NDI - Poland

Importance of Authentic Elections and Unhindered Election Observation Stressed at OSCE Warsaw Meeting

fgalleto — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:03:47 +0000

Statements on the importance of genuine, competitive elections, the need for election observation and follow up were presented last week on behalf of the United States by Patrick Merloe, NDI’s director of electoral programs, at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Warsaw, Poland.

At the opening plenary session of the Warsaw meeting. Photo by OSCE/Piotr Markowski

The gathering, which brings together hundreds of government representatives, human rights activists and international experts, is considered the most important human rights event of the year in the OSCE region. Merloe was a public member of the U.S. delegation, which was led by Ambassador David Johnson.

Merloe presented the two statements on Sept. 30. The first noted that “free and fair elections are a necessary part of a healthy democracy” but added that “technically well-run polling does not mean that the election process is democratic." He emphasized that “a genuine electoral process also requires an open pre-election environment in which citizens can participate fully, political parties can operate freely, independent media can flourish, and an independent judicial system operates effectively.” The statement assessed the character of recent elections in several OSCE countries, including negative elections in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and generally positive elections in Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Macedonia.

The second statement addressed the importance of the overall election environment in determining whether an election meets OSCE standards and concluded by stressing that, "The United States supports OSCE election observation. ... We also believe that follow-up to recommendations made by the observer mission is very important."

Merloe also responded to a question from the chairman of Russia's Central Election Commission, who was speaking for the Russian delegation, about why observers are needed. "The Copenhagen Document [which contains OSCE commitments on democratic elections] and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provide a clear answer,” Merloe said. “They both say that the authority of government derives from the will of the people expressed in genuine elections. So, citizens, in effect, own elections, because that is where sovereignty truly resides. Citizens have the right to know that their elections are genuine. Hence, domestic observers are needed."

Read more:

Published Oct. 5, 2011

NDI Mourns the Loss of Polish Patriot and Democracy Champion Bronislaw Geremek

fgalleto — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:10:01 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

07/15/2008

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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20th Anniversary of Frost-Solomon Task Force to be Commemorated in Poland

fgalleto — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:03:21 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

06/06/2010

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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NDI E-news: Community of Democracies, Burma, Iraq | August 2010

fgalleto — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:14:59 +0000

August 2010

New and Established Democracies Celebrate Past Successes and Look to the Future of Democracy Support

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Former Polish President Lech Walesa and Madeleine Albright at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Community of Democracies

Community of Democracies Celebrates 10 Years

Representatives
from many of the world's established and new democracies came together
in Krakow, Poland, last month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
Community of Democracies, a global coalition
focusing today on meeting challenges to democracy and strengthening the
role of civil society.

NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright, who as U.S. secretary of state was an initiator of the organization, spoke at the gathering,
saying "those who are blessed to live in a democracy have an obligation
to repay that blessing by upholding free institutions and by teaching,
protecting, and cherishing democratic values." Read more»

Transatlantic Democracy Dialogue Begins

To
encourage stronger transatlantic ties on democracy support, senior U.S.
and European policymakers came together in Washington, D.C., for the
start of a two-year dialogue to discuss ways to fortify cooperation on
democracy and human rights. The dialogue is chaired by Albright; Jerzy Buzek,
president of the European Parliament; Javier Solana, former European
Union high representative for the common foreign security policy; and Vin
Weber, former congressman and former chairman of the National Endowment
for Democracy (NED). It is organized by NDI with primary
support from the European Commission and the NED. The
dialogue will, through a series of conferences and working papers,
produce actionable recommendations for improving democracy support
programs. Read more»

Commemorating the Frost-Solomon Task Force

Frost (left) and Rep. David Price (center) speak to Ibrahim Samadi, a participant in the parliamentary research service institute from Afghanistan.

The
benefits of transatlantic cooperation were celebrated in early June at a
commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Frost-Solomon Task Force,
which provided assistance from the U.S. Congress to new parliaments in
Central and Eastern Europe emerging from communist rule. Its programs
were based on the principle that successful democratic transitions in
the former communist countries depended on the establishment of
effective democratic legislatures. Former Rep. Martin Frost, for whom the task force was named along with the late Rep. Gerald Solomon, attended the commemoration in Warsaw, Poland, along with
representatives from 10 of the former Soviet bloc countries. Read more »

Toward Better Parliamentary Research Services

Many
of the representatives from the original Frost-Solomon countries stayed
in Warsaw to share their experiences during a week-long parliamentary
institute organized by the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a
successor to the task force. Representatives from 11 parliaments on
four continents, all HDP partner parliaments, took part in the institute
that focused on developing and strengthening parliamentary research
services. "Where democratic governance has taken root...commissions such
as ours can provide an added boost by sharing our own experiences, good
and bad," said Rep. David Price, chairman of HDP. Read more »

NDI Analysis: Burma's Electoral Framework is Fundamentally Undemocratic

A
new NDI report found that Burma's new election laws and constitution
have created a framework that is fundamentally undemocratic for the
first national elections to be held in the country since 1990. Based on
a legal and human rights analysis, NDI concluded that the election
process will not be a step forward and risks being yet another setback
in a country that has been governed by the military for almost half a
century. The process "is clearly designed to guarantee a pre-determined
outcome and, therefore, does not meet even the minimum of international
standards," the report said.

Read the full report »

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

Speaking at a panel at the Krakow Community of Democracies meeting, NDI Chief Technology Officer Chris Spence explored the role of technology in democratic development and the challenges and opportunities it poses in closed societies. Spence also addressed the importance of using technologies in new and emerging democracies using examples from Afghanistan and Uganda.

He noted that while technology can provide useful tools, to be most effective they must be used to support well-organized "off-line" activities by civil society groups.

