Women in Kyrgyzstan face stark barriers to full political participation. Despite holding 23 seats in parliament, women reside in few leadership positions in parties. For example, Kyrgyzstan law requires that women make up every third name on a party candidate list. However, party leaders often pressure women to give up their seats after they are elected. This exclusion means that some issues, such as domestic violence, are not given the attention that their severity warrants.

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.

The armed conflict in Syria has left more than 400,000 dead, led to 6.3 million internally displaced people, and has forced at least 5 million refugees to flee the country. Syrian citizens are caught in a cycle of security, humanitarian, and political crises that have left their communities in disorder and without governance.

What do Madeleine Albright, Kamala Harris and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls initiative have in common? They’re all working toward inspiring the next generation of women leaders (join them). Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls initiative is “...dedicated to helping young people cultivate their authentic selves” and changing the world by “being themselves”.

A widespread perception among Nigerians is that a vote for a woman is wasted as she cannot win or should not lead—a perception that hampers women from rising in the ranks within parties and from winning elected office. These negative stereotypes about women's political participation exist partly because the information sources that Nigerians trust most, like community leaders or journalists, do not challenge these views and instead negatively portray women in public life.

Lebanon is the oldest democracy in the Middle East, granting women the right to vote and run for office in 1953. So why, more than six decades later, does Lebanon have so few women in its parliament? According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Lebanon ranks 185 out of 193 countries surveyed with only 3 percent of women in its 128-seat parliament. This low rate is not for lack of qualified women. Women now account for more than half of university graduates in Lebanon and can be found in senior level positions in the private sector, civil society, and academic institutions.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) will award its 2017 Madeleine K. Albright Grant to Women Act for Living Together (WALT), a non-profit organization supporting the rights of women and children in the Central African Republic (CAR). Established in 2013 by a group of Muslim and Christian women under the slogan “better together,” WALT heroically championed peace, social cohesion and reconciliation in the face of extreme unrest and violence.

In Cambodia, women continue to be underrepresented in politics. Only three of 29 cabinet ministers are women, and there are no women provincial governors. Women make up just 20 percent of National Assembly members— though a higher proportion than many countries, it is still below the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. At the local level, only 18 percent of commune councilors are women.