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.

For more than a decade, NDI has conducted programs in Yemen aimed at providing members of parliament with core legislative skills, improving the representative nature of Yemen's political parties, increasing women's political participation, strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations and strengthening local councils. The Institute's current programs are geared towards strengthening the institution of Parliament with a focus on building the capacity of parliamentary committees to exercise their oversight authority by drafting, analyzing and effectively amending legislation and actively engaging civil society to support legislative goals. The Institute is working to build relationships between civil society and local governments by developing their ability to implement participatory budgeting and encouraging mutual engagement to prioritize community needs. NDI further supports civil society directly by strengthening their institutional processes and their ability to develop and implement advocacy and public awareness initiatives.

In an op-ed in the Globe and Mail, NDI regional director for the Middle East and North Africa Les Campbell discussed the need for continuing political reform started almost 20 years ago, with an emphasis on genuine power sharing, economic development, decentralization and rooting out corruption.

Political Context

Political Party Development

Women’s Participation

Election Monitoring

Strengthening Parliamentary Institutions

Civil Society Strengthening

Conflict Mitigation

Local Governance

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