Read Spence's remarks »

In Angola, Radio Program Connects 'Parliament and Me'

"Parliament
and Me," a new radio talk show in Angola, is working to establish a
connection between elected representatives and their constituents as the
country rebuilds after a 27-year civil war. NDI partnered with Radio
Ecclesia, a capital city radio station with a wide audience, to create
the weekly program, which educates citizens about the role of
parliament.

The
program also explores historical, political and legal issues that many
Angolans may not be familiar with, such as the origins of the Angolan
parliament, the laws it has passed and the impact of women parliamentarians.

In Macedonia, New Legislative Research Institute to Aid Lawmakers

Macedonia is working to establish a professional parliamentary research service that will
enhance the ability of its legislature to advance democratic
governance in the country. The parliament is undertaking a
three-year project to create such a service, which will help lawmakers obtain
the necessary information to generate and amend legislation, oversee
public expenditures and monitor how laws are carried out.

The
research service is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation and implemented by NDI and its Macedonian partner, the
Institute for Parliamentary Democracy.

Iraqis Discouraged by Post-Election Government Negotiations

Iraqis
are becoming increasingly frustrated about the delay in the formation
of a new government and a majority of them believe that the country is
headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent public opinion poll
conducted by NDI.

Among
the survey's other findings, 42 percent of those polled thought Ayad
Allawi, representing the Iraqiyya coalition, which got the most votes in
the March 7 elections, should become the next prime minister, compared
to 14 percent who supported current Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. The most
important problem facing average Iraqis, they said, is delivery of basic
services.

Increasing Women's Political Participation Around the Globe

Part of NDI's core mission is working with women around the world to help them gain leadership skills and access to power:

Afghan Women Seek Major Role in Peace-building:
Women from 33 of the country's 34 provinces attended a symposium in
Kabul, Afghanistan, to find ways to ensure that women's rights are integrated into the government-initiated peace and reconciliation process. They listed 13 recommendations for the Afghan government to
follow to address women's needs.

Coalition Boosts Effort to Implement Gender Quota Law in Burkina Faso:
Last year the legislature in Burkina Faso passed a law requiring that
30 percent of candidates on political party lists be women. Now, a
coalition is suggesting ways to fully implement the law.

Middle Eastern Women Gain Political Inspiration in Wisconsin: A
group of young women from across the Middle East who aspire to
political careers spent two weeks at a leadership retreat in Madison,
Wisc., the culmination of a year-long Young Women Leaders Academy.
There, they learned from elected women leaders about public service and
political campaigns.

Mayan Women Train One Another to Increase Their Political Voice:
To help overcome the political and economic challenges facing Mayan
women in Guatemala, NDI has published a series of training guides to
help equip the women with the concrete skills they need to pursue
political leadership opportunities.

Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors Launches

In
more than 90 countries, millions of citizens have joined nonpartisan
election monitoring efforts to safeguard electoral integrity, hold
government accountable, mitigate politically motivated violence and
promote the right of citizens to participate in public life.

For the first time, those groups have joined together to form the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors, which launched a website
this month that compiles thousands of documents, manuals and best
practices. As the site continues to evolve, domestic election monitors
around the world will be able to exchange information, form
relationships and continue to learn from each other.

Multimedia Not To Miss

Be sure to check out:

Pop star Bobi Wine performs his song, "A Serious Matter," to help promote peaceful elections and the use of an NDI-supported election hotline in Uganda.

A short video
highlights the interaction between citizens and members of parliament
in Cambodia as part of a NDI's constituency dialogue program.

Democracy Updates | Partner Spotlights | In-Country Perspectives |

Democracy Dialogue | Publications | Employment

Albright Reaffirms Need to Work at Preserving 'Gift of Freedom'

fgalleto — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:38:42 +0000

The fragility of freedom and how to preserve it was one of the themes explored at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Community of Democracies (CoD), a global coalition of democratic countries, meeting July 2-4 in Krakow, Poland.

NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright, who as U.S. secretary of state was an initiator of the organization along with the late Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, returned to Poland for the gathering. In 2000 in Warsaw, ministerial delegations from 106 countries signed a declaration, "Toward the Community of Democracies," with the aim of demonstrating methods of support to countries striving for democracy and freedom.

The Krakow meeting was attended by 80 official delegations from around the world, including 40 at the ministerial level, as well as 200 civil society activists from Burma, Zimbabwe, China, Russia and Cuba, among other places. Also attending were parliamentarians from Europe, Africa and North America who are participants in the community's Parliamentary Forum, which was launched last March at the initiative of Lithuania, which currently holds the CoD chairmanship.

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

In the decade since the founding of the Community of Democracies, a major change has been the explosion of technology and the tools it has created, both for those supporting the free flow of ideas and other democratic values and for authoritarian states interested in the opposite, curtailing information and suppressing human rights. Speaking on a panel in Krakow, NDI's chief technology officer, Chris Spence, explored the role of technology in democratic development and the risks its use poses in closed societies.

The Krakow meeting focused on challenges to democracy and, specifically, how to overcome obstacles in the path of building civil society in the contemporary world. The CoD is developing a global democracy work plan focusing on such areas as civil society protections; gender equality and women's rights; poverty, development and democracy; promoting democracy and responding to national and transnational threats; and regional cooperation.

Albright attributed the success of the first gathering in 2000 to Geremek, who died in 2008 and for whom a democracy award has now been named. "In his welcoming remarks," she said, "he declared that 'the emergence of democracy was the most important development of the 20th century.' But he also reminded us that the gift of freedom was never fully safe – because from one direction or another, the principles of freedom will always be opposed. He argued, therefore, that those who are blessed to live in a democracy have an obligation to repay that blessing by upholding free institutions and by teaching, protecting, and cherishing democratic values."

Albright presented the Geremek Award to Father José