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.

As a boy in Germany, Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer heard about the “romantic music and fairy tales of Gypsy life.” But he wasn’t satisfied with the stories and wanted to learn more about the Roma people and their plight.

An opportunity came last year when Zimmer, a long-time human rights advocate, heard about the deportation of Roma migrants from France and wanted to help. His interest led him to NDI, which has been working for the past decade to empower Roma activists in Central and Eastern Europe.

NDI is conducting a pre-election assessment of Zambia’s preparations for presidential, parliamentary and local elections to be held on Sept. 20.

The five-day assessment, Aug. 14-18, reflects the international community’s interest in and support for credible elections in Zambia. It is intended to provide a preliminary assessment of the electoral environment and preparations for the elections as well as a framework for an NDI long-term international observation of the September polls.

Spurred by the recent political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and the prospect of upcoming legislative elections, experts are convening at the Hotel Tiama in Abidjan to discuss the role that domestic election observation can play in diminishing the potential for political violence.

NDI President Kenneth Wollack traveled to Burma in June to meet with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who he first met on a visit there 16 years ago. Wollack also met with other democratic leaders, including the Central Executive Committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD), along with ethnic leaders and a youth network. He also visited an HIV/AIDS center run by an NLD activist and the Free Funeral Services Society, a nongovernmental group that provides free funeral services and basic education to the poor.