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.

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.

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.

After months of violence and dislocation in Côte d’Ivoire, reconciliation is a necessary step in the recovery process and a high priority for the new government, President Alassane Ouattara told a Washington audience at an event on Sept. 23 co-sponsored by NDI.

Following coups in 2005 and 2008 and faced with youth protests against government policies perceived as racist, upcoming elections in Mauritania offer an opportunity for the country to show its commitment to democratic principles and constitutional law. But measures to increase transparency and participation will need to be enacted first for the public to have confidence in the results, according to a pre-election assessment by NDI.