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NDI, IRI Honor Aung San Suu Kyi

Madeleine Albright, NDI chairman, and Sen. John McCain, IRI chairman, present Aung San Suu Kyi with the democracy and freedom award. Photo by Chan Chao. “Democracy is not perfect, but it is the best system so far,” said Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese activist, member of parliament and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate at a Sept. 19 dinner co-hosted by NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI). “The best thing about democracy is that it allows for non-violent change in power, without hurt to the country.”

Calm and Orderly Georgian Elections Set New Political Landscape, NDI Mission Finds

A voter casts her ballot in Tbilisi, Georgia. With the ability to make informed choices and express their will at the ballot box, Georgians participated in their most competitive elections in a decade on Oct. 1 and ushered in a period that will require a consultative and participatory legislative process in a newly-pluralist parliament, an NDI observer delegation said Oct. 2 in Tbilisi. “The responsibility now lies with the country’s political leaders to engage immediately in constructive dialogue and reconciliation,” NDI said.

International Summit in Kosovo Produces “Pristina Principles” to Increase Women’s Empowerment

President Jahjaga delivers closing remarks at the summit. After three days of meetings in Pristina, Kosovo, a group of women and men leaders from around the world has created the “Pristina Principles,” a set of guidelines and priorities aimed at eliminating barriers to women’s political participation, aiding their economic empowerment and giving them access to security and justice in the region and around the world.

Iraq Survey Shows Growing Optimism

Concerns over unemployment, service delivery, corruption remain

Constitutional Dialogues Bring Zambia's Youth Into the Political Process

Young people make up nearly 60 percent of the population in Zambia and face growing unemployment rates. But their participation in politics and government has remained low. A group of youth-oriented civil society organizations is using the drafting of a new constitution as an opportunity to address youth issues and include young people in the political process.

Constitutional Dialogues Bring Zambia's Youth Into the Political Process

Young people make up nearly 60 percent of the population in Zambia and face growing unemployment rates. But their participation in politics and government has remained low. A group of youth-oriented civil society organizations is using the drafting of a new constitution as an opportunity to address youth issues and include young people in the political process.

Burkina Faso Campaign Brings 16,000 Women Closer to Voter Registration

For Burkina Faso’s last election – a presidential poll in 2010 –difficult and confusing requirements resulted in overwhelmingly low voter registration. Only three million of the country’s six million eligible citizens registered. And of those, only 1.7 million showed up at the polls. Women, in particular, faced formidable obstacles because of a requirement that citizens obtain a birth certificate before they can register.

International Visitors Share Experiences on Organizing Debates

Janet Brown, executive director, Commission on Presidential Debates; Trevor Fearon, advisor, Jamaica Debates Commission With the 2nd U.S. presidential debate as a backdrop, 25 visitors from 12 countries came to Hofstra University in New York in mid-October to exchange information about putting on debates in their own countries and witness first-hand the intricacies of organizing the Oct. 16 matchup between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.

Youth Party Members From Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to Witness U.S. Elections Firsthand

A delegation of young political party representatives from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are visiting the United States this week on a study mission to observe the U.S electoral process, and particularly the role of youth, with the goal of gathering information on techniques they can bring back and adapt in their home countries.

Youth Development Seminar Focuses on Job Creation for Liberia’s Youth

Nine years after the end of a civil war that ravaged the country for more than a decade, Liberian youth continue to face staggering unemployment, lack of access to quality education and limited representation in government policymaking. Of the 64 percent of Liberians living below the poverty line, 68 percent are young people. Among the unemployed, 58 percent are youth, members of a generation that grew up without access to education and are unqualified for many of the jobs currently available. Many have turned to crime as a result.

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