In Yopougon, a suburb of Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital Abidjan, angry youth gathered on the evening of April 5th to destroy a planned COVID-19 testing center. This testing center was one of many the government was constructing across Abidjan in response to an increasing number of cases -- 261 as of April 5th. But in contrast to citizens around the world all demanding not just more tests, but more accessible tests, the young people in Yopougon had a very different reaction to the government’s COVID-19 response. Why? 

What do you do when your favorite uncle shares a news article from a questionable source with claims that you know are untrue or distorted? Would you take the time to find a reputable article on the topic and hope he reads it? Or, do you prefer to shake your head, disengage and mute the family text group? 

In the face of the spread of COVID-19 in Tunisia, one of NDI’s longstanding citizen election observation partners, Mourakiboun, is stepping up to make its data available to decision-makers and encouraging local CSOs to start evidence-based preventative initiatives in their communities.

As COVID-19 becomes a leading governance challenge around the world, local governments are at the front lines of the effort to combat the spread of the virus. Following the first appearance of coronavirus in Tunisia, municipal councils established local crisis committees across the country to improve local government responses to COVID-19 and create safer environments for citizens. Civil society organizations (CSOs), political parties and elected officials are coming together through these committees to help communities combat the spread of COVID-19.

Given the current intensity of the COVID-19 global pandemic, many countries are declaring states of emergency. In some instances, these declarations may intend to contain the virus, but they can also represent a calculated attempt to erode democracy. To guard against opportunistic authoritarian governments leveraging COVID-19 to expand executive power at the expense of rule of law, legislative oversight, and human rights, NDI is monitoring four key indicators:

• separation of powers and executive authority in emergencies

On March 3, Tunisian civil society demonstrated the impact that collaborative advocacy can have on policy making. As the Tunisian parliament moved to quickly amend electoral policy to establish a new vote threshold for parliamentary representation, six Tunisian election observation groups, known collectively as the Collaborative Group (CG), launched a successful joint advocacy initiative to delay review of the amendment in favor of a broader, more participative review.

Within the first two weeks of 2020, three women were beaten to death by their husbands or partners in Kyrgyzstan. Sadly, these were not isolated incidents. Despite having a domestic violence law in place since 2017, domestic violence is not rare in Kyrgyzstan. In fact, reports of abuse are rising. Since 2011, the number of reported incidents of domestic violence has risen by 400 percent.

Most victims are women and their abusers are usually their husbands. 

Communities around the world are united by the challenges engendered by the COVID-19 threat. Local officials are at the forefront of the fight: the tone and immediacy of their response to this emergency not only define their leadership, but also directly impact the health and wellness of their citizens.