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.

Sudan’s path to democracy has been marred by conflict spanning the past few decades. The Second Sudanese Civil War came to an end in 2005 after more than 20 years of bloodshed that ended with the signing of the unstable Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Meanwhile, tensions came to a head in Sudan’s western Darfur region in 2003, leading to what has been called one of the worst humanitarian crises of the new millennium. While such challenges to peace and stability have posed significant problems for the Sudanese people, they also present opportunities to engage the people at a grassroots level and encourage civic participation. By placing accountability for the future of Sudan in the hands of its people, NDI seeks to mobilize an informed public as a solid foundation for a democratic future.

• NDI's Susan Page Testifies before Senate Foreign Relations Committee about Sudan»
• Read more about SuNDE, a coalition of local groups working to educate and register Sudanese voters»

Radio-Based Civic and Voter Education

Given the diversity of Southern Sudan and the lack of information available to citizens, one of the best ways to ensure broad communication across such a large and underdeveloped area - and to reach people from a number of different ethnic groups - is through the use of radios. Having hit the airwaves in January 2007, NDI's multi-faceted, radio-based civic education program helps raise awareness among the citizens of Southern Sudan about their role in a democracy and to prepare them for organized participation in the political process.

Radio-based outreach, however, is only as effective as citizens' means to access it. In a country characterized by vast distances, poor communications infrastructure, and a low level of literacy, NDI sought to bridge the information gap by distributing hundreds of thousands of manual- and solar-powered radios throughout Sudanese communities. Working closely with local authorities to maximize the program's potential impact, the program targeted community leaders such as teachers and physicians as well as traditional authorities to help promote community dialogue on Sudan's political transition.

‘Let’s Talk!’: Radio Programming for Civic Education

The Let’s Talk! radio program – created through a partnership between the Institute and the Sudan Radio Service – introduces listeners to civic topics ranging from Sudan’s transitional legal framework to strategies for combating corruption.

Every week, the 30-minute program addresses a different topic related to the transition process Each program consists of three segments: a drama, an educational section and a discussion. The drama weaves each week’s topic into the lives of characters in a fictional southern Sudanese town. The education segment offers a straightforward discussion of issues raised in the drama, and the discussion features interviews with officials and other public figures, as well as recorded comments from listening groups that NDI facilitates across southern Sudan

• Read a first-hand account about the radio program in Sudan»

Let's Talk! broadcasts in English and Arabic, and records in Dinka and Nuer. The program can be heard on the Sudan Radio Service, Miraya 101 FM – a United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) radio station supported by Foundation Hirondelle – and a number of local community radio stations around southern Sudan.

• Listen to "Let's Talk!" episodes:
  Episode #2: Laws
  Episode #7: Anticorruption
  Episode #14: Democracy
  Episode #17: Human Rights
  Episode #19: Women’s Rights
  Episode #25: The Role of Civil Society Organizations
  Episode #43: Local Government
  Episode #48: Defining Free and Fair Elections

How does NDI know its programming can have an impact in the Sudan?

NDI set about trying to answer this question by collaborating with Dr. Betsy Levy Paluk, a researcher from Princeton University. Under the guidance of Dr. Paluk the NDI Sudan team implemented a field experiment of its civic education program. The field experiment demonstrated that the "Let’s Talk" radio program could indeed do more than share information and raise the awareness of Sudanese citizens. The design of NDI's program could change Sudanese citizens' behavior.

• Find out more about the results of the field experiment»

Focus Group Research

NDI conducts regular qualitative public opinion research throughout Sudan to help policymakers, civil society groups and the international community better understand citizens' views and perspectives during the country's dynamic transitional period. To conduct this research, NDI has relied upon focus group discussions, allowing chosen participants to compare perspectives, exchange ideas and discuss the political environment - and thereby offering a fuller snapshot of public opinion. NDI's research not only endeavors to gauge attitudes, but also highlight citizens' needs and expectations for the interim period following the signing of the CPA.

While challenges persist, NDI believes that is perhaps more important than ever that the public has access to independent sources of political information and civic education, and an opportunity to communicate with government at all levels.

• Read NDI's most recent report, Southern Sudan at the Crossroads, based on focus group research»
• Read NDI's report from September, 2009, Imagining the Election
• Read NDI's report from April, 2009, Losing Hope»
• Read NDI's report from Sept., 2007, A Place to Call Their Own»
• Read NDI's report from Feb., 2007, Lost in the Middle of Peace»
• Read NDI's report from Oct., 2005, Embracing the Promise of Peace»
• Read NDI's report from June, 2005, A Foundation for Peace»
• Read NDI's report from Dec., 2004, On the Threshold of Peace»

Constitutional Development

As Sudan sets out on a path toward peace, the establishment of a credible transitional legal framework is critical to the sustainability of the CPA. Since its signing, the country has made notable progress in this respect, ratifying the INC on July 9th 2005, while the Government of Southern Sudan ratified the ICSS December 5th 2005.

NDI has been deeply involved in these developments, first offering technical assistance to the SPLM representatives participating in the national constitutional development process. Later, NDI provided extensive administrative and technical support to the South Sudan Technical Drafting Committee, offering the consultative expertise of international constitutional scholars and practitioners. As an outgrowth of this work and at the request of partners in Southern Sudan and USAID, in March 2007, NDI provided technical assistance to the SPLM as it drafted an electoral framework for presentation to the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), tasked with creating a national elections law.

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:

Washington, D.C.
Christina Hartman, Senior Program Manager 
(202) 728-5671

 

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