West Bank and Gaza

In the West Bank and Gaza, NDI assists democratic forces to facilitate a more competitive multiparty system with representative institutions that are responsive to the Palestinian public. NDI has implemented programs in the West Bank and Gaza since 1994, with the launch of a grassroots civic education program which later became an independent Palestinian-run organization called Civic Forum Institute. The Institute has worked directly with Palestinian political parties on internal party reform since 2006. NDI’s current program in West Bank/Gaza focuses on election readiness and campaign planning. In the pre-election period, this includes membership database development, applications of electronic technologies for outreach to supporters, and outreach to women and youth. In the long term, the initiative aims to:

raise awareness of the role and function of political parties;
facilitate parties’ participation in the political process;
enhance the participation of women and youth within the parties; and
enable parties to better represent the needs and interests of their constituents.

Over the years, NDI has worked with nonviolent political parties and civil society organizations to address such issues as the political participation of women, the promotion of political pluralism, and the strengthening of local government. NDI has also conducted domestic and international election observation missions, assessments of voter registration, survey research, trainings on political party development and election campaign management and hosted legal workshops for Palestinian Legislative Council members. NDI has developed a strong network of political party and civil society partners, and continues to reach out to a wide range of democracy activists.

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.