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.

Representatives from 33 of Libya’s new political parties gathered in Tripoli March 1 to learn about the new law that will govern Libya’s first election in nearly 50 years.  The late June vote for a constituent assembly will be the first time any of these parties will wage competitive campaigns, and how well they learn the rules of the game will help determine their success as they vie to shape the future of the country.

Doctors and nurses from a U.N. hospital in South Sudan are treating patients in Munuki and Kator, two communities outside the capital that had no access to health care until now. The presence of the hospital staff grew out of a town hall-style meeting that was a first-time opportunity for residents of those communities to meet with their elected members of parliament.

“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. 

Noting Egypt’s “tremendous strides” of the past year, 18 former foreign ministers from Europe, Eurasia, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and the United States have called on Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt’s military government, to stop the prosecution of nongovernmental organizations.