NDI - Kosovo

Celebrating the Successes of Women and Youth Activists in Kosovo

jfrant — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 22:03:10 +0000

In a recent publication, NDI presents the accomplishments of a remarkable group of Kosovars -- women and youth activists -- who have embraced their civic responsibilities, helping raise citizens’ concerns within their political parties and to other decisionmakers in order to bring about change in their communities

Kosovo is Europe’s youngest country, having declared independence in 2008 following United Nations’ oversight in the wake of armed conflict with Serbia. Fittingly, Kosovo boasts Europe’s youngest population. Kosovars young and old are building sovereign institutions of government and are creating a culture of civic activism.

Kosovo’s approximately two million citizens enjoy many benefits and rights guaranteed by their constitution, which upholds citizenship equality along ethnic, gender, and other lines. Given Kosovo’s demographics, women and youth in particular have much to say as to whether constitutional guarantees of equality do not exist only on paper but in reality as well. As part of its long-term assistance to Kosovo’s democratic transition, NDI has supported women and youth political activists in their efforts to secure equal rights for all citizens and to make government responsive to the needs of female and young constituents.

On December 14, NDI presented the accomplishments of a remarkable group of Kosovar women and youth activists at an event which gathered approximately 100 prominent politicians representing Albanian, Serbian, and other minority communities, along with foreign diplomats. These activists have embraced their civic responsibilities, helping raise citizens’ concerns within their political parties and to other decisionmakers in order to bring about change in their communities.

With NDI’s assistance over the past three years, they designed and led community-driven initiatives to improve how government serves the public in very concrete ways: for example, providing free childcare to single mothers, improving the management of an important geological site, and promoting the establishment of dog shelters and stray dog adoption.

These individuals stand ready to take their place in Kosovo’s political life—and we need to make room for them….Too often citizens believe that government officials and institutions have lost touch with the people they serve...but bringing new voices into the establishment powerfully combats the notion that influence is concentrated in the hands of the few.

– U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Greg Delawie’s Remarks at the NDI event

While their achievements are significant, political parties need to channel these initiatives into public policy that can be enacted through legislation and fiscal decisions, ensuring that government actions reflect public concerns and interests but benefit from the actions that citizens take.

It is important to constantly nurture [the] process of debate on the policies which are applied in our state and society. The training provided by NDI carried out this very task—[to] foster and intensify this debate.

— President Hashim Thaci’s remarks at at the NDI event

Since 1999, NDI has helped citizens and political leaders throughout Kosovo build these connections, contributing to a strong civic culture and durable democratic institutions. One way NDI has done this is through skills-building of over 700 women and youth activists representing diverse ethnic and political backgrounds, such as those celebrated on December 14. NDI’s Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) and New Media School (NMS) provided these leaders with training as well as opportunities to network and connect with each other across party, geographic, and ethnic lines while exploring common concerns and developing shared strategies to approach them.

Women from all walks of life and political parties across the political spectrum, committed their time to learn policy development, public speaking, advocacy, time management, and communication skills, but most of all they learned how to work together. Young activists from political parties and civil society learned about using social media and new communication technologies to develop political and advocacy campaigns, focusing on message development, research, and effective outreach. And then they put their knowledge and skills to the test, undertaking advocacy initiatives with mentoring by NDI staff and experts.

At the event, NDI launched a publication to showcase the progress and successes of initiatives from WLA and NMS activists. The event also showcased the paintings of young artists whose work expressed their hopes for inclusive and productive interethnic relations in Kosovo. The initiatives and artwork are the results of these emerging leaders’ strong commitment, hard work and willingness to stand up for their communities and take part in determining Kosovo’s future. The efforts presented at the reception represent first victories in what NDI expects is just the beginning of these leaders’ activities.

NDI’s programming with women and youth leaders is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Kosovo Success Stories: From Tomorrow's Leaders

jfrant — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 21:51:42 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/04/2017

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English, Serbian, Albanian

Since 1999, NDI in Kosovo has helped citizens and political leaders at all levels build a strong civic culture by establishing comprehensive and durable democratic institutions.

