NDI Staff: Biographies
Ivan Doherty
Ivan Doherty is NDI's director of political party programs. As the Institute's principal in-house expert on political party development, he currently oversees party development programs in more than 45 countries and is responsible for building NDI's relationships with political party international organizations and other democracy foundations. Mr. Doherty also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy, and leads NDI's participation in a number of other global and regional initiatives, including the Community of Democracies, the OAS Inter-American Forum on Political Parties, and the UN Conference on New or Restored Democracies.
Mr. Doherty has an extensive background in political party development and international affairs. He worked for more than 15 years with Ireland's Fine Gael Party in a number of senior positions, including assistant national director of organization, deputy general secretary, and general secretary from 1990 to 1994. Appointed government program manager in 1994, Mr. Doherty was assigned to Ireland's Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade. He has served as senior advisor to the European People's Party parliamentary grouping in the European Parliament, played a role in the Irish Presidency of the EU and the WTO Ministerial in 1996, and conducted Irish trade promotion missions around the world.
Mr. Doherty speaks and writes often about political parties and political party development. His publications include Democracy Out of Balance: Civil Society Can't Replace Political Parties, (PDF format) which appeared in Policy Review in 2001.