Winter 2011

"Rise with the Prize" Celebrates Women Peacebuilders [3]

NDI joined with Institute for Inclusive Security [4] and people around the world on Dec. 10 to "Rise with the Prize [5]," an initiative that celebrates this year's Nobel Peace Prize and women's participation in building a secure world through online and offline action.

"We congratulate the three women activists selected to receive the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf [6], Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni journalist and human rights activist Tawakkul Karman [7] in recognition of 'their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peacebuilding work,'" said Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of state and NDI chairman.

"As we all know, women are essential to the processes of peace, development and democracy in every part of the world and in every community. NDI has been proud to work with these extraordinary women and looks forward to continued partnership with them to empower women and increase the participation of women throughout the political process,"Albright said. Read more» [3]

For 25 years, NDI has supported women as full partners in politics and peacebuilding. Here are examples of our partnerships with women in conflict zones as they work for a more peaceful future.

Afghanistan: Afghan Women Take Seats in Parliament, Prepare for Road Ahead [8]

Despite violence and intimidation faced by many women candidates in Afghanistan, 69 women took their seats in the 249-member lower house of parliament earlier this year. NDI held an orientation for them, encouraging them to build strong connections with one another and with women leaders in civil society, to raise the voice and visibility of all women in Afghanistan. Read more» [8]

The Balkans: Women Work Together to Challenge Norms and Push Through Barriers [9]

Women in the Balkans are increasingly working together across ethnic and partisan lines to inject new life into stalled politics. NDI brought together women politicians from liberal parties throughout the region to talk about how to bring down barriers to women's political participation and advance policies that address issues such as unemployment and poverty. Read more» [9]

Democratic Republic of Congo: Women Run for Office with Help from Global Women's Network [10]

In a country where women are significantly underrepresented politically, more than 250 women leaders, candidates, activists and representatives of women's organizations came together for the DRC launch of the iKNOW Politics online network [11], followed by a week-long campaign school for women planning to run in last month's parliamentary elections. Parties and presidential candidates also recently came together to support a joint Declaration on the Elimination of Sexual Violence [12] in DRC. Read more» [10]

Iraq: National Platform for Women, a Unified Vision for a New Path [13]

The National Platform for Women [14], which spells out recommendations for government policy and political party action, was launched in the runup to last year's Iraqi parliamentary elections. The platform was written collaboratively with political party members, civil society activists and government officials from across Iraq. Read more» [13]

South Sudan: Women's Coalition Calls for More Inclusive Constitution [15]

When South Sudan became the world's newest country on July 9, it began working on a permanent constitution, with many civic groups eager to lend a hand. One such organization, the Southern Sudan Women's Constitutional Coalition, is working to make sure women are equally represented in the constitution. Among their recommendations are a mandate that women make up at least 30 percent of all levels and branches of government.  Read more» [15]

About Win With Women

The Win with Women Global Initiative is a complement to more than two decades of work by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) [16] in pursuit of an equitable, democratic society where women’s needs are meaningfully addressed. Some of its latest activities are presented here.

The Initiative is aimed at increasing women’s leadership in elected office, political parties and in civil society. It was launched in 2003 by NDI and its Chairman Madeleine K. Albright [17] to promote strategies for increasing women’s political leadership worldwide. The anchor of the Win with Women Global Initiative is the Global Action Plan [18], a document that outlines practical recommendations for political parties to broaden their appeal by addressing women’s role as voters, candidates, party activists and elected officials. Women and men from more than 100 countries are active supporters of the Initiative and Global Action Plan.

Get Involved

Visit the Win with Women Website [2]
Refer Colleagues to Win with Women [19]

Download the Global Action Plan [18]
Email the Win with Women Initiative [20]

[16]

© National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). All rights reserved.
This work may be reproduced and/or translated for non-commercial purposes provided that NDI is acknowledged as the source of the material and is sent copies of any translation.