NDI Action - Global Program, Regions, Functions

Albanian Prime Minister Berisha Pledges Support for More Women in Elective Positions

Tue, 6 May 2008 16:38:49 -0400

At an NDI workshop for politically active women in Tirana, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha pledged to support a proposed gender quota law that would result in significant increases to the number of women holding elective office.

NDI Celebrates Second Anniversary of the Women Helping Women Network in Jordan

Fri, 2 May 2008 11:55:42 -0400

The year 2007 marked significant achievements for women in Jordanian politics, with seven women elected to the Lower House of Parliament and a record number of women elected to municipal councils across the country.

Côte d’Ivoire: NDI Helps Political Parties Agree to Code of Conduct

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:22:24 -0400

In anticipation of Nov. 30 presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire, NDI, the UN mission in Abidjan and the Ivorian electoral commission co-led negotiations on a code of conduct for Ivorian political parties. The code was adopted April 24 during a signing ceremony attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

NDI Hosts Opening Plenary Session at 2008 World Movement For Democracy Assembly

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:41:32 -0400

The challenges facing democracies to spur economic growth, protect human rights and improve people’s lives was the subject of the first plenary session at the 2008 World Movement for Democracy (WMD) Assembly, held in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April.

Georgian Political Parties Adopt Code of Conduct in Anticipation of Parliamentary Election

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:33:32 -0400

Major political parties in Georgia have taken a significant step to ensure that their party members adhere to established standards of conduct in advance of May 21 parliamentary elections. The “Code of Conduct for Party Activists” – a voluntary agreement between the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Georgia’s political parties – was officially launched at a press conference April 9 in Tbilisi.

Outlook for Serbian Democracy

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:51:59 -0400

Mr. Chairman, distinguished Representatives, ladies and gentlemen -- It’s a pleasure to speak with you about Serbian politics and the future of its democracy. The National Democratic Institute has worked in Serbia since 1997 with political parties, civil society, and parliament to support the country’s democratic transition process. NDI supports similar efforts in six other countries in the Balkans.

Kenya: Reconciliation Process Underway with Creation of Grand Coalition

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:06:58 -0400

Hopes that Kenya’s last elections on December 27, 2007, would be seen as a model for African democracies were dashed within 48 hours of the vote when violence erupted amid charges of election result manipulation.

Assembly of Kosovo Improves Transparency, Decides to Publish Recorded Votes

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 09:30:38 -0500

Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Feb. 17 launched the next phase in its democratic development, which will place greater responsibility on its governing institutions and elected officials.

Macedonia: Parliamentarians Forego Partisanship in Public Hearing Simulation

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:45:03 -0500

Legislators and staff of the National Assembly of Macedonia focused on process rather than politics in a recent simulation exercise that demonstrated the use of public hearings to further the efficiency of committee work within their parliament.

Iraq: Forum in Kirkuk Leads to Political Breakthrough

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:26:11 -0500

Adversarial parties in Iraq recently achieved a major breakthrough – a negotiated end to the year-long Sunni bloc boycott of the Kirkuk Council. This significant development followed a multi-party, multi-sectarian, multi-ethnic symposium organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in late October.

Jordan: Conference Fosters Information Sharing in Middle East on Technology and Elections

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:38:39 -0500

A two-day regional conference in Jordan, hosted by NDI, brought together civic leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen to discuss innovative uses of information technology in election monitoring.

Representatives of Nine Legislatures Take Part in Washington Program to Improve Parliamentary Research and Administration

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:00:44 -0500

High-level officials from nine legislatures around the world seeking to improve parliamentary research and administration in their lawmaking bodies came to Washington to participate in a two-week program put on by the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC) in association with a number of organizations including the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Film, Booklet Profile Women in Jordanian Parliament

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:23:32 -0500

With support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), NDI has produced "First Class" — the first documentary video of its kind to profile Jordanian women serving in the lower and upper houses of Parliament.

Lessons for Iraq Gleaned from NDI Mission to Northern Ireland

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:12:39 -0500

Iraqi officials seeking to create peace from conflict joined with Northern Ireland experts this fall for first-hand lessons in how the “Troubles” there have been turned into a developing peace over the last 10 years. Nine senior members of Iraq’s Council of Representatives took part in an NDI-sponsored study mission to Belfast to gain a comparative perspective on many issues common to both societies – such as ending sectarian discord, brokering peace agreements and power sharing – through meetings with major players from all facets of the Northern Ireland conflict.

NDI-Afghanistan Implements Successful Provincial Councils Program

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 11:16:55 -0500

NDI-Afghanistan is implementing a USAID-funded local governance program in 19 provinces throughout the country. Oren Ipp, Head of Programs for the NDI-Afghanistan office, and Mohammad Nabi Atiq, Senior Program Manager for the Provincial Council program, sat down recently with John Johnson, NDI’s worldwide Director of Governance Programs, to discuss their experiences managing the program.