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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.

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  • Indigenous Women Strengthen Leadership Skills at Guatemalan Academy

    Mayan women in Guatemala, who are estimated to be 20 percent of the population, are substantially underrepresented in Guatemalan politics. Despite 1996 UN-sponsored peace accords that called for increasing political involvement of the indigenous population, indigenous women were rarely included on candidate lists in the most recent election in 2007, and only two of the 158 deputies in Congress and one of 333 mayors across the country are Mayan women.

  • Women Social Democrats of Southeastern Europe Reach across Borders for Shared Goals

    As the countries of southeastern Europe struggle to move beyond a legacy of violent conflict and consolidate their democratic institutions, women leaders play an essential role. Frequently, women serve as the vanguard of political change, willing to break with established traditions and accepted wisdom to advocate for reforms. However, women politicians in the region have little place at their parties’ decision-making tables and are frequently absent when policy is developed. To foster cooperation among like-minded women leaders in the region, NDI, from Oct.

  • Chocó Women of Colombia Win 2010 Madeleine K. Albright Grant

    The Departmental Network of Chocó Women of Colombia (Red Departmental de Mujeres Chocoanas) has been chosen by NDI to receive the 2010 Madeleine K. Albright Grant for its work to create greater roles for women in the civil and political life of the region.    EventsEvent: NDI 25th Anniversary Dinner Celebration

  • Bahrain Women’s Union Calls for Action on Domestic Violence Law

    For more than two decades, women in Bahrain have struggled to raise awareness of domestic violence.  The Kingdom has no laws or government policies to address violence against women and a draft law that would establish penalties has been languishing in the parliament for years. To push the issue, the Bahrain Women’s Union (BWU), an association of 12 women's organizations, launched an advocacy campaign on Dec. 11 for  a domestic violence law, which has been a priority for the union since its founding in 2001.

  • "From Kitchen to Parliament" - Women in Bangladesh Look Toward the Future

    In Bangladesh, traditional gender roles keep most women from gaining political power. A recent forum, "Celebrating Women's Leadership in Bangladesh," brought together female MPs and other Bangladeshi women with political aspirations to inspire and encourage them to run for office and to work together across party lines to increase women's political participation in the country.

  • Burkina Faso Women Detail Discrimination against Women in U.N. Report

    A broad coalition of civil society organizations in Burkina Faso recently developed a report detailing discrimination against women in the West African country for presentation to a U.N. committee considering implementation of the international Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

  • "From Kitchen to Parliament" - Women in Bangladesh Look Toward the Future

    In Bangladesh, traditional gender roles keep most women from gaining political power. A recent forum, CCelebrating Women's Leadership in Bangladesh," brought together female MPs and other Bangladeshi women with political aspirations to inspire and encourage them to run for office and to work together across party lines to increase women's political participation in the country.

  • Young Women Leaders Collaborate at North African Regional Conference

    With women becoming increasingly prominent in North African politics, NDI brought together more than 60 women from across the region who are both established and emerging as political and civic leaders to discuss the importance of women's political engagement. The group, from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, met in Casablanca, Morocco, March 13–14, a site that was chosen in part because of the record 3,406 new women councilors who were voted into office during last year’s municipal elections.

  • Mexican Men and Women Work Together to Elect More Women to Office

    "Why women, why now?" was the question posed to over 300 participants, both male and female, participating in a week-long series of training sessions across Mexico aimed at giving women candidates the skills and tools they need to get elected to office.

  • NDI Names New Director of Women's Political Participation

    NDI welcomes Susan Markham as the Institute’s director of women’s political participation. Markham, who received her B.A. in political science and international studies from Ohio State University and her master’s in public policy from George Washington University, served as finance director for the Ohio Democratic Party, campaign manager for several statewide campaigns and director of Senate Services at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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