As part of its support to political parties, NDI has been working with their leadership to foster internal democracy, with a particular focus on opening more space for women and youth to take leadership roles and invest in increasing their capacities. The Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) and the New Media School (NMS) are two examples that illustrate NDI’s methodological approach of bringing together women and youth in cross-party settings to learn new skills and techniques that will enhance their abilities and turn them into valuable resources for their respective political parties.

Since 2013, NDI has provided skills-building training in effective political engagement and advocacy to these individuals with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. Beyond training, the programs provided these emerging community leaders with opportunities to network and connect with each other, across party, geographic, and ethnic lines, learning about common concerns and developing shared strategies to approach them. By working to empower new leadership and establishing linkages with political representatives, NDI can encourage national and branch leadership to be inclusive of those individuals emerging from the grassroots and ensure they are fully engaged in political processes.

In this publication, NDI presents the accomplishments of a remarkable group of Kosovars—women and youth activists—who have embraced their civic responsibilities, helping raise citizens’ concerns within their political parties and to other decisionmakers in order to bring about change in their communities.

Since 1999, NDI in Kosovo has helped citizens and political leaders at all levels build a strong civic culture by establishing comprehensive and durable democratic institutions.

English

Albanian

Serbo-Croatian

Attachment	Size
Download (English)	10.45 MB
Download (Albanian)	10.26 MB
Download (Serbian)	10.28 MB

Building Public Trust in Kosovo through Parliamentary Ethics

erodriguez — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 20:19:49 +0000

The Assembly of Kosovo faces its most critical democracy test since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Partisan battles over forming a government after inconclusive elections in 2014 have led to an extended period of political instability, and ultimately to political turmoil in parliament. Opposition members have repeatedly unleashed tear gas during session to block proceedings related to contested provisions of an agreement normalizing relations with Belgrade. All political parties, whether in government or in opposition, need to handle sensitive political issues in a more responsible, consultative, and transparent manner.

Omar Ashmawy (right) of the U.S. Office of Congressional Ethics discusses parliamentary ethics laws and their enforcement with members of the Kosovo Assembly, joined by President of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli (center), and NDI Kosovo Director, Alexander Chavarria (left).

NDI public opinion research shows that, in general, citizen trust is at all-time lows in both parliament and in the political establishment as a whole. Frustrated by slow economic progress and corruption, the public wants results, not rancor, from elected leaders. Albert Krasniqi of the Kosovo Democratic Institute described the roots of the mistrust: “Over the years, we’ve heard members of the Assembly using un-parliamentary language, we’ve seen them getting involved in illegal activities, we’ve seen members discussing and voting on legislation that directly affects their personal business interests, or members that teach at private universities voting for accreditation of the same institutions that pay salary to them.”

NDI has supported the Kosovo Assembly, with USAID funding, since the body’s inception in 2001. In light of the current crisis, NDI engaged the Speaker of the Assembly and other parliamentary leaders in government and opposition on how to improve ethical standards, and how the Assembly can demonstrate to the public that it is conducting the people’s business with integrity. NDI called upon the expertise of the U.S. Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) through the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a bipartisan congressional initiative to provide peer-to-peer support to parliaments worldwide. OCE Director Omar Ashmawy visited Kosovo in June to discuss with political leaders, members of parliament and civil society activists how the U.S. Congress codifies parliamentary ethics, assesses Members’ behavior and enforces standards. They also talked about how this experience can inform the Kosovo Assembly in establishing proper ethics codes and means for enforcement. NDI used the occasion to present its Common Ethical Principles for Members of Parliament that members of parliament can refer to in their professional conduct.

The Kosovo Assembly has a standing code of member conduct, but they have no discernible means for proper and timely enforcement, and little in the way of resources to build robust oversight. Based on Ashmawy’s experience and advice, several political party leaders have committed to building effective enforcement mechanisms, such as a standing parliamentary committee on ethics.

Members of the Kosovo Assembly used Ashmawy’s visit to reflect on restoring the Assembly’s public image. Selvije Halimi, Deputy Chair of the Committee on Legislation, said that the MP behavior “correlates with the way the institution is perceived. If our conduct does not meet the minimum norms of society, then citizen confidence will erode and we will not uphold the integrity of the Assembly.” Building parliamentary ethics is among many NDI initiatives in the legislative and political realm to help Kosovo’s representative bodies perform with democratic integrity.

