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 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2009

Contact: Kathy Gest, kgest@ndi.org, 202-728-5535

Young Women Meet in Morocco
with Future Leadership in Mind

RABAT – Twenty-five young women from across North Africa will convene in Rabat, Morocco, for leadership exercises over the next four days, hoping to carry the lessons learned back to their communities and into their futures.

On the occasion of the 64th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, NDI President Kenneth Wollack joined the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. Campaign for Burma and others to honor the incarcerated leader of Burma’s democratic opposition. Daw Suu Kyi, who has been in custody for 13 of the last 19 years, was sent to Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison on May 14 on charges she violated the terms of her house arrest.

NDI’s Regional Director for Eurasia Laura Jewett addressed the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the Helsinki Commission, on Kyrgyzstan’s July 23 presidential election. Jewett outlined several areas in which the government of Kyrgyzstan could take steps to improve the electoral environment, which would in turn help rebuild citizen confidence in the process.

Changing gender politics in the Western Balkans was the theme that brought together eight young Balkan leaders to participate in a lively discussion co-hosted by NDI and the National Albanian American Council (NAAC).

Topics ranging from gender quotas for elected office to social implications of gender equity were posed by NDI’s Aleksandra Pajevic, the Institute’s field director in Albania, who moderated the session called “Women in Government, Access to Power.”