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NDI

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.

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A recent story in the Yemen Times discusses how NDI , through partnerships with Yemeni government agencies and local organizations, has helped the country better understand and deal with the persistent problem of tribal violence. Tribal conflicts in Yemen have resulted in hundreds of deaths from revenge killings since 2000, contributing to political instability and economic losses from drops in tourism and foreign investment.

The Yemen Times – quoted below – reports on how tribal leaders approached NDI to work toward solving the problem of tribal violence:

In 2004, Yemeni Organization for Development and Social Peace (YODSP), an organization formed by a group of tribal leaders … approached the Yemen office of the National Democratic Institute for help in addressing revenge killing and tribal conflicts in their areas.

Following almost three years of research, a program was launched, involving governmental body the Higher National Committee for Combating Revenge (HNCCR) and three local NGOs [non-governmental organizations].

“We [the NDI] help the HNCCR create a database on conflicts … through training,” explained Nadwa al-Dawsari, NDI’s senior program manager. “We also train them on managing and analyzing armed conflicts.”

Pictured Above: Prominent tribal leaders of Yemen attend the launch of a public awareness campaign on tribal violence.

Published on March 17, 2009