Published on August 26, 2016.

Free Child Care Aids Single Parents and Their Children in Kosovo

njankowicz — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 17:51:29 +0000

Source:

USAID

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/29/2016

With preschools and kindergartens often filled past capacity in Kosovo, it is especially difficult for single parents to arrange child care. But now some cities are offering free child care, to the benefit of children and parents alike. It all began with a discussion of social issues.

In 2012, Arta Tahiri, an elected councilwoman in Kosovo’s municipality of Ferizaj/Uroševac, attended the Week of Women organized by USAID through the National Democratic Institute. The annual event gathers hundreds of Kosovo’s women leaders to discuss social issues that women in the country face every day and to learn new skills that will help them in their chosen fields.

NDI Poll on LGBTI Issues in the Balkans is a Call to Action

jfrant — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:35:44 +0000

Young, educated and urban residents in six countries in the Balkans show measurable support for LGBTI rights, but most respondents to a regional poll released by NDI today do not believe that LGBTI people should be able to live openly based on equal rights. The poll is a guidepost and a call to action to LGBTI groups seeking equal rights for their communities. NDI conducted the research as part of its commitment to more inclusive political processes, wherein all segments of society are able to influence decisions affecting their well being.

The poll reveals low levels of knowledge about the groups comprising the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities, and a correspondingly high degree of resistance to conferring equal rights and opportunities based on sexual orientation and gender identity. At the same time, poll respondents roundly disavow physical violence against LGBTI members of society. And for certain demographic groups, among them young and urbanized citizens, there is a small and perhaps growing acceptance of LGBTI rights.

The research was conducted over the summer of 2015 in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

NDI Public Opinion Poll in the Balkans on LGBTI Communities from NDIdemocracy

“In new democracies struggling to overcome ethnic and sectarian conflict, LGBTI rights have not been as high on the development agenda as they should be,” said Robert Benjamin, NDI’s Central and Eastern Europe Regional Director. “This poll suggests that homo/transphobia is not a fixed prejudice in the Balkans and that LGBTI rights are beginning to receive public recognition. Research of this kind is a critical tool, but to be effective the data needs to be integrated into communication and advocacy strategies that promote equal rights for LGBTI people.”

“The fact that LGBTI people are largely invisible to the general population produces low understanding of the size and scope of discrimination, physical violence and psychological abuse towards LGBTI people,” said Marko Ivkovic of NDI/Serbia, who directed the research. “In Serbia, for example, only 18 percent of the general population personally knows someone who is openly LGBTI, and that’s the highest rate among the countries surveyed.”

According to a LGBTI sample within the poll, three out of four LGBTI people have been exposed to psychological abuse and verbal harassment, one out of four have suffered physical violence, and one out of two LGBTI persons has faced discrimination at school, at work, or elsewhere due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The general population perceives discrimination and violence against LGBTI citizens to be far less in frequency and scope.

The general population rejects same-sex marriage, but is prepared to see some marriage-related rights extended to same-sex couples. “When asked about hospitalization access, property inheritance and health insurance coverage for same-sex couples, more than one-third of the general population, on average, supports these measures,” said Lidija Prokic of NDI/Serbia.

LGBTI people surveyed in the poll and participating in companion focus groups expressed interest to become politically active, in terms of joining political parties and running for elected office. They report voting rates higher than the average turnout.

NDI is presenting data from the poll to LGBTI groups across the Balkans, and to elected officials and media. NDI is also helping LGBTI groups use the findings to build their activist base, giving their community visibility, engaging the public in ways that can shift general sentiment, and advocating before legislators for their physical security and open integration into society. NDI’s work with LGBTI communities is guided by the understanding that political participation is a fundamental means of addressing the social and economic inequities associated with marginalization.

Published on October 28, 2015

The NDI poll was conducted in summer 2015 in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in coordination with Ipsos Research. The poll was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with additional financial support from the U.S.-based Victory Institute and Sweden’s Civil Right Defenders and pro bono technical support from Grindr for Equality.

