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  • Rep. Wasserman Schultz Says Women’s Voices Are Crucial to Democracy at NDI’s Madeleine K. Albright Awards Luncheon

    Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) delivered the keynote address at a March 22 luncheon honoring the Women’s Discussion Club of Kyrgyzstan, the 2012 recipient of the Madeleine K. Albright Grant awarded by NDI. In her address, Wasserman Schultz challenged women to take the lead. “Too often, women don’t speak up,” Wasserman Schultz said. “But women's voices are crucial to democracy.”

  • In Kosovo, Women Reach Beyond ‘Soft’ Issues in the Media

    The Women’s Caucus hosted the event ‘Women's Portrayal in the Media.’ When the Kosovar government released its ambassadorial nominations last fall, there was a glaring omission — no women were on the list. A group of women members of parliament (MPs) protested at a news conference, which led the government to increase the number of women nominees to one-third. But when the national television station reported on the press conference, it played traditional wedding music over what the women were saying, making it look more like a party and distracting from the serious message the women MPs were trying to get across.

  • New Guide Helps Break Glass Ceiling for Women in Political Parties

    The guide includes a poster that details ways parties can include women during every part of the election cycle. “Parties that take women’s political participation seriously benefit from stronger electoral positions, access to new groups of voters and stronger relations with their constituents,” NDI President Kenneth Wollack said at the Feb. 29 launch of a new guidebook for political parties. The guide, Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women’s Political Participation, was written and produced by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) and NDI. 

  • Political Parties in Sierra Leone Pledge Open, Safe, Inclusive Elections

    Sulaiman Bai Sesay, secretary general of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), signs the pledge. UDM is one of eight signatories to the pledge. All of Sierra Leone’s eight registered political parties have signed an “Open and Safe Elections Pledge” to promote an electoral atmosphere free of violence and intimidation and to encourage women to participate in the election process. The country is slated to have presidential, parliamentary and local elections on Nov. 17.

  • Pakistani Women and Young People Work on Political Skills

    Participants show the power of networks during an exercise at the Training Fellowship program. In Pakistan, where instability, distrust, violence and political rivalries can impede interaction among political parties, women and young people — the majority of the population — often have difficulty making their voices heard. According to some estimates, more than 60 percent of Pakistanis are under the age of 35. Yet women and young people seldom have leadership opportunities or seats on decision making bodies.    

  • Liberian Lawmakers Oversee Budget With Eye Toward Women and Girls

    President Johnson-Sirleaf addresses lawmakers. One of the world’s strongest female role models, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, joined about 150 legislators and congressional staff in Monrovia for a discussion on the difficult question of how the Liberian legislature can use its budgeting power to increase opportunities for women and girls. 

  • Mauritanian Women Advocate for Rights with Public Petition

    Though few Mauritanians are able to have a say in their country’s political life, one group of dedicated women is determined to be heard. The Advocacy Initiatives Group for Women’s Political Participation (Groupes des Initiatives de Plaidoyer pour la Participation Politique des Femmes, GI3PF), a nonpartisan organization comprising women from all walks of life, is committed to encouraging women’s participation in Mauritanian politics at the local and national levels.

  • Candidate Schools Help Women in West Africa Compete and Win

    Aminata Kassé (left), NDI resident director in Burkina Faso, presents a certificate of training completion to a Burkinabe women running for office. As countries across West Africa transition to democracy following years of autocratic rulers, civil unrest, and sometimes civil war, women are frequently left out of the process. Though they make up more than half of the population, women are often excluded from politics by rigid social norms, opaque party structures and other societal hurdles. Yet democracies with more women in power have been shown to yield more equitable societies, have less corruption, and make more advancements in education, infrastructure and health standards.

  • Mexican Women’s Coalition Pushes for Reform, Creates “Toolkit” for Advocacy

    Mexican women made historic strides last year in securing seats in the country’s national legislature, where they account for more than 36 percent of the membership. But political parties are still struggling to realize similar gains at the state level where just 6.1 percent of the nation’s 2,400 municipal presidents are women.

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