NDI will send the Payá family a book of condolences; you can submit your wishes, thoughts, memories and stories for inclusion in the book here.

NDI mourns the tragic loss of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, the Cuban democracy leader who died in a car crash in the eastern province of Granma, Cuba, on July 22.

As the democratic process gradually gets stronger in Afghanistan, citizens expect more jobs, social services, education opportunities for their children, improved infrastructure and health care. This short documentary film shows how political parties and elected officials are creating policy agendas that speak to citizen's priorities. With support from NDI, political parties in Afghanistan are learning to become more representative of different ethnicities and develop policies reflective of constituent concerns.

NDI senior staff members from 58 countries came together for three days last week to discuss trends in democracy support and explore opportunities presented by new technologies and other innovations in program design, implementation and evaluation.

In addition to taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with colleagues from across the world, the 133 participants heard from outside experts from the National Endowment for Democracy, the U.S Agency for International Development, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the U.S. State Department.

In Pakistan, where instability, distrust, violence and political rivalries can impede interaction among political parties, women and young people — the majority of the population — often have difficulty making their voices heard.

According to some estimates, more than 60 percent of Pakistanis are under the age of 35. Yet women and young people seldom have leadership opportunities or seats on decision making bodies.