NDI - Mexico

Mexican Men and Women Work Together to Elect More Women to Office

fgalleto — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:03:29 +0000

"Why women, why now?" was the question posed to over 300 participants, both male and female, participating in a week-long series of training sessions across Mexico aimed at giving women candidates the skills and tools they need to get elected to office.

The answers — that democracy works best when women have an equal voice in the process and that upcoming local elections are a great opportunity to elect more women — were emphasized throughout the events as the women learned about message development, targeting women and young voters, and recruiting and keeping campaign volunteers.

Though gender quotas have led to an increase in the number of women running for and elected to office in Mexico in recent years, women hold only 5 percent of municipal and state elected positions. They frequently receive ballot placement that lessens their chances of winning, and they receive less public financing and fewer opportunities for training.

In collaboration with the Fox Center and Mexico's three major political parties — the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) — NDI is working to help women gain campaign skills that are already familiar to their male counterparts.

The training kicked off at the Fox Center in San Francisco del Rincón on April 15 with a speech by former President Vicente Fox. Fox offered words of encouragement to the participants, saying that women in Mexico today have risen to the challenge of being more active in politics, the economy and social organizations.

"I believe Mexico has been changing rapidly on this issue. The 2000 election changed many things that had been limited or prohibited before, particularly for women," said Fox, whose victory in that election broke the country's tradition of one-party rule. "I believe that nowadays women have taken the challenge. Women are active in politics, in the economy, civil organizations, but they need programs like this to keep opening doors."

Trainers emphasized strategic aspects of running a campaign, such as message development, targeting messages to specific demographics, scheduling and time management. They also addressed some of the "soft" skills, often familiar to male candidates, such as projecting confidence through voice and presence, negotiating and debating with opponents, and tips for surviving a campaign.

"After these workshops you're aware that you are not alone. You belong to a broad network of women around the world struggling to hold decision-making positions in politics," Cathy Allen, CEO of the Seattle-based Connections Group, told the participants.

The trainers who came from outside Mexico included Allen and Roula Attar of NDI's Jordan office. They joined Julian Quibell, Keila Gonzalez and Rocio Alvarez from NDI's office in Mexico.

This year, 15 states in Mexico will hold elections for governors, local legislators and mayors. Many attendees were women who are either already running for office or strongly considering it.

Pictured above: Vicente Fox meets participants

Published May 7, 2010

City Hall Still a Reach for Women in Mexico | March 7, 2012

fgalleto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:05:18 +0000

New York Times | Link to story »

The small-town party bosses told her to forget it. Her husband, too, scoffed at the idea as preposterous. And deep down, María Teresa Domínguez had her own doubts.

Could she run for mayor of Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos State and a haven for Mexico City weekenders? Was there any chance she, a woman in a city whose institutions have long been dominated by men, could win? Hadn’t her mother always told her that she belonged at home?

Link to story »

City Hall Still a Reach for Women in Mexico

ntekeei — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:23:30 +0000

Source:

The New York Times

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/07/2012

Political analysts say that, in Mexico, the democratic process remains patriarchal, with a lack of enforced gender quotas and few women political leaders. In an effort to increase women's political participation, NDI has organized an academy called "Future Women Mayors" to teach the basics of politics and campaigning. The program is the second of its kind.

“We have to break with the idea that women are from Venus and men are from Mars, because more than anything,” he (NDI Resident Senior Program Manager Julian Quibell)said, “you are excluding a human perspective.”

NDI E-news: Nigeria, Tunisia, The Roma | April 2011

fgalleto — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:23:44 +0000

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April 2011

Nigerian Elections Hold the Promise of Setting New Integrity Standard, NDI Mission Finds

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Election official with National Assembly ballot at Lugbe polling station outside Abuja.

Nigeria's recent presidential and National Assembly elections "represent a step forward from seriously flawed elections of the past" and "hold the promise of setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria's electoral process," NDI said in a preliminary statement after the presidential poll.

The Institute fielded international observer delegations for both the April 9 National Assembly elections
and the April 16 presidential poll. The first observation mission was co-led by Joe Clark, former Canadian prime minister; Mahame Ousmane, former president of Niger; Antonio Manuel Mascarenhas Monteiro, former president of Cape Verde;
Jon S. Corzine, former U.S. senator and governor of New Jersey;
Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands; Natasha Stott Despoja, former senator from Australia; and Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI. Clark and Ousmane stayed on as co-leaders of the presidential observation mission and were joined by Robin Carnahan, secretary of state of Missouri; and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa.

The delegations found that, despite problems, the elections gave Nigerians a real chance to vote, and they commended the millions of Nigerians who braved long lines and hot weather to participate.

A voter marks her presidential ballot in Abuja.

NDI also partnered with a coalition of four Nigerian civil society organizations in Project 2011 Swift Count, which fielded more than 8,000 observers to conduct a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) for the presidential and gubernatorial elections, held on April 26. A PVT is a sophisticated election observation tool used to assess the integrity of the vote and count, and verify official vote totals. Observers relayed their findings by SMS messages, which were then compiled and analyzed at Project Swift Count's headquarters in Abuja.

Project Swift Count issued an interim statement
after the presidential poll confirming the results announced by Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission. With the northern part of the country protesting the re-election victory of President Goodluck Jonathan, Project Swift Count
called upon all candidates and their supporters to "respect the will of the Nigerian people and to accept the results in good faith." They also asked that all political leaders "immediately and clearly make statements denouncing all acts of post-election violence."

NDI also partnered with the National Elections Incidents Center (NEIC), a coalition of three civil society groups doing citizen observation of the presidential election. The NEIC catalogued and mapped incidents and irregularities in the voting on election day. The center concluded that "the accreditation and voting process was smooth and peaceful" at the polling stations they observed.

NDI's mission in Nigeria builds on a pre-election assessment
conducted by the Institute in October. NDI has been working in Nigeria since 1999 and has fielded international observation missions to previous elections there in 1999,
2003
and 2007.