Get to Know NDI: Rinor Beka, senior program manager for Kosovo

blesswing — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 14:31:23 +0000

Since 2006, NDI’s Rinor Beka, senior program manager, of Kosovo has been at the center of his country’s democratic transition.

Together with his NDI colleagues, Beka has built bridges between different players in Kosovo’s political arena, including members of parliament, political parties and citizen groups, to ensure that their priorities “focus on people” and continue to lay the foundations of democracy.

In an interview with NDI, Beka talks about working with elected officials to advance transparency and accountability in Kosovo’s national parliament, getting more women and youth involved in the political process and the progress that has been made to overcome a history of inter-ethnic conflict in the region.

“Basically, people who had been looking at each other through the barrel of a gun are now sitting around a table and are discussing about how to build a platform where they can all live together and they can build a future for their children,” says Beka.

NDI’s programs in Kosovo are supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Rinor Beka: Kosovo Assembly Endorses the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness (posted on NDI's DemWorks blog)

Week of Women Empowers Emerging Leaders in Kosovo

In Europe, Roma Fight for Equality

Social Media Boot Camp Empowers Kosovo's Youth Activists

Published on June 25, 2015

Civic Updates

vrao — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 17:55:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Resource Type:

Civic Update

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Issue 50: A Matter of Political Space (April 2016)	1.06 MB
Issue 49: Social Movements (January '16)	1.22 MB
Issue 48: Peace, Security and Democratic Resilience (August '15)	818.41 KB
Issue 47: Integration (April '15)	1011.57 KB
Issue 46: The Infomediary Role of NDI Partners (Jan. '15)	339.19 KB
Issue 45: The Role of Dialogue in Deepening Democracy (Sept. '14)	1.84 MB
Issue 44: Taking Advantage of Political Entry Points to Improve Meaningful Engagement (May '14)	1.12 MB
Issue 43: Political Inclusion of LGBT Population (Jan. '14)	1.43 MB
Issue 42: Radio as an Effective Communication Tool (Aug. '13)	1.48 MB
Issue 41: The Use of ICT to Enhance Citizen Participation (May '13)	1.57 MB
Issue 40: Supporting Inclusion of Marginalized Ethnic and Religious Groups (Dec. '12)	1.87 MB
Issue 39: Public Opinion Research (Sept. '12)	1.69 MB
Issue 38: Youth Programming (May '12)	1.83 MB
Issue 37: Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities (Jan. '12)	1.72 MB
Issue 36: Organizational Development (May '11)	1.1 MB
Issue 35: GOTV, Voter Information & Voter Education (Jan. '11)	1.04 MB
Issue 34: Structuring and Maintaining Partnerships (Sept. '10)	306.87 KB
Issue 33: Political Process Monitoring (May '10)	419.89 KB
Issue 32: Defending Space for Citizen Participation (Aug. '09)	204.87 KB
Issue 31: Best Practices for Meaningful Citizen Engagement (April '09)	540.61 KB
Issue 30: Context Matters (Jan. '09)	311.87 KB
Issue 29: Voice, Space and Accountability (Aug. '08)	869.11 KB
Issue 28: Communications Tools (May '08)	207.88 KB
Issue 27: Using Information and Communications Techonologies (Jan. '08)	486.89 KB
Issue 26: Working with Marginalized Populations (Sept. '07)	283.24 KB
Issue 25: Ten Years of Civic Updates (July '07)	258.56 KB
Issue 24: Making Democracy Deliver (Feb. '07)	413.86 KB
Issue 23: Positive Partnerships with Local Groups (May '06)	268.06 KB
Issue 22: Political Activism for People with Disablities (Dec. '05)	458.7 KB
Issue 21: Local Fundraising and Volunteer Recruitment (July '05)	221.65 KB
Issue 20: Tips from NDI Practioners (April '05)	561.26 KB
Issue 19: Get Out The Vote (Dec. '04)	496.75 KB
Issue 18: Involving Youth in the Political Process (July '04)	277.27 KB
Issue 17: Monitoring as a Driver of Change (Feb. '04)	488.58 KB
Issue 16: Citizen Surveys and Other Organizing Tools (Nov. '03)	546.03 KB
Issue 15: Making University Connections (Aug. '03)	579.18 KB
Issue 14: Focus Groups (May '03)	334.74 KB
Issue 13: Civic Forum (Nov. '02)	279.56 KB
Issue 12: Coalition Building (Jan. '02)	195.45 KB
Issue 11: Assessment Methods (Aug. '01)	84.74 KB
Issue 10: Partnership Approaches (April '01)	109.87 KB
Issue 9: What's Voting All About? (Oct. '99)	82.5 KB
Issue 8: Global Seminar on Advocacy and Democracy Development (June '99)	481.85 KB
Issue 7: How Civic Programs Increase Women's Participation in Processes (Dec. '98)	962.34 KB
Issue 6: Post-Conflict and Ethnic Divided Societies (July '98)	120.75 KB
Issue 5: Assessing Programs (March '98)	81.99 KB
Issue 4: Training (Nov. '97)	98.85 KB
Issue 3: Resources and Communication (July '97)	74.43 KB
Issue 2: Advocacy (April '97)	94.31 KB
Issue 1: Program Highlights from Around the World (Feb. '97)	121.71 KB

