A democracy is only as strong as the voices of its women. Not only do women activists hold governments accountable to the needs of women, but the fight for gender equality also provides avenues for other marginalized groups to shape their country’s political system as well. In Kosovo, where conflict in the 1990s left communities divided along ethnic lines, with many cut off from government resources, women are taking the reins to make their government accountable to all citizens.

NDI assisted Salvadoran citizen election observers to conduct a systematic observation of El Salvador’s February 3 presidential election to build public confidence in the electoral process. The election proved to be a significant moment for El Salvador’s democracy, as outsider Nayib Bukele decisively won El Salvador’s February 3 presidential election with 53 percent of the vote. Bukele’s first-round victory marked a historic shift from the majoritarian two-party system that has dominated Salvadoran politics since the end of the country's civil war in 1992.

NDI has taken a leading role in documenting and tackling the issue of Violence Against Women in Political Parties (VAW-PP). Over the past two years, through its No Party to Violence initiative, NDI conducted research with 25 political parties across Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Tanzania, and Tunisia.

A group of Iraqi women peace activists stood together this month to urge the government of Iraq and the international community to engage in open and honest dialogue on national reconciliation. With support from NDI, they convened the Women in Peacebuilding Symposium on December 5 to share their ideas, bringing together over 200 decision makers from the government, civil society, and international organizations. The 40 women, despite coming from ethnically and geographically diverse backgrounds, joined together to present a united vision for reconciliation in Iraq and a step-by-step, research-based strategy on how to implement it. In a country where the focus remains on the challenges that led to conflict, these women are leading an effort to refocus on solutions.