Stories

July 31^st, 2017

NDI partner explores North Korean crimes against humanity; lays groundwork for eventual transitional justice

North Korea receives significant international attention for the nuclear threat it poses to international security, for its uniquely closed nature, and for the severity and scale of human rights violations perpetrated by the regime. North Korean defectors have fled their home country to escape political prison, torture and/or starvation, and their stories have painted a picture of severe, widespread human rights abuses.

July 28^th, 2017

NDI Deputy Director Katherine Fox briefs Helsinki Commission on Human Rights and Democracy in Belarus

Last week, NDI-Eurasia Deputy Director Katherine Fox, alongside IRI-Eurasia Director Stephen Nix and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Minsk, Sanaka Samarasinha, briefed the Helsinki Commission on political developments in Belarus. The panel was entitled “Engaging Belarus on Human Rights and Democracy.”

July 26^th, 2017

Kyrgyzstani Women Leaders Organize to Pass Legislation to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence

Women in Kyrgyzstan face stark barriers to full political participation. Despite holding 23 seats in parliament, women reside in few leadership positions in parties. For example, Kyrgyzstan law requires that women make up every third name on a party candidate list. However, party leaders often pressure women to give up their seats after they are elected. This exclusion means that some issues, such as domestic violence, are not given the attention that their severity warrants.

July 21^st, 2017

Venezuelans Reject Maduro’s Attempt to Write a New Constitution

On July 16, more than seven million Venezuelans participated in a generally peaceful referendum on President Maduro’s proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly with extraordinary powers to abolish existing institutions and write a new constitution.

July 20^th, 2017

Local Georgian council members complete women’s leadership program

For 14 years the National Democratic Institute has worked in Georgia to increase the political participation of national women leaders from across the political spectrum through the Future Women Leaders (FWL) program. In 2015, NDI expanded its support to build the skills and capacity of women at the local level.

July 14^th, 2017

New NDI Resources Respond to the Political Aspirations of Young People

NDI announced the release of two new online resources -- the Youth Political Participation Programming Guide and the Change My Community platform -- for strengthening youth political participation. These resources respond to the aspirations of young women and men around the world to become more politically organized and active, and make their voices heard.

July 13^th, 2017

Political Leaders from Across Southern Africa Convene at NDI’s Third Political Party Strengthening Institute

NDI convened senior party leaders from 20 ruling and opposition parties from across Southern Africa in mid-May for the third iteration of the Political Party Strengthening Institute (PPSI). The week-long event convened party leaders from seven countries to engage in constructive cross-party democratic dialogue and peer-to-peer learning on how best to build inclusive, responsive and representative party structures that are equipped to address the challenges they face in their home countries.

July 3^rd, 2017

#DisinfoWeek Sparks Collaboration to Address Impact of Digital Disinformation on Democracy and Elections

Editor's Note: Since the publication of this story, NDI has established the INFO/tegrity Initiative to identify and disseminate practical information on the use of disinformation in democratic politics. Read more about that initiative here.

July 3^rd, 2017

Supporting Stability and Countering Extremism in the Sahel Region of Africa

In 2013, after Jihadist fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) had overrun Northern Mali, Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the five-year Danish Regional Sahel Peace and Stabilization Programme to support peace and stability in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

June 30^th, 2017

Together for Transparency in Kosovo

A lack of government transparency affects everyone in Kosovo, fueling corruption and diminishing citizens’ trust in their government, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. Because Kosovo faces ongoing challenges ensuring the full inclusion of ethnic minorities in its political processes, tackling problems with government transparency requires coordinated inter-ethnic efforts, which can build open communications between ethnic groups, reduce tensions and address shared issues.