Sandra Pepera

skincaid — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:41:17 +0000

Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a senior officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has a portfolio of skills and experience which include strategy development, political and risk analysis, diplomacy, general management and corporate governance.

Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics at the University of Ghana and in outreach public policy during the period of intense and unstable political transition in the early 1990s. This included participating in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993.

Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Global Board Ready Women initiative, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table). She holds the Financial Times Diploma for Non-Executive Directors, and serves as a trustee for the pension fund of an intergovernmental organization.

Kosovo: Overcoming Barriers to Women's Political Participation

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:13:40 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

02/19/2015

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English, Albanian, Serbian

From October 7 to 11, 2014 the National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) conducted an assessment of women’s political participation in Kosovo’s 2013 local elections and 2014 parliamentary elections. The assessment drew upon international standards for women’s political participation developed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and NDI’s own global programs on Gender, Women, and Democracy. The assessment focused on identifying challenges or “gaps” in the recruitment of women candidates, women’s access to decision making positions, their nomination for positions by political parties, and women’s roles within political parties’ campaigns. Based on the assessment findings, NDI has developed recommendations to support gender equality within Kosovo’s political parties and to support future electoral reform efforts.

The Institute used three research methods to conduct the assessment: individual interviews, focus groups, and an online survey. The assessment team met with men and women representing a wide spectrum of government officials, opposition and political party leaders, members of parliament (MPs), and representatives of the media, academia, civil society and the international community. NDI also administered an online survey to a self-selected sample of 81 women party members from across the political spectrum. Of this total, 61 respondents were candidates in the 2013 local elections, while 12 ran in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Finally, NDI conducted three focus groups with branch-level women party members to explore their views on internal party procedures.

Media Type:

Report

From October 7 to 11, 2014 the National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) conducted an assessment of women’s political participation in Kosovo’s 2013 local elections and 2014 parliamentary elections. The assessment drew upon international standards forwomen’s political participation developed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and NDI’s own global programs on Gender, Women, and Democracy. The assessment focused on identifying challenges or “gaps” in the recruitment of women candidates, women’s access to decision making positions, their nomination for positions by political parties, and women’s roles within political parties’ campaigns. Based on the assessment findings, NDI has developed recommendations to support gender equality within Kosovo’s political parties and to support future electoral reform efforts.

English

Albanian

Serbo-Croatian

Attachment	Size
Download in English	692.28 KB
Download in Serbian	653.18 KB
Download in Albanian	1.19 MB

Kosovar Attitudes on the 2013 Brussels Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia

dleonard — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 17:22:21 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

02/01/2014

Resource Type:

Public Opinion Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report.	1.38 MB

Week of Women Empowers Emerging Leaders in Kosovo

dleonard — Thu, 15 May 2014 20:52:31 +0000

Kosovo’s first woman mayor, Mimoza Kusari-Lila of Gjakova, thinks that politics is a bit like riding a bicycle. You shouldn’t look down, but concentrate on the road ahead. “When you run for office, you shouldn’t focus on bumps and obstacles in the road,” she said, “but bear in mind the reason you entered politics.”

