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.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's civil war gives Southern Sudanese the opportunity to vote next January on whether they want to secede from the north and create their own country. The credibility of this historic election will depend in part on thorough and professional election observation during the pre-, post- and election day periods to help ensure that the referendum is carried out in a transparent way. Following its successful observation in April of Sudan's national elections, the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE) is observing registration and voting for the referendum.

A multipartisan network of politically active women is working to improve the lives of women in Albania by advocating on their behalf and making the political process more inclusive.

Albania has one of the lowest levels of women's representation in Europe, and the initial challenge of gaining access to government officials, even at the local level, often dissuades women from trying to impact public policy. In the face of this challenge, NDI's civil society partner, the Women's Network for Equality in Decision Making, spent the summer undertaking an advocacy initiative to improve health care for women.