Gender, Women and Democracy

“Small things make big things happen, and this event reminded me of that.” This comment from a participant who attended NDI’s interactive weekend training session in Ohrid, Macedonia, reflected the elevated mood of her peers. Between December 11 and 13, nearly 100 women from 16 political parties participated in the first session of the Women in Politics training series, which focused on the 2016 parliamentary elections. The series is intended to prepare more women to run for and win national and local political office.

West Africa: Political Party Strengthening Academy (PPSA)

Since 2020, NDI has supported political party representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states through the Political Party Strengthening Academy (PPSA) program in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Recognizing the impact that parties have on functioning democracies, the program aims to advance democratic party reform initiatives.

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Women and Youth Successfully Advocate for Changes to New Nepal Constitution

Women and youth constitute an important but often neglected group in Nepalese politics. Irrespective of their ideologies, political parties are unanimous in their agreement on the importance these groups can play within their parties. When it comes to allocating positions of authority, however, both women and youth are often relegated to the background. This has resulted in an increasing number of women and youth leaders who are disillusioned with the political process.

NDI Supports Youth and Women Political Participation Alongside the African Union

“Africa is a better place with youth participation in politics and its future is brighter with women leadership,” @AUC_DPA tweeted, quoting African Union (AU) Commission Director for Political Affairs (DPA) Khabele Matlosa. Matlosa’s words encapsulated the spirit of the youth pre-forum to the AU’s 4th Annual High-Level Dialogue on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance.

Following the Arab Spring, new opportunities for political participation opened up in much of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly for women, youth and minorities who had historically been marginalized and excluded from power.

Honduran Women Congressional Leaders Reflect on Advancements in their Inter-Party Agenda on Gender Equality and Empowerment

“We cannot talk about democracy in Honduras without addressing the fulfillment of women's’ rights,” declared Yadira Bendaña, the president of the Honduran National Congress’ Gender Equality Commission, as she addressed women from several political parties and human rights groups who had gathered to review how gender equality and empowerment have advanced in Honduras.