She knows the value of perseverance, having run for office twice in four years, finally succeeding last November. Her success, she said, “was the success of all women that helped me in this process.”

Kusari-Lila was a featured speaker at NDI’s third annual Week of Women held in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, featuring panel discussions, skills-building sessions, and networking and strategizing opportunities designed to promote women’s advancement in politics, business and society. More than 100 emerging women leaders took part.

Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga, who opened the conference, said, “We are ensuring that we are building a country we are all a part of, where we can all contribute to its advancement and development - a country that represents the voice of all its citizens.”

Despite some progress, women in Kosovo still face disadvantages and discrimination in many areas. In politics, a quota requires that women account for 30 percent of local and national governments, but they have not achieved that goal. They have fewer resources than male colleagues and receive limited support from political parties to run as candidates.

Prominent Kosovar leaders, including President Jahjaga and Jakup Krasniqi, speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, pledged their support for women’s equality.

U.S. Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson affirmed the priority the international community places on empowering women. "When we talk about gender equality in any society, one thing is clear: it cannot be achieved without an active, vocal, organized group of empowered women leaders advocating for their place at the table,” she said.

Twelve women attended the conference from Kosovo’s northern, Serb-majority municipalities, which have been aligned with Serbia and have resisted Kosovar governance, providing an opportunity for them to meet colleagues from around the country. Panel discussions explored topics such as issues that single mothers face in building a career, the role of women in business as entrepreneurs, and the role of women in the process of European Union integration. A mix of panel discussions, plenary sessions and exercises gave participants the chance to hear from other women leaders and discuss ways to overcome common barriers women face.

A highlight of the week was a Twitter session with Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and NDI chairman. “Women in #Kosovo are focused on how tech can heWlp them compete, participate & lead,” Albright tweeted during a session devoted to how social media can boost women’s political engagement.

Participants took Albright at her word and opened social media accounts on the spot to start building networks and communicating their views.

"Starting today you are close to the people and your voice is stronger. Use social media to build bridges of cooperation,” said a tweet from President Jahjaga during the event.

More than 30 Week of Women participants are taking part in a Women’s Leadership Academy, a two-month intensive skills-building program during which they will identify issues of concern and build advocacy initiatives to address them. Following last year’s conference, a group of women established a local nonprofit organization to advocate for the rights of single mothers. They recently won passage of legislation in the municipality of Ferizaj to provide free childcare to single mothers.

NDI has worked in Kosovo since 1999 to support women’s political participation as part of its parliamentary and political party strengthening programs.

This year’s Week of Women was co-hosted by participants from Week of Women 2012 and 2013, and the Women’s Caucus of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. The Week of Women program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Read more:

Published May 15, 2014

In Europe, Roma Fight for Equality

dleonard — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 18:54:23 +0000

April 8 marks International Roma Day, which celebrates the culture of Europe’s largest transnational minority while highlighting the discrimination and hardships that millions of Roma face every day. To mark Roma Day, we sat down with Florin Priboi — an alumnus of NDI programs in Romania and a visiting Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow — to talk about the significance of International Roma Day and his own efforts to help Roma realize political and social equality.

Florin Priboi became interested in politics early in life. As a young Romani boy growing up in Bucharest, Florin and his family were homeless for five years, beginning when he was just 10 years old.

“We were living on the street, we didn’t have a house, and during that time I learned what it means to receive help from somebody else,” he said.

Florin is one of an estimated 10 million Roma living in Central and Eastern Europe who are kept on the fringes of society and are denied basic human rights or access to education, health care and security due to systematic discrimination and lack of political representation.

NDI staff member Dagny Leonard interviews Florin about his experiences as a Roma.

Florin Priboi became interested in politics early in life. As a young Romani boy growing up in Bucharest, Florin and his family were homeless for five years, beginning when he was just 10 years old.

“We were living on the street, we didn’t have a house, and during that time I learned what it means to receive help from somebody else,” he said.

Florin's experience as a child planted the seed for his interest in politics. “I was a child and in my mind I thought, if I could be a mayor, or something else, I can change the life of many people,” he said.