NDI Commemorates International Day of Roma with Film Featuring Music by Academy Award Winner Hans Zimmer

NDI celebrated the culture and achievements of the 10 million Roma, commonly called Gypsies, with a short public awareness film released on International Day of the Roma. The film, Who are the Roma?, is scored with original music by Hans Zimmer. Read more»

Watch the film»

'Future Women Mayors' Academy Kicks Off in Mexico

The Academy for Future Women Mayors kicked off last month in the Mexican state of Michoacán to combat the low rate of women seeking and winning office at the municipal level across the country. The academy helps provide women activists with the motivation, skills and networks to position themselves to win mayoral races. Read more»

In Guinea, Political Parties Strive to Improve its Next Elections

In Guinea, more than 40 political parties agreed to a set of principles aimed at making upcoming legislative elections — only the second competitive elections in the nation's history — less violent, more inclusive, more efficient and ultimately more democratic. Read more»

Albanian Women Finish Political Leadership School with Chance to Test New Skills in May Elections

Local elections on May 8 in Albania are an opportunity to put more women in public office in a country with one of the lowest percentages of elected women in Europe. That was the message delivered by Jozefina Topalli, Albania's speaker of parliament, to women who had just completed a 10-month program on campaign management, messaging and advocacy organized by NDI. Read more»

Contribute Now to Help Build Democratic Societies

When you contribute to NDI, our board of directors will generously match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million. Contribute»

NDI Staff Member Seeks to Bring Women into Elections, Politics in Liberia

Mardia Greaves-Bloh visited the U.S. from Liberia for three months as NDI's latest Andi Parhamovich fellow. While in Washington, D.C., Bloh researched how civil society groups build coalitions and how to ensure that women's needs are considered and accomodated throughout the election process. She will use what she learned back in Liberia for presidential and legislative elections this year. Read more»

Assessing Public Attitudes in Tunisia, Georgia, Burundi

NDI recently conducted focus group research in Tunisia with young people, the demographic that led the revolutionary movement that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. The research finds that young people are concerned about being sidelined in the transition process and have a lingering distrust of political parties. NDI is sharing these findings with Tunisian leaders in the transitional government, political parties and civil society to develop policies that are responsive to and inclusive of youth. Read more»

A recent poll conducted for NDI shows that economic and social issues are the major sources of concern for Georgians. Unemployment tops the list of those concerns, followed by rising prices. Respondents also felt that politicians were not doing enough to fix these problems. Read more»

Focus groups in Burundi, a country historically fraught with ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis, show that citizens today are focused less on ethnic differences than on their regional, political and economic differences. They also continue to embrace the democratic process, despite politically motivated violence and an opposition party boycott of the 2010 elections. Read more»

Our Perspectives: Debates, Yemen, the Roma and Haiti

Don't miss these pieces by NDI staff:

Matt Dippell, debates program advisor, explains how a free press contributes to a culture of debate. Read more»

Les Campbell, director of Middle East and North Africa programs, talks to NPR's Morning Edition about the future for Yemen's President Saleh. Listen»

Catherine Messina Pajic, deputy director of Central and Eastern Europe programs, describes the plight of the Roma and ways you can help. Read more»

Jim Swigert, director of Latin American and Carribbean programs, looks at the challenges facing Haiti's new president in this speech he delivered at the U.S. Institute for Peace. Read more»

‘Future Women Mayors’ Academy Kicks Off in Mexico

rrunyan — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:53:10 +0000

Mexico’s gender quota system has made a significant difference for women seeking election to the Mexican Congress. In the last 15 years, the percentage of seats occupied by women has increased from 10 to 26 percent.

But at the municipal level, women have not had such success. The number of women mayors in the country averages 5.5 percent, and in some areas the percentages are smaller.

To address those disparities, the “Academy for Future Women Mayors” kicked off last month to help provide women activists from all registered political parties with the motivation, skills and networks to position themselves to win mayoral races.

But at the municipal level, women have not had such success. The number of women mayors in the country averages 5.5 percent, and in some areas the percentages are smaller. An example is the Mexican state of Michoacán, on the central western coast, which elected just three women mayors in its 113 municipalities.

To address those disparities, the “Academy for Future Women Mayors” kicked off last month in Michoacán to help provide women activists from all registered political parties with the motivation, skills and networks to position themselves to win mayoral races.

The inaugural event was attended by more than 200 people, including state party presidents, state legislators, city council members, women activists, members of the media and 50 aspiring women mayors set to hone skills that could ready them for a run at mayoral seats this November.

The kickoff event featured keynote speaker Laura Sesma, a former city council member, federal legislator and current mayoral candidate from Argentina’s second largest city, Córdoba. Sesma told the participants that they were not alone -- that obstacles they would confront were similar to those faced by women all over the world. She urged them to work together, regardless of their political party, to change politics.

There is strong evidence that women elected to office tend to emphasize quality of life issues that reflect the priorities of families, women, and ethnic and racial minorities. “When one woman goes into politics, she will change, but when many women go into politics, politics themselves will change,” Sesma said, citing the former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, who became the first woman to hold that post in 2006.

Participants collaborate in the second session of the course on April 14.

The inaugural program also included a panel of three current and former women mayors from Mexico’s three major political parties: the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the National Action Party (PAN) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Panelists shared their personal experiences in competing for mayoral posts, articulating both the challenges they overcame and the lessons they learned in the process.

The 50 women selected to participate in the six-month academy come from all of the registered parties in Michoacán and were selected in proportion with their party representation in the state legislature. They will complete an approximately 60-hour course with periodic workshops over the next four months, finishing at the end of August.

Internal party elections will closely follow the end of the academy, giving the women a chance to employ their newly acquired skills.

Related:

Read Mexican press coverage of the academy in
El Centro de la Noticia , Quadratin, AIDI and La Jornada Michoacán
Tijuana Civic Groups Use Opinion Research to Strengthen Police Reform Proposal»
Mexican civic groups bring public security concerns to politicians»

Pictured above: Participants in the academy

Published April 26, 2011

NDI E-news: Democracies in Transition, African Elections | March 2011

fgalleto — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:25:16 +0000

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March 2011

Emerging Democracies Learn from Transition Experiences of Other Countries

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Sergio Bitar, who helped found the Party for Democracy during Chile's democratic transition, recently returned from Cairo.

