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Dear Friends and Partners,
From the COVID-19 pandemic to the heightening climate crisis to an increase in authoritarian overreach, 2020 has sorely tested the strength of democracies globally.
With all eyes on the crisis in Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe must not lose sight of their deep political and security interests in the Western Balkans, where U.S. and NATO interventions ended the violent conflicts of the 1990s. Make no mistake about it: the Kremlin aims to sever the Balkans from the West and to undermine democracy. To alter this dangerous dynamic, the U.S. must strengthen its leadership role to consolidate the Balkans’ place firmly in Europe.
On this International Women’s Day, let us all stand in solidarity with Ukraine and recommit ourselves to building strong inclusive democracies and the values of peace and justice they embody.
The exclusion of young people from politics and decision-making based on age has resulted in a fractured relationship between political activists and politicians across generations. Age discrimination stigmatizes all young people, especially those of diverse identities and backgrounds, with negative stereotypes and facilitates their exclusion from both formal and informal political spaces. Additionally, decision-making power and leadership continue to be associated with older males.
While March 11, 2020, is the day COVID officially became a global pandemic, the end date remains uncertain. Restrictions have been lifted in most of the world; yet health risks persist and countries are struggling to recover from the economic and social aftermath. The most prescient ones are capturing lessons from the COVID pandemic and preparing for the next wave or new pandemics.
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:
NDI believes all people have the right to live in a world that respects their dignity, security, and political rights—and the digital world is no exception. A critical investment to advance democracy is to create an internet that enables all people to be politically engaged. This is why, for years, NDI has worked to address the gendered attacks, including disinformation, faced by 50 percent of the world’s population when attempting to engage online.