Shahida Malka Ahmed was elected on November 19, 2015 as a union council chair in Khanewal District as part of the newly established local government system in Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province. Shahida’s victory stands out as fewer than 300 women competed for 50,000 directly elected seats in the 2015 local elections (and only 60 sought election as chair and vice chair).

Pakistan’s political parties are increasingly turning to social media to engage with the public on policy issues. Party activists from across the political spectrum produce original online content about pressing citizen concerns, using public opinion research to inform social media strategy and deploying new messaging and communication techniques to interact more effectively with citizens. Parties use these tools to develop more responsive policy proposals and create space for conversation and two-way exchange between citizens and party leaders.

Colombia’s Congress has taken several steps to improve transparency and make legislative affairs more accessible to citizens in recent years.

Malawian civil society organizations are promoting local government accountability through advocacy campaigns to improve development and service delivery in rural communities. Through the creation of accountability clubs, small local networks consisting of community activists and ordinary citizens are responsible for identifying local needs and pressuring leaders to respond to citizens’ concerns. Among the issues many of these clubs have focused on is improving health service delivery in rural communities.