Democratic transitions take time and patience. Each country is different, seeking to adapt the principles common to all democracies to its unique character and circumstances.

But there are also lessons to be learned from the experiences of other nations that have made the shift from autocracy to democracy — a process that has just begun in Tunisia and Egypt, where citizens are deciding on new constitutions, leaders, political parties and other elements of their new societies.

In Tunisia, NDI recently brought experts from Bulgaria, Hungary and Portugal to meet with Tunisian political party leaders to share experiences from their countries' democratic transitions. Similarly, in Egypt, transition leaders and experts from Chile, Indonesia, Poland, Romania and Serbia are meeting with civil society and party leaders. They were able to discuss a range of issues including relations with the military, reconciliation processes, coalition building, and electoral and constitutional reform.

Krastyo Petkov, involved in the democratic transition in Bulgaria, with NDI Senior Program Officer Gabriella Borovsky in Tunis.

Against this backdrop, 50 experts from Europe and North America met in Brussels this month as part of an ongoing transatlantic dialogue on democracy support, co-chaired by by Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament; Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of state and chairman of NDI; Javier Solana, former EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy; and Vin Weber, former U.S. representative and board member of the National Endowment for Democracy. In a statement, the participants expressed their support for democratic reform movements and called on the transatlantic community to emphasize democracy assistance within the transatlantic relationship.

NDI also hosted a roundtable for rising democratic powers, including representatives from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa, on democracy support. These countries have valuable experience in democratic and economic development, but they are often not present in discussions on democracy support because they tend to be neither major donors nor recipients of development assistance.

As part of the two-day roundtable, Indonesia's ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, spoke about his country's transition to democracy and compared it to events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. "My advice to many of the countries undergoing democratic transitions is, don't let fear drive you," he said in a talk at NDI.

Youth Academy Empowers Tomorrow's Political Leaders in Rwanda

People under the age of 25 comprise two-thirds of Rwanda's population, but they are largely excluded from political life. NDI's recently expanded Youth Political Leadership Academy helps young leaders acquire practical political skills needed to have a say in their country's future. Read more»

Film Urges Nigerians to "Activate the Power of their Thumb"

As Nigeria prepares for presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections, a new short film, "My Vote Fit Change Naija," urges Nigerians to vote as a peaceful means to achieve change in their country. Produced by Youngstar Foundation and NDI, the film links voting to potential improvements in jobs, roads, electricity and health care, and stars a number of famous actors from the Nigerian film industry. Read more»

Election Monitors Note Minor Problems as Niger Peacefully Elects New President

Peaceful elections in Niger this month received praise from nonpartisan citizen election observers, despite a number of administrative problems surrounding the voting. NDI's partner, the Nigerien Association for the Defense of Human Rights, trained 2,025 observers who were stationed in all of Niger's eight regions on election day. Read more»

West African Election Observers Promote Credible Elections

In West Africa, some elections have led to successful transfers of power, while others have been marked by widespread fraud. Citizen election observation groups from 11 countries have formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to help ensure accountability, increase honesty and accuracy, and improve the credibility of elections in the region. Read more»

NDI Reports: Spring 2011

The new issue of NDI's newsletter, NDI Reports, explores how the mapping of election data can identify trends or anomalies in election results, examines recent advances and setbacks in women's political participation, and reports on a new global network for citizen election monitors.

Read the newsletter or browse the archives»

First Parhamovich Fellow Bringing More Young Women into Politics

Two years after her visit to the U.S., Ferdos Majeed, the Institute's first Parhamovich fellow, helped to launch the Young Women's Leadership School in Iraq. Read more»

Tijuana Civic Groups Use Opinion Research to Strengthen Police Reform Proposal

A recent study conducted by NDI's partner, the Citizen Coalition for Public Security, shows that while residents of Tijuana believe security improvements have been made, the perception of municipal police is still largely negative. The coalition is using the data to work with local elected officials on making improvements in public security. Read more»

Policymakers Share Strategies to Help Roma Minorities

A summit meeting held recently in Romania brought together officials from eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe who are responsible for policies to assist Roma minorities. Though there are an estimated 10 million Roma in Europe, they remain largely excluded from the political system due to discrimination, segregation and poverty. Read more»

NDI Celebrates 100th Annual International Women's Day

Hon. Nora Shimming-Chase (right) speaks with a participant at NDI's International Women's Day event in South Africa.

The 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, an annual observance of the achievements of women around the world, was celebrated this year with a recognition of past triumphs and calls to action for promoting women's equality. NDI marked the occasion with events in Colombia, Kosovo, South Africa and Washington, D.C.

At any given time, nearly 75 percent of NDI country programs have a dedicated component addressing women's political participation, a recognition of the words of NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright that "the political participation of women results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace."

Tijuana Civic Groups Use Opinion Research to Strengthen Police Reform Proposal

rrunyan — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:09:11 +0000

During his most recent visit to Washington, D.C., Mexican President Felipe Calderon said that Mexico is “undergoing a profound transformation, built on the principles and values of democracy.” Among these principles and values, he underscored the importance of “an active civil society that not only exercises its rights and freedoms, but also holds the authorities to account.”

In that spirit, a coalition of civil society organizations in Tijuana, the Citizen Coalition for Public Security has developed a proposal it hopes will move city government to bolster an anti-corruption campaign that has led to the detention and investigation of a number of municipal policemen for alleged ties to organized crime.

In that spirit, a coalition of civil society organizations in Tijuana, the Citizen Coalition for Public Security (Coalición Ciudadana por la Seguridad Pública, CCSP), has developed a proposal it hopes will move city government to bolster an anti-corruption campaign that has led to the detention and investigation of a number of municipal policemen for alleged ties to organized crime.

These arrests came as the result of a systematic vetting designed to root out corrupt members of the local police force. The coalition is calling for greater job security, improved benefits and better pay for local police, which it believes will act as a deterrent to corruption and undergird the gains made by the vetting process.

To strengthen their proposal, the CCSP — with NDI support — commissioned a study, released last month, which shows that while members of the community believe security improvements have been made in Tijuana, their perception of municipal police is still largely negative. Specifically, the opinion research showed that the public believes the police would benefit from additional training, equipment and benefits.

