Stories

February 21, 2019

NDI Initiative Reinvigorates Efforts to Tackle the Discouraging Impact of Violence Against Women in Political Parties

NDI has taken a leading role in documenting and tackling the issue of Violence Against Women in Political Parties (VAW-PP). Over the past two years, through its No Party to Violence initiative, NDI conducted research with 25 political parties across Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Tanzania, and Tunisia.

January 8, 2019

NDI-Armenia Supports Historic Election Debates

A set of handshakes – extended with civility and from equal footing – did more than punctuate the ending of a debate. They reflected a new political momentum in Armenia. On December 5, 2018, for the first time in independent Armenia’s history, the leaders of every political party and alliance participating in the December 9th parliamentary elections gathered on one stage, on live national television, to share with citizens their ideas and vision for the country’s future.

December 21, 2018

Iraqi Women Lead Peace and Reconciliation Campaign, Bridging Sectarian Divides

A group of Iraqi women peace activists stood together this month to urge the government of Iraq and the international community to engage in open and honest dialogue on national reconciliation. With support from NDI, they convened the Women in Peacebuilding Symposium on December 5 to share their ideas, bringing together over 200 decision makers from the government, civil society, and international organizations. The 40 women, despite coming from ethnically and geographically diverse backgrounds, joined together to present a united vision for reconciliation in Iraq and a step-by-step, research-based strategy on how to implement it. In a country where the focus remains on the challenges that led to conflict, these women are leading an effort to refocus on solutions.

December 12, 2018

Assembly Days Bring Representatives and Citizens Closer Together in Kosovo

Seeing members of parliament every day on television is common in Kosovo. Meeting them in person is a different story.

December 10, 2018

International Parliamentarians Unite to Call for the Protection of Global Democratic Norms in Global Sign-on Letter

In an era in which democracy faces an increasing array of challenges, parliamentarians play a critical role in upholding democratic norms and ensuring basic human rights for all. In May 2018, a working group of global parliamentarians and parliamentary networks convened at the Ninth Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss parliamentary efforts to promote democracy and uphold human rights around the world.

December 10, 2018

NDI's 35 Anniversary Gala Reaffirms the Importance of Democracy

NDI celebrated its 35th anniversary on December 6 with over 500 guests, including representatives from the U.S. Congress, the administration, the diplomatic corps, corporate, labor and nonprofit organizations in attendance. The theme for this year’s gala, “Reaffirming Democracy,” celebrated NDI’s three-and-a-half decades of work supporting democratic development around the world despite setbacks and resistance from authoritarian governments.

November 6, 2018

International Symposium Shares Good Practices for Effective, Democratic Transitions of Executive Power

Effective handovers of power after democratic elections are becoming increasingly important, but also more challenging. Senior practitioners and experts on executive-branch transitions met in Montreal, Canada, on November 1 and 2, 2018, to share good practices for the smooth transfer of government control from one elected administration to another. The international symposium, co-hosted by NDI, the White House Transition Project and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, included former heads of state and government, current and former ministers, chiefs of staff and other senior political staff, senior civil servants and scholars.

November 6, 2018

Young Women Set their Sights on Closing the Gender Gap in Liberia

In 2005, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female head of state in Africa, marking a milestone for the country and the continent. Although a woman occupied the highest elected office for twelve years, Liberian women continue to struggle to obtain leadership roles in politics. In hopes of reversing this trend, a group of 16 inspiring women volunteers, called the Visionary Young Women in Leadership (VYWL), are using research to help Liberian women understand and overcome the barriers that keep women from rising through the political ranks.

October 30, 2018

D4D Coalition Launched to Help Make Tech Work for Democracy

Supported by NDI and more than a dozen other international partners, the Design 4 Democracy Coalition held its first Advisory Board meeting on October 25th, in conjunction with MisinfoCon London and Mozilla Fest (MozFest).

October 15, 2018

Northern Triangle Deputies Come Together to Improve Regional Security During Forum Hosted by NDI

More than 15 legislators from the Northern Triangle countries – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – met in San Salvador, El Salvador, for a two-day conference to advance a regional legislative agenda on security and human rights. The Northern Triangle region faces the highest homicide rate globally, and transnational criminal networks make collaboration between the three countries a critical element in efforts to improve security.