Should the youth in Armenia emigrate to find greater opportunities? Should the government regulate social media to protect citizens online? Are connections more important than education and experience for youth to succeed? These are just a few of the pressing issues that Armenian youth debated as part of NDI Armenia’s Debathon youth debate program.

The inability of governments around the world to address climate change, even as technical, scientific and financial remedies have been identified, is both frustrating and alarming. In some low-income countries, like Nepal, politicians are striving to implement poorly understood sustainable development policies amidst a lack of awareness of the underlying problems. In others, like Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), leaders lack the knowledge and institutional capacity to act.

Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections in November 2021, following a year-long political transition. Preceding constitutional reforms handed greater powers back to the executive, while electoral reforms created a mixed electoral system. The new system combined electing some members by party list and others in single-mandate constituencies on a majority basis. The elections were important to rebuild citizens’ trust in democratic processes and engage voters in issue-based discussions.

Libya is preparing to hold national elections on December 24, 2021, offering an opportunity to continue the country’s democratic transition after years of violence and political stalemate. In the Tripoli region, Libyans recently practiced their civic engagement during a series of municipal elections held from January to April 2021.

Libyan students face unique challenges in the face of the ongoing conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have curtailed opportunities for developing the skills needed in the next generation of the country’s leaders. Recognizing the importance of space for young people to discuss and participate in their future, NDI and its partner, the Dialogue and Debate Association (DDA), are finding innovative ways to connect students and make their voices heard.

With their country already racked by corruption, economic depression, and a healthcare system crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanese could not see how their situation could get any worse. Then came the devastating Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020. 

In Libya, NDI's new youth debates program, called "Voice of Change" demonstrates the important work that can be done despite the ongoing conflict in the country. Debates are often one of the first real opportunities that young people have to engage in the basic tenets of democracy. The skills that students develop in preparing arguments on policy topics, in presenting those arguments and in being judges in their effectiveness last a lifetime. Through each debate, more people are introduced to democratic ideas and the pros and cons of political party and government policies.