Despite his family’s financial hardships, Florin continued going to school. He went on to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies in political science and law, and in 2007 became the first Roma in Romania to work as a public servant in the Chamber of Deputies, where he serves as a parliamentary expert on legislative procedures. He was the first Eastern European author to write a book on the subject of Roma parliamentary representation.

“My Grandfather was a Roma survivor of the Holocaust, and he inspired me to fight for dignity, freedom and rights. I stand up today for a moment to honor them,” Florin said.

These are not his only firsts. In 2013, he took a leave from his position to participate in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, which brings young and mid-career professionals to the U.S. for a year of study and leadership development. He was the first Roma to be selected.

“My Grandfather was a Roma survivor of the Holocaust, and he inspired me to fight for dignity, freedom and rights. I stand up today for a moment to honor them,” Florin said.

His personal inspiration led him to political engagement, and this brought him to NDI. In 2010, he took part in the Institute’s training of trainers program for political parties in Romania, becoming one of the most active and sought-after trainers in such areas as party management practices and political communication, particularly for Roma voters. The program was part of a larger NDI initiative, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, that promotes active engagement of Roma citizens in civic and political life throughout seven Central and Eastern European countries. To date, NDI has worked with more than 3,000 Roma and non-Roma activists and political leaders.

n behalf of the National Democratic Institute, I want to congratulate Roma communities on the occasion of International Roma Day. We join you in celebrating your rich heritage and support you in your quest for human rights as full and equal citizens of your respective countries. NDI is proud to partner with many Roma leaders, such as Florin, who are making democracy deliver for their communities.

Madeleine Albright, NDI Chairman

“Working with NDI helped prepare me to be able to discuss the problems that Roma are facing, and to have the experience to discuss solutions,” said Florin. His participation with NDI also inspired him to write a book, The Increase of Roma Parliamentary Representation. Electoral laws in Romania violate the political rights of Roma, he said. Many mainstream political parties don’t represent the Roma electorate or promote Roma candidates.

Florin believes Roma need to become more active and fight for their rights. He has identified concrete steps Roma civic and political leaders should take, including:

Roma must adopt a set of political principles and promote the participation of young Roma, who are often disengaged from and disillusioned by the political process
Roma must also be engaged in institutional reform and offer their opinion on legislation that would affect their future
It is crucial to mobilize the Roma electorate to engage through the ballot box
Roma should collaborate with mainstream political parties and conduct research on Roma political participation to fortify their argument
Roma activists should reach out to the international community for support

As part of Florin's Humphrey Fellowship, he is working at NDI headquarters in Washington, D.C., on a series of online conferences for Roma and non-Roma activists from seven countries — Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. Participants will discuss issues surrounding Roma political representation and recommendations to address them, including modifying electoral legislation to require mainstream political parties to put more Roma candidates on the ballot. Included in the source materials will be his latest book, The Human Right: Roma Political Representation.

Florin also plans to form an organization in Romania that will bring political parties and Roma NGOs together to promote public policies that benefit Roma and get more Roma elected. He could be among them. When asked if he would consider running for office, Florin replied: “I think that I must.”

“Democracy means to be part of the decision making process and to decide those solutions or policies that are affecting you directly or indirectly. At the end of the day, it’s about democracy,” he said.

Related:

Published April 8, 2014

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women's Political Participation (Now available in Burmese)

fstovall — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:31:07 +0000

Author:

Julie Ballington

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme

Published Date:

10/31/2011

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Urdu

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (English)	2.49 MB
Read the manual with case studies (English)	3.45 MB
Read the manual (Arabic)	1.9 MB
Download the poster (Arabic)	1.18 MB
Read the manual (Burmese)	4.59 MB
Read the manual (French)	2.57 MB
Download the poster (French)	670.54 KB
Read the manual (Russian)	2.82 MB
Download the poster (Russian)	256.16 KB
Read the manual (Spanish)	2.59 MB
Download the poster (Spanish)	680.95 KB
Read the manual (Urdu)	3.74 MB
Read the manual with case studies (Albanian)	10.91 MB

Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes

dleonard — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:59:44 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/06/2014

