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After Indonesia’s transition from authoritarianism, municipal and district governments acquired new control over local budgets. That created the need for citizen watchdogs to monitor public spending. In 2005, NDI created a program to help citizens in 14 districts play an active role in budget creation and accountability. Their work has led to improved services, such as making local health clinics more responsive to citizen complaints and ending an illegal fees syndicate that was diverting money from local schools in East Java.
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In Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, NDI has established 28 information centers that help increase access to independent sources of information and foster public participation. Located outside of major cities, the centers produce and distribute news digests and host training and community discussions on local and national issues. The centers also aid dialogue between citizens and local governments and have inspired the creation of citizen networks and organizations. Each month, more than 8,500 citizens use the centers to gain information, skills and opportunities to participate more effectively in civic life and hold elected officials accountable.
The Work of the Institute
Political Party Building
NDI works with its partners on methods of political party building – from internal democratic procedures and candidate selection to polling, platform development and public outreach. Operating from a practical viewpoint, NDI offers assistance to promote parties’ long-term organizational development, enhance their involvement in elections, establish codes of conduct, mitigate political conflict, and help them participate constructively in government. The Institute also works to promote dialogue across party lines.
NDI is a nonpartisan organization that draws proudly on the traditions of the U.S. Democratic Party. Its programs seek to advance universal values and support all democratic systems of governance rather than particular parties or ideologies. NDI is the only organization that enjoys official standing in the international groupings of Social Democratic, Liberal and Centrist Democratic political parties. Together, the three “internationals” represent approximately 350 parties in 150 countries. They and NDI have sought to increase understanding of the key role political party development plays in consolidating democratic systems.
Democratic Governance
Studies have shown that having a strong national legislature is one of the keys to democratic governance. NDI works with legislatures around the world to support lawmakers and staff in strengthening committees, legislative oversight, rules of procedure, public access to information, caucuses and constituency outreach. The Institute helps government ministries and the offices of prime ministers and presidents to function more efficiently, improve public outreach and be more responsive to the public at large. NDI also supports the efforts of provincial councils and local governments to respond more effectively, to citizen needs.
Women in Politics
NDI partners with democrats around the world to develop and promote strategies for increasing women’s political participation by creating an environment in which women can advocate on matters of policy, successfully run for political office, govern effectively, and participate meaningfully in every facet of civic and political life. The Institute’s Win with Women Global Initiative promotes strategies to increase women’s leadership roles in political parties. iKNOW Politics, the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, is an online community dedicated to advancing and supporting women in politics. Women use the online forum to share experiences and access information, with about 2,500 visits per day. It was founded by NDI in partnership with the UN Development Programme, the UN Development Fund for Women, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