Julian Quibell, the director of NDI’s programs in Mexico, noted that the country’s civic groups rarely have hard numbers like these to support their requests to elected officials and more often approach them with anecdotal evidence or isolated personal experiences.

“The information in the study reinforced the CCSP’s arguments and helped them get the attention of local government leaders and other potential allies for their cause,” Quibell said. “Having access to this information on public perceptions allowed the CCSP to present specific policy proposals backed up by data.”

The study was conducted by FOCUS Investigación de Mercados, an independent opinion research firm, with a random sample of 600 Tijuana residents, providing a 95 percent statistical accuracy rate at a margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points. FOCUS also interviewed 11 opinion leaders, including academics, journalists and civic leaders.

The results revealed that 41.7 percent of citizens believe the level of security in the city has improved over the past year, and 70 percent of opinion leaders agreed. However, 58.8 percent of the study’s participants, and 90 percent of the opinion leaders, said there is a need for a greater police presence.

The opinion leaders declared that municipal police officers have improved their coordination with the military, and it is apparent that they are less involved with organized crime. But, they said, overall, the police force has not made any noteworthy improvements.

Continued corruption and extortions have tarnished their image, and citizens fear rather than respect the police. Nearly seven out of 10 citizens surveyed declared that they had a low level of trust in police officers; only three out of 10 said their trust had increased.

Poll participants and opinion leaders agreed that every new police officer should be required to have a clean background, be well trained, have proven trustworthiness, and be required to demonstrate a minimum level of formal education and physical condition, among other prerequisites. The poll showed that 49.2 percent of citizens and 54.5 percent of opinion leaders believe police officers are not adequately trained.

Additionally, citizens and opinion leaders agreed that to help curb corruption, municipal police officers should be well compensated. Both groups said that providing local police with basic benefits such as life insurance, social security and a retirement fund would all be adequate incentives.

NDI helped CCSP research and come to a consensus on the policy changes it would present as well as develop an advocacy plan using traditional media, social networks and other resources to amplify its voice and gain support for its proposal.

CCSP — a coalition made up of the Civic Alliance, CETYS University Tijuana campus, Iberoamerican University, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Council of Citizen Participation of the PGR, and Reacciona Tijuana — was established in 2010.

In preparation for local elections last July, NDI brought together a diverse group of NGOs to interview mayoral candidates and discuss their platforms and policy preferences regarding public security. The forums, or “encuentros con candidatos,” helped the NGOs identify common areas of concern where they could work together and maximize dialogue between the group and the candidates.

Lea este artículo en español

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Pictured above:CCSP advertisement for study release

Published March 17, 2011

NDI Hosts Democracy Support Roundtable with Emerging Powers

rrunyan — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:09:33 +0000

A group of politicians, civil society leaders and academics from the transatlantic community and emerging powers – including Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa – convened recently in Washington to discuss the potential for greater cooperation on democracy support.

The Washington roundtable gave participants the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences on how emerging powers support democratic development beyond their borders. It also explored the challenges to greater engagement by emerging powers in democracy support and ways that the traditional donor community could better support these efforts.

The number of people living collectively in the democracies of Brazil, India and Indonesia is double the number living in the United States and European Union combined. However, even though many emerging powers have the most relevant democratic and economic development models, they are often not present in policy discussions on democracy support because they tend to be neither major donors nor recipients of development assistance. The roundtable was intended to examine opportunities for deepening partnerships between the transatlantic community and emerging democratic powers on democracy support.

Indonesia’s Transition Provides Key Lessons for Democracy Supporters

Against a backdrop of unfolding events in Egypt, Indonesia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, recalled his country’s transition to democracy and the skepticism it engendered along the way. Djalal, who has worked in the Indonesian government for more than 20 years, remembered those who doubted whether his country had a democratic future as it began the transition in 2001.

People would say, “It’s never going to work. Democracy is not right for Indonesia,” he told an audience at NDI. “When you hear that enough, you tend to be affected by it,” he said. “You fear the uncertainty.”

The Washington roundtable, hosted by NDI, gave participants the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences on how emerging powers support democratic development beyond their borders. It also explored the challenges to greater engagement by emerging powers in democracy support and ways that the traditional donor community could better support these efforts. The discussion also explored mechanisms, including multilateral and nongovernmental channels, for deepening cooperation between the transatlantic community and emerging democratic powers on democracy support.

The roundtable, held Feb. 6 to 8, was made possible through the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with additional support from the Mexican and Indonesian embassies. The discussions will inform a working paper that will provide recommendations to a transatlantic dialogue on democracy support. The two-year dialogue first met in Washington last June. The second conference will be held at the European Parliament in Brussels, March 13-15.

The dialogue is co-chaired by Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of state; Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament; Javier Solana, former EU high representative for the common foreign security policy; and former U.S. Representative Vin Weber. NDI is hosting the dialogue with support from the European Commission, the National Endowment for Democracy, the German Marshall Fund, the European Partnership for Democracy and the Office for the Promotion of Parliamentary Democracy of the European Parliament.

Pictured Above: NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright speaks at the opening of the roundtable.

Published February 28, 2011

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Afghanistan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan | Sept. 2010

fgalleto — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:43:47 +0000

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Sept 15, 2010

Happy Democracy Day!

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"Democracy is...in our hands." Photo by Kaylene George of South Africa, one of 12 winners of the Democracy Photo Challenge.

NDI wishes you a happy International Day of Democracy, an annual global celebration of human rights, the rule of law and other principles that unite democracies around the world. This day, Sept. 15, was designated by the United Nations to reaffirm the universality of democratic values and recognize the aspirations of people around the world to have a say in how they are governed and make free choices about how they live their lives.

In more than 70 countries around the world, NDI's main mission is to support and strengthen democratic institutions. Here are some recent examples of our work.