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek

English

Arabic

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual in Arabic	2.54 MB
Download the manual in English	3.24 MB
Download the manual in French	2.36 MB
Download the manual in Indonesian	16.34 MB
Download the manual in Russian	2.37 MB
Download the manual in Spanish	16.87 MB
Download the manual in Uzbek	3.85 MB

Social Media Boot Camp Empowers Kosovo’s Youth Activists

dleonard — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 21:22:06 +0000

Young people in Kosovo, Europe’s newest country, are impatient. They make up half of the population and are keen to see Kosovo integrated into Europe as a democracy, but they struggle to have a voice in the democratic process. Many youth activists are turning to social media to make their voices heard. NDI is helping them do just that.

With the aid of NDI’s New Media School, young activists in Kosovo are taking advantage of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to promote social and political causes on the national stage. Their advocacy has been so successful that members of parliament (MPs) and Kosovo’s Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning have taken up their causes.

The six-month program — which teaches communication strategies aimed at turning citizens’ concerns into concrete government action — began with a series of three-day “boot camps” early this year that trained four groups of young people from political parties and civic organizations. The training covered media relations and policy development, how to conduct research and use data effectively for campaigns, and how to develop compelling messages and communicate them through new media.

A “Save the Cave” campaign rallied national support to save the Cave of Gadime, an unofficial national landmark and internationally important geographic site that was in danger of permanent damage from overuse and water seepage. The group organized cave inspections by local and international experts from Slovenia, who found that construction of a reservoir above the cave, as well as cultural and musical events inside the cave, were causing damage to crystals and unique formations of marble limestone.

They used these findings to draft a report, which was sent to Kosovo’s parliament in June, recommending that the cave be declared a national protected area and that all construction around it be stopped. “The [Save the Cave campaign] group is suggesting drafting a specific law according to European Union standards that would protect the cave,” said Aferdita Berisha Shaqiri, a member of parliament, at a plenary session where the group’s findings were presented.

The campaign also launched a Facebook page, which won 1,000 “likes” within three months, for an international campaign to make the cave a national heritage site. In September, Kosovo’s Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning decided to close the cave to tourists temporarily and to stop all activities around it until maintenance improved. A press release said that “while the cave is closed, the ministry will establish a unit for administration of natural monuments of particular importance that will act in accordance with the law on environmental protection.”

Another campaign, “Half the Population, Right Representation,” found that women’s representation in the local assembly was less than 30 percent in six municipalities despite Kosovo’s law on gender equality, which requires that 40 percent of public servants be women. Additionally, all of Kosovo’s 38 municipalities are led by men, and as of mid-2013, women held no leadership positions in 11 municipalities— as mayors, municipal assembly members or officials in municipal departments. The group drafted a report on its findings and shared it at a roundtable during the International Day of Democracy Parliamentary Assembly on Sept. 15. Their Facebook page generated 1,000 “likes” and their findings were broadcast on public television as well as printed in newspapers. The group has since received public commitments from MPs to advocate for gender equality. Women MPs used this information during the November 2013 local electoral campaign period to encourage the election of more women in municipal government, and for the first time, a woman was elected as a municipal mayor.

A “Don’t Smoke” Facebook campaign partnered with the Ministry of Health to develop brochures to educate the public on new legislation that prohibits smoking in public spaces. With the ministry, the group distributed the brochures on the International Day Against Smoking.

A fourth group used Facebook to promote the establishment of dog shelters and dog adoptions to stop the illegal but widespread practice of killing street dogs. More than 3,000 people supported the campaign through Facebook, which generated media and local celebrity interest around the practice of killing stray dogs. The group’s online presence caught the attention of a Holland-based international organization that is partnering with the group to promote dog adoption.

NDI’s New Media school helped the young activists to use their skills to open new doors. The New Media School is part of a four year Political Party Support Program in Kosovo funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“My experience at New Media School was extraordinary,” said Saranda Bllaca, a participant from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) who went on to serve as a party spokesperson and even ran for municipal office. “I am continuing to share my knowledge with other people, in particular with women and youth forums of LDK.”

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Published Dec. 11, 2013

Updated Dec. 12, 2013