative to identify and disseminate practical information on the use of disinformation in democratic politics. Read more about that initiative here.

In 2013, after Jihadist fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) had overrun Northern Mali, Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the five-year Danish Regional Sahel Peace and Stabilization Programme to support peace and stability in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

A lack of government transparency affects everyone in Kosovo, fueling corruption and diminishing citizens’ trust in their government, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. Because Kosovo faces ongoing challenges ensuring the full inclusion of ethnic minorities in its political processes, tackling problems with government transparency requires coordinated inter-ethnic efforts, which can build open communications between ethnic groups, reduce tensions and address shared issues.