In Afghanistan, Supporting Elections with People, Technology

An Afghan voter casts his ballot in the 2009 election

In three days, Afghans will go to the polls to elect members of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan National Assembly. The Institute is fielding an international observation mission, as well as working with candidates, political parties, polling agents and domestic observers. NDI is also publishing election updates looking at issues surrounding the polls and analyzing conditions on the ground throughout the country.
NDI has also recently updated its internationally recognized website, afghanistanelectiondata.org, which allows users to analyze and visualize election data from 2004, 2005 and 2009, with 2010 data coming soon.

In Kenya, Observing the Constitutional Referendum and Beyond

NDI has actively supported Kenyan efforts to strengthen democratic institutions since 1993.
The country's recent national referendum to approve a new constitution was lauded by international and domestic election observers. The Elections Observation Group (ELOG), a coalition of civic and faith-based Kenyan organizations and a partner of NDI's, observed balloting around the country and released a statement verifying the accuracy of the results,
which they confirmed using a parallel vote tabulation, or "quick count." NDI's board of directors, led by Chairman Madeleine K. Albright, recently met in Nairobi, pledging organizational support in the coming months as Kenyans build the legal framework to support the constitution.

In Kyrgyzstan, Supporting the Electoral Process and Women Candidates

Daschle discusses recent developments and challenges with civic leaders in Kyrgyzstan.

In Kyrgyzstan, citizens recently approved a new and first of its kind constitution in the region that significantly limits presidential power in relation to parliament.
Despite challenges that still lie ahead, the country has made progress on democratic reforms, NDI Vice Chair and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle concluded following a recent trip to the country.
Now, as Kyrgyzstan looks ahead to parliamentary elections in October, NDI is working with women candidates, training them on campaign and leadership skills, public speaking, and working within political parties to more fully integrate the women candidates into existing party structures.
NDI will also continue its assistance to the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, a domestic election observation group planning to monitor the parliamentary elections.

In Liberia, U.S. Congressional Delegation Reaffirms Commitment to Legislative Research

On a recent trip to Liberia, members of the U.S. House Democracy Partnership (HDP) visited the new legislative library that it, NDI and the U.S. Agency for International Development are helping to build. The eight visiting House members also had the chance to attend a town hall meeting in the Liberian town of Kakata. "Our delegation had been invited to attend not as participants, but as observers — as witnesses to Liberia's fragile but maturing democracy..." Reps. David Price, D-N.C., and David Dreier, R-Calif., wrote about the experience.

In Jordan, Al-Hayat Addresses Youth Apathy in Political Process

More than 65 percent of Jordanians are under the age of 30, and 43 percent of potential voters are 18 to 25. Youth have historically been excluded from the political process, so the Al-Hayat Center for Civil Society Development has launched a campaign focused on engaging and registering young voters for the Nov. 9 parliamentary elections.

The campaign is based in part on the findings of a survey conducted by Al-Hayat and NDI, designed to uncover young people's attitudes toward political involvement.

Women Gain the Confidence, Skills and Network to Win Elections in Lebanon

When Lebanese voters went to the polls this year to select municipal officials, they voted in more than twice the number of women as in 2004, going from 201 elected women to 530. One factor in this dramatic increase was the help provided women candidates by the Shariky program, an NDI project that supports women candidates through training and mentoring.

Yemeni Youth Break New Ground in Resolving Tribal Conflict

In Yemen, tribal conflict is a backdrop affecting the country's economic development, governance and national stability. Disputes over land claims and competition for resources and government services often lead to violence and cycles of revenge killings.

NDI helped 40 young men and women under the age of 30 come together in July to form the country's first cross-tribal youth council, which is already helping to solve disputes about school placement and land boundaries.

Interviews with NDI Staff Present an "In-Country Perspective" in Mexico, Rwanda

Mexican Civic Groups Bring Public Security Concerns to Politicians

Julian Quibell, who directs NDI’s programs in Mexico, sat down for an interview on how NDI is bringing civil society and candidates for local office together in a collaborative dialogue to help address Mexicans' concerns about security, violence and organized crime.

In Rwanda, NDI Promotes Political Party Dialogue and Peaceful Competition

Fifteen years after the genocide that devastated Rwanda, the country is still dealing with its lasting impact on politics and governance. Prior to the presidential election, we sat down with Gaston Aín, then country director in Rwanda, to learn more about the political landscape, the role of young people and NDI's work with political parties.

Democracy Is... Initiative Celebrates Winning Photos, Videos

"Democracy is the state of being free to act and look different from the way others do." Photo by Kaveh Baghdadchi of Iran, one of 12 winners of the DPC.

The Democracy Is... initiative is celebrating the winners of the Democracy Photo Challenge and Democracy Video challenge today in New York City.

"As a photographer, I am inspired by the quality of the content we've seen in the Photo Challenge," said jury co-chair Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award-winning documentary director and photographer. "But it is as an activist that I am most moved. These images allow us to experience life through the eyes of another and better understand how they experience democracy."

The Photo Challenge winners were asked to complete the phrase "Democracy is..." with an image and caption. Twelve winning photos were chosen by the public on Picasa, and are now on display at the United Nations in New York City. See the winning photos»

The Video Challenge participants completed the same phrase with a three-minute video. This year's winners were in New York for the celebration as part of their grand prize. They hail from Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal and Spain. Watch the winning videos»

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Mexican Civic Groups Bring Public Security Concerns to Politicians

fgalleto — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Organized crime and an exponential growth in violence have generated serious challenges to democratic institutions in Mexico. Many citizens feel that the government is not providing even basic protection, and they have begun to speak out individually and collectively about their concerns.

Julian Quibell, who directs NDI’s programs in Mexico, sat down for an interview on how NDI is bringing civil society and politicians together to show how collaborative dialogue can help deal with concerns like citizen insecurity.

Organized crime and an exponential growth in violence have generated serious challenges to democratic institutions in Mexico. Despite concerted efforts by the Mexican government against organized crime, many citizens, particularly in border cities, feel that the government is not providing even basic protection, and they have begun to speak out individually and collectively about their concerns.

Civil society in Mexico has not traditionally taken a strong advocacy role. Many groups provide community services, do charity work, and serve as professional associations, but few advocate on public policy. There has also been historic mutual suspicion between public officials and civil society. The civic groups want to avoid being co-opted by politicians, while parties and politicians feel that civic groups are often unrealistic in their demands and are reluctant to engage civil society proactively.

