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.

A group of activists gathered outside the senate just moments before initial passage of the law.

A landmark anti-discrimination law, described by one supporter as “an homage to equality,” was signed into law last month by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. For the first time, it levies prison sentences for acts of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.

The law is “a form of justice,” said President Santos. “It was time to get tough on this and to ensure the protection of the rights of those discriminated against.”

A forum held by PolicyLebanon.org yields discussion on domestic policy issues.

In 1998, Lebanon revised its drug law, decriminalizing drug addiction and treating it as a public health issue, a first step toward viewing addiction as a social and health problem. But in the years since, judges and civil society representatives have found shortcomings in the statute, which they say include a lack of access to healthcare and a tendency to ignore drug users’ civil rights. Tired of waiting for government action, civil society organizations across Lebanon have begun advocacy campaigns of their own.