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  • Ukrainian Women Leaders Learn from U.S. Counterpart

    Titus (r) trains women leaders in Kyiv. Dina Titus, former member of the U.S. House and 20-year member and former minority leader of the Nevada State Senate, recently spent a week in Ukraine working to help aspiring and elected women politicians and political party representatives overcome the particular challenges that women face in politics. Traveling with Gail Tuzzolo, a campaign consultant from Nevada, the two emphasized the importance of addressing underlying issues of discrimination facing women and helping each other — even across party lines — to get more women into positions of power.

  • Leadership Academy Prepares Young Women for Political Careers in Burkina Faso

    Daily computer trainings and access to the academy’s computer lab helped women learn online networking tools, including email, Facebook and iKNOW Politics. Women who want to enter politics in Burkina Faso face a number of barriers, such as lack of faith in their leadership abilities, few role models and limited opportunities. So it is a struggle in this West African country for women to run for office, rise within party ranks or contribute to party platforms. Those who manage to win elections don’t receive the same level of political party support and training as men and, as a result, have a harder time being successful as office holders.

  • Young Women Gain Confidence, Mentors from Leadership School in Iraq

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  • Women in the Balkans Work Together to Challenge Norms and Push through Barriers

    Women from various liberal political parties discuss ways for women to advance in politics with Susan Markham, NDI's director for women's political participation. In Europe’s Balkan region, where citizens are trying to overcome ethnic conflict, political polarization and struggling economies in hopes of joining the European Union, women are seizing a larger role in democratization efforts. Increasingly, they are working together across ethnic and partisan lines to inject new life into stalled politics.

  • Women in Kazakhstan Seek Equality at Executive Levels

    Vladimir Kozlov, leader of the Alga! Party, pledged to fill at least 30 percent of the party's candidate list with women Men still hold most of the power in Kazakhstan, despite a commitment by the government that women will hold 30 percent of decision-making roles at all levels of government by 2016.  Only 11 percent of parliamentarians are female. And while women make up 58 percent of the civil service — and about 52 percent of the population — less than 9 percent of them hold high-level positions. In local governments, 10 percent of decision-making positions are held by women.

  • Women Leaders Look for Solutions to Challenges Facing Malians

    A muncipal councilor in Koulikoro meets with her constituents during the small group portion of the forum. In Mali, a new series of citizen forums aims to solve community problems and incorporate women as full partners in the process.

  • At United Nations, iKnow Politics Hosts Women Political Leaders

    Returning on March 4 to the United Nations, where it was launched two years ago, the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) – a joint initiative of NDI, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) – presented “Getting Ahead: Testimonials from Women Political Leaders” at this year’s

  • Latin American Women Legislators Share Ideas for Advancing Women’s Issues Across the Region

    Since the early 1990s, women in Latin America have significantly increased their political participation and successes. But while the number of women legislators has increased, advances have not been uniform across countries and women are continuing to seek more recognition of their interests. In some countries, women legislators have formed committees on gender; in others, more informal groups have been created to address specific issues. But the strength and effectiveness of these groups differ from country to country.

  • Women’s Participation Gains Ground, Faces High Hurdles

    Afghan women candidates speak at a pre-election rally in Kabul. Where women have gained a political voice around the world, there have been tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace.

  • DRC Women Running for Office with Help from Global Women’s Network

    Women candidates receive guidance on best practices for effectively running a political campaign. iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics around the world, has come to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s a country where women are significantly underrepresented politically and where, as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, hundreds of women turned out to learn how the online network could help them build successful candidacies.

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