Julian Quibell, who directs NDI’s programs in Mexico, sat down for an interview on how NDI is bringing these two groups together to show how collaborative dialogue can help deal with these concerns and strengthen the capacity of democratic institutions to address priority issues like citizen insecurity.

How exactly is NDI helping this dialogue?

NDI is supporting civic groups in their effort to communicate policy preferences and encouraging them to follow through with repeated contact with policymakers until action is taken by their local government. We are also working with the local governments to help them see the benefits of discussing policy with civic groups and getting a commitment from groups that have traditionally been shut out of the conversation to work with government to achieve solutions.

Where are we doing this?

NDI is working in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, and Tijuana, right across the border from San Diego, which are two of the more violent and crime-ridden cities in Mexico. In both cities, NDI brought together diverse organizations – like human rights groups, a committee of doctors and experts from universities – to present a united front in discussing their concerns on security policy. They have safety in numbers. They realize that if only one group sticks its neck out and talks about public security, they are much more likely to be a target for retribution from organized crime. So the groups are coming together to leverage their voices and speak out more forcefully about their concerns.

What was your message to convince both sides it would be a worthwhile exercise?

Taking advantage of the attention focused on the recent mayoral election, to the civic groups we said, “We’re going to organize round table discussions with mayoral candidates between now and when the campaign ends [for the July 2010 election]. All you need to do is create a series of questions that you’d like to ask the candidates because it is going to be a non-confrontational and non-debate format. It’s going to be you guys sitting around a table, as equals, and you’re going to ask the questions to get a better idea of what the candidates’ preferences are, what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are in the security area.”

For the candidates, NDI played the role of a broker, an independent third party, that brought them to the table and that could, to a certain degree, guarantee that these groups weren’t going to just start throwing stones. Because that is one of the reasons for the reluctance of many candidates and party officials and some government officials in Mexico to do more to reach out to civic groups – their perception often is that they get verbally attacked and criticized as a matter of reflex, not considered discussion, and don’t see the value of building relationships with civil society.

How did the civic groups get on the same page ahead of the roundtable discussions?

In the two months before the elections, the groups came together to develop questions and analyze the security situation. They subdivided their questions around certain themes. For example, they asked, “What criteria are you going to use to choose your public security director? What sorts of programs will you use to reform the way police are doing business now to ensure they are not corrupted by organized crime? What sorts of education programs or cultural programs do you envision supporting during your administration?”

Are the topics in the discussions all about public security?

Yes, it’s all public security related, but the groups have defined public security policy broadly. For example, if a root cause of the recent increase in crime is because many young people have dropped out of school and are unemployed, we need to think about how to expand the education opportunities for these young people. So discussion might include ways to keep kids occupied in something that is productive and away from organized crime bosses who use them as foot soldiers. We encourage them to take the long-term perspective and that tends to generate discussion of the prevention view, so it’s not just police and guns and more enforcement, but also a view on how the community can better serve people who are involved in those activities or prevent folks who may fall into them.

How did the first round of dialogue differ from the second?

We did some focus groups in Tijuana between the first and second rounds of discussions with the candidates. We asked citizens from a broad spectrum of the population in Tijuana about their perception of ongoing crime-prevention programs implemented by the municipal government. The broad strokes of the findings were that the average citizen did not know anything about those programs and, in many cases, didn’t even know they existed, and the programs they did know about they did not rate highly. So there was solid information that these civic groups could bring to the second round of discussions with the candidates and say, “This is not just our concern. There is a generalized perception that the security polices to prevent crimes aren’t working, and we’re hoping that if you win, your administration can help.”

So, we’re hoping to continue to motivate them to do that, to base their arguments on something beyond their anecdotal experience or what they have heard on a radio show and get some solid data for their arguments for policy preferences.

What was the reaction after the talks?

We got great responses from the candidates. They said things like, “This is the first time we’ve ever sat down in this format and we loved the fact that this was brokered and that there was an order to it.” They informed us that the questions from the civic groups were well-thought through and that the candidates were able to express views for at least a couple of minutes on each of these issues.

The civic groups were very happy with the methodology because this was the first time they had been able to successfully convene a meeting with a current or potential public officials, as opposed to being convened by public officials, which is what normally happens. The meetings changed the balance of power in that sense.

What do you think was the benefit of this?

I think the success story is that you had these groups that were previously working individually on public security and a range of other issues that are now working together. They have now seen the benefits of working together; they have seen the benefits of sitting down directly with the candidates and subsequently they have already expressed interest in sitting down with elected officials to continue this conversation. The civil society groups are taking a long-term perspective and understanding that this was the first phase of work they need to do over the next three years of the administration to document and argue their case for specific polices and to look for opportunities that bring them to the table and give them some voice in the decision-making process

On the side of the candidates, I think that they realized that although this wasn’t a huge campaign rally, it was a forum where they were able to reach people in the community who have influence over other voters by virtue of the work they do.

What kind of follow up is planned now that the elections are over?

NDI is going to implement focused planning retreats with civic groups in both cities so that they can prioritize proposals to present to the now elected officials, who do not take office in Tijuana until October and Ciudad Juarez in December. So the groups have considerable time to develop these proposals and develop initial working relationships with the mayors-elect. We are also working in a similar vein in the state of Mexico, but there with state legislators, who have requested NDI strategic planning support and have begun to develop new outreach activities to engage civic groups in legislative processes.

Pictured Above: Julian Quibell, NDI’s resident senior program manager in Mexico

Published September 13, 2010

Women Pulling Out of Technological Gap | August 25, 2010

fgalleto — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:28:44 +0000

IPS News | Link to story »

"During a panel on 'empowerment of young women by means of the innovative use of information and communication technologies (ICT),' delegates of a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) shared their experiences Tuesday...

"In 2007, five institutions — UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) — created the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics)."

Link to story »

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Middle East, Cambodia | Sept. 2009

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:25:17 +0000

September 15, 2009

Happy Democracy Day!

NDI wishes you a happy International Day of Democracy, an annual global celebration of human rights, the rule of law and other principles that unite democracies around the world. This day, Sept. 15, was designated by the United Nations to reaffirm the universality of democratic values and recognize the aspirations of people around the world to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems.

