Fall 2012

International Leaders Honor Geraldine Ferraro's Legacy During Democratic Convention

More than 175 women leaders from around the world came together to honor Geraldine Ferraro's legacy during this year's Democratic National Convention as part of NDI's International Leaders Forum [3]. Ferraro was the first woman nominated as a vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket in the U.S. and a long-time NDI board member.

"In whatever country you are from, there will be 'firsts,'" said former Secretary of State and NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright. "The first woman senator, or the first woman committee chair, or the first Supreme Court justice, or the first cabinet head, vice president, prime minister, and so on. Each of these 'firsts' is a milestone, but also a starting point. Because when a barrier is truly shattered, it will stay that way - so that what once seemed revolutionary can evolve into standard practice and our grandchildren will grow up wondering what all the fuss was about."

	Left to right: Laura Lee, Kenneth Wollack, Natalie Ullman and Donna Ullman.

Albright was joined by Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Hawaii congressional candidate Tulsi Gabbard, and Ferraro's two daughters, Donna Ullman and Laura Lee. They paid tribute to Ferraro's legacy by sharing stories about women's leadership and politics in the 28 years since her trailblazing candidacy. The luncheon was hosted by NDI and Albright and sponsored by Coca-Cola and Chevron.

NDI has organized the International Leaders Forum during every Democratic National Convention since 1984. This year, more than 300 diplomats and foreign leaders came to Charlotte to observe the convention and learn about the U.S. political process.

See more photos from the Geraldine Ferraro Women in Politics Lunch» [4]

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Honored by NDI, IRI [5]

Madeleine Albright, NDI chairman, and Sen. John McCain, IRI chairman, present Aung San Suu Kyi with the democracy and freedom award.

"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," she continued. During a 20 minute address to a bipartisan audience of lawmakers, government officials and Burma supporters, she spoke about her party's campaign for parliament and the current state of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the Burmese government. Although she was cautiously optimistic about democratic reforms in Burma, she said her hopes rested with the Burmese people themselves. Read more about this event or watch her speech» [5]

Women's Political Participation Programs at NDI [6]

NDI currently works in more than 70 countries, creating programs that are specifically tailored to women as well as ensuring that women are a part of every existing Institute program. At any given time, nearly 75 percent of NDI programs have a dedicated component addressing women's political participation in legislature, political parties and civil society as leaders, activists and informed citizens.

The Institute also manages several global initiatives [7] that aim to connect politically active women and arm them with the information and strategies [8] they need to be successful. In the past few months, Susan Markham, director of women's political participation programs, wrote about the importance of the number of women in politics in Foreign Policy magazine [9] and about strategies and best practices to strengthen women's roles in parliaments in the Oxford Journal of Parliamentary Affairs [10].

Liberian Lawmakers Oversee Budget With Eye Toward Women and Girls [11]

	President Johnson-Sirleaf addresses lawmakers.

In June, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia joined legislators and congressional staff in Monrovia for a discussion on how the legislature can use its budgeting power to increase opportunities for women and girls. "Traditional roles — that the man is the head of the household but the woman is responsible for it — are changing," said the first woman president in sub-Saharan Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. "Women's leadership has also increased in society, but there is still a lot to do." Read more» [11]

Focus Groups Show Tunisian Women Worry Gains May Be Slipping [12]

Tunisian women vote.

Women of all ages, regions and walks of life took to the streets last year during the uprising that led to the ouster of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They participated as candidates and campaigners during the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) elections that followed, encouraged by the country's new electoral law that required a "zipper system" that alternated men and women on candidate lists. As the political transition continues, Tunisian women are playing active roles in civil society and political parties. Yet they are increasingly concerned that the gains made during the revolution may be slipping and that conventional gender roles and stereotypes are reemerging, according to the results of focus group research conducted by NDI. Read more» [12]

Empowering Nepal's Future Leaders [13]

As a young girl growing up in Baitadi, one of the most isolated and impoverished districts of Western Nepal, Kamala Bohora constantly battled poverty, harsh prejudice and despairing loneliness. It was this very poverty and discrimination that drove Bohora to seek solace and hope in the arms of the Communist Party Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), one of the largest political parties of Nepal. Impressed by Bohora's passion and commitment to learning, her party selected her to participate in NDI's USAID-funded Future Leadership Academy. Read more» [13]

Pakistani Women and Young People Work on Political Skills [14]

Participants show the power of networks during an exercise at the Training Fellowship program.

In Pakistan, where instability, distrust, violence and political rivalries can impede interaction among political parties, women and young people often have difficulty making their voices heard. To help them overcome this, young representatives from four major political parties came together in Karachi to learn to train party members in party building and campaign organizing. More than half of the participants were women and more than 80 percent of them were under 35. Read more» [14]

Indigenous Woman Becomes Governor in Guatemala [15]

	Teresa de Jesús Chocoyo is known to her supporters as "Sacatepéquez's Woman of Change."

Teresa de Jesús Chocoyo definitely stood out in the crowd when she was sworn in as one of 22 departmental governors in Guatemala. A petite indigenous woman in colorful, traditional Mayan dress, her long black hair pulled back in a braid, she was the only indigenous woman governor, one of only three women and three indigenous governors. Known to her supporters as "Sacatepéquez's Woman of Change" – she is the chief executive of the department of Sacatepéquez in the central part of the country – she is challenging the political status quo. While Chocoyo's training as a social worker helped prepare her to run for office, she also credits courses on political strategy and communication organized by NDI in partnership with the Guatemalan Office for the Defense of Indigenous Women (La Defensoría de la Mujer Indígena, DEMI) and UN Women. 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

Subscribe to this Newsletter [19]

Download the Global Action Plan [18]

[16]

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