Supporting and strengthening democratic institutions is the main mission of NDI, which works in nearly 80 countries to advance citizen participation, safeguard elections and promote open and accountable government. Our primary focus is people — bringing together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences and expertise with the goal of improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of democratic governance. You can learn more about our work at www.ndi.org.

Afghans Pursue Democracy Despite Violence

NDI, which fielded more than 100 international and Afghan observers for Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential and provincial council elections, found that aspects of the election were in accordance with democratic principles. But the Institute also identified serious flaws in the process that needed to be addressed and offered 17 recommendations for improvements. The delegation's full preliminary statement can be found here.

Last week, as election authorities grappled with what they termed “clear and convincing evidence of fraud,” NDI expressed deep concern, noting that “it will be impossible to determine the will of the Afghan people” unless those issues are addressed.

The August delegation was led by former U.S. Senator Gary Hart; Karl Inderfurth, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs; John Manley, former Canadian deputy prime minister and foreign minister; Nora Owen, former minister of justice in Ireland; Karin von Hippel, co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Jamie Metzl, executive vice president of the Asia Society; Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI; and Peter Manikas, NDI's director of Asia programs.
Both Hart and Manley wrote op-ed pieces about their experiences. In addition, Metzl coauthored an op-ed with Christine Fair of Georgetown University, who also was an NDI election observer.

Inderfurth, von Hippel and other members of the election mission spoke about their impressions and answered questions about the vote at an event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read more about the event and watch the video»

NDI has been working in Afghanistan since early 2002 and has since conducted programs to promote the participation of Afghan civic groups and political parties in the country's political and electoral processes. A major component of NDI's work involves building the capacity of provincial councils, the only elected bodies below the national level.

Code of Conduct Takes Macedonia Toward Democracy and Europe

With its eye on membership in the European Union, Macedonia held peaceful local and presidential elections this spring without the violence that marred previous polls. The success of the election process was attributable, in part, to a Code of Conduct campaign that rallied political party leaders, candidates and voters alike to show that Macedonia can hold elections consistent with international standards. Chris Henshaw, NDI's resident director in Macedonia, discusses the Institute's history with Code of Conduct campaigns in Macedonia, dating to 2002, and their effect on the country's democratic transition.

Latest Iran Bulletin Explores Religion and Politics

Iran's religious institutions play a prominent role in the country's politics. Now, the disputed presidential election and its violent aftermath have led members of the Iranian religious establishment to question the moral, legal and religious foundations of the Islamic Republic. Prior to the election, Shi'a clerics mostly debated the relative balance of the Republic's Islamic and democratic aspects. Now debate has shifted to the fundamental nature, pillars and theoretical justifications for the regime itself.

NDI has been chronicling developments in Iran since February in its Iran Bulletin. Read the latest issue»

Save the Date!

NDI will celebrate its first quarter century with a special event on Nov. 3 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. More details will be available on the NDI website .

Training the Next Generation of Leaders...

...in the Middle East

Convening for the second year in Doha, Qatar, NDI's Young Women Leaders Academy brought together women aged 19 to 28 from across the Middle East who aspire to political careers. The women came from 12 countries to learn political skills and increase their knowledge about how to run a successful campaign and advocate effectively for a cause.

Meet some of the women who participated in the YWLA.

... in Latin America

NDI's Political Leadership Program, now in its 1oth year, brings together young leaders from Latin America to study international best practices. During the last decade, participants from 56 major political parties and movements from across the ideological spectrum have learned about political party renewal and reform. This year, national academies were held in Ecuador, Mexico and Peru for 69 emerging leaders who learned about the role of political parties, transparency and outreach, and planned individual projects for their parties.

Meet some of the attendees.

Visiting Cambodian MPs See Congress Up Close

Members of Cambodia's National Assembly, seeking to strengthen democracy in their country, visited both the U.S. Congress and the Maryland State Capitol as part of a recent study mission focused on issues of transparency, public access and the balance of power in government. The visit was sponsored jointly by NDI and the Institute for Representative Government.

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide by promoting citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

NDI E-news: NDI Celebrates 25 Years, Rwanda, Colombia | May 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:16:00 +0000

May 2010

NDI Celebrates 25 Years

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe

NDI celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 10 by honoring two champions of democracy, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe and the Network of Chocó Women of Colombia, at an event hosted by NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright. Read more»

Albright described Tsvangirai as "a courageous democratic leader of our time" as she presented him with NDI's W. Averell Harriman award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have exhibited a sustained commitment to democracy and human rights. The award also recognized the democratic aspirations of the Zimbabwean people.

"I recognize that over the past decade or more, I have become one of the better-known faces of the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe — but I am only amongst millions of my countrymen and women who believe that our nation, its people and our children deserve to live in a society free from fear of persecution, poverty and hunger," said Tsvangirai as he accepted the award. He described democracy as a process rather than an event, and pledged his commitment to moving Zimbabwe forward in that process. Read Tsvangirai's speech»

Nimia Vargas accepted the Madeleine K. Albright Grant on behalf of the Network of Chocó Women in Colombia. The network is an umbrella group of 52 civil society organizations that works to increase women's rights and political participation in western Colombia. The network will use the $25,000 grant to provide leadership training to women interested in politics. Chocó has the country's highest levels of poverty and illiteracy. Read Vargas' speech»

The dinner was also a celebration of NDI's first quarter century. The Institute premiered a film, NDI's First Quarter Century: Working for Democracy and Making Democracy Work, narrated by Christiane Amanpour of CNN. It highlighted the Institute's history of supporting political parties, civic groups, parliaments, elections and women's groups in 125 countries. NDI also published an anniversary report tracing its history and programs. Watch the film» | Read the report»

10 Days in Rwanda: Training Political Parties to Embrace Technology

Ben Fuller of the Service Employees International Union went to Rwanda as a trainer for NDI to work with young political leaders from all 10 Rwandan political parties. In this first-person essay, he recounts his impressions and experiences in the country.

"We focused on building political party messages not based on personality or aimless cheap shots and dissention, but originating instead from party platforms built on well thought-out public policy."

Mexican Men and Women Work Together to Elect More Women

Though gender quotas have led to an increase in the number of women running for and elected to office in Mexico, women hold only 5 percent of municipal and state elected positions. NDI partnered with the Fox Center and Mexico's three major political parties to help women gain new campaign skills.

Over 300 male and female participants took part in a week-long series of training sessions that emphasized the strategic aspects of running a campaign as well as some of the "soft" skills needed to win an election.

NDI Partners Pursue Transparent Election Season in Colombia

It's election season in Colombia, where historically polls have been marred by violence, allegations of fraud and intimidation by armed groups allied with candidates. Legislative elections took place on March 14 and the first round of the presidential election is set for May 30.

NDI and its local partners are working to increase transparency around the elections. In addition to supporting a domestic election monitoring group, NDI has also aided in organizing candidate debates and better campaign finance reporting.

Young Leaders Learn, Network at East Africa Political Academy

In East Africa, where large youth populations can feel disconnected and overlooked by governments with aging leaders, the Regional Youth Political Leadership Academy (RYPLA) hopes to boost the leadership skills and political networks of young leaders beginning their political careers.

NDI created RYPLA in partnership with the Kristdemokratiskt Internationellt Center in Sweden for a select group of political party members, age 22 to 35, who aspire to elected office or party leadership. Last year, the group met three times and learned tools and strategies for organizing campaigns, reaching out to constituents and crafting a political message.

Vote for your Favorite Video!

Voting has begun for the Democracy Video Challenge. The DVC is a global project to celebrate democracy through film. Three finalists have been chosen from each of six regions of the world and the winners will be chosen by the public. Films complete the phrase "democracy is..." in under three minutes.

Winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood, where they will meet with government officials and film and television producers. Voting will remain open through June 15 and winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

The DVC is sponsored by the U.S. State Department in partnership with NDI, the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Republican Institute, the International Youth Foundation, the Motion Picture Association of America, New York University, NBC Universal, the Recording Industry Association of America, TakingITGlobal, William Morris Endeavor, YouTube and the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

Watch the finalists' videos and vote»

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Congress Looks to Women as Agents of Change

fgalleto — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:57:09 +0000

In places as diverse as Timor-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda and South Africa, increasing numbers of women are being elected to political office. In each case, more women has meant more legislation related to anti-discrimination, domestic violence, family codes, inheritance, and child support and protection.

"Women's political participation results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace," said NDI President Kenneth Wollack in testimony at a June 9 House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on "Women as Agents of Change: Advancing the Role of Women in Politics and Civil Society."

Wollack and other panelists discussed the concrete ways in which women help democracy deliver benefits to all citizens. Panelists also stressed the role that the United States must play in promoting gender equality and empowering women politically and economically to help establish stronger, more inclusive democracies around the world.

In the last 10 years, the rate of women's representation in national parliaments globally has grown from 13.1 percent at the end of 1999 to 18.6 percent at the end of 2009. Some regions have seen particularly dramatic increases, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of women in parliaments has risen from 10.9 to 17.6 percent. While these numbers show progress, women continue to be vastly underrepresented in politics, excluded from decision-making processes and routinely subjected to discrimination and violence.

In spite of enormous social and economic barriers and often in the face of violent opposition, women around the world are demanding their rights to education, security, and healthcare, and claiming a louder voice in decisions that affect their lives and communities. Panelists highlighted the vital role that women can play as leaders in politics and their communities, and stressed the need for increased support for women's political leadership both in the U.S. and abroad.

As Wollack noted, "it is not an accident that the countries in which health, education and economic development are not part of the national agenda are places where women are denied a genuine political voice. Empowering women politically will help countries develop democratic institutions so they can begin to successfully address issues related to security, jobs, human rights, physical well-being and human development." Throughout his testimony, he illustrated how NDI has been working with political and civic leaders for more than two decades to support their efforts to increase the number and effectiveness of women in political life.

Wollack also called attention to the various barriers that limit women's political and civic engagement, namely access to positions of power and to economic resources, lack of government transparency, and pervasive and discriminatory gender stereotypes. He focused on the eight ways to build women's political participation: conducting ongoing communications trainings; building leadership skills; uniting women across political party lines, often in the form of women's caucuses; reforming political parties internally so that women's participation is a real priority; teaching women to train other women so that knowledge and skills are not lost; training elected women so that they are ready to deliver services back to constituents, increasing their chances of re-election; exchanging information internationally; and engaging youth to help change attitudes and behavior towards women.

Other witnesses were: Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues; Dr. Esther Brimmer, assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs; Swanee Hunt, chair of the Institute for Inclusive Security and former U.S. ambassador to Austria; and Judy van Rest, executive vice president of the International Republican Institute (IRI). The House Committee members and panelists discussed a range of topics, including women and governance; women and security; women's role in Haiti's reconstruction process; U.S. policies in Afghanistan; violence against women; the importance of ratifying The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); and the creation of a new United Nations gender entity that would coordinate efforts to support women globally.

Read Wollack's testimony»

Related:

Pictured above:Wollack testifies at the Subcommittee hearing

Published on June 14, 2010

Women as Agents of Change: Advancing the Role of Women in Politics and Civil Society

fgalleto — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:19:53 +0000

Author:

Ken Wollack

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

06/09/2010

Resource Type:

Testimony

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

2010

English

Attachment	Size
Kenneth Wollack's Testimony	42.9 KB

NDI - Mexico

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NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Afghanistan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan | Sept. 2010

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In Kyrgyzstan, Supporting the Electoral Process and Women Candidates

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Mexican Civic Groups Bring Public Security Concerns to Politicians

Women Pulling Out of Technological Gap | August 25, 2010

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Middle East, Cambodia | Sept. 2009

September 15, 2009

Training the Next Generation of Leaders...

NDI E-news: NDI Celebrates 25 Years, Rwanda, Colombia | May 2010

May 2010

NDI Celebrates 25 Years

Congress Looks to Women as Agents of Change

Women as Agents of Change: Advancing the Role of Women in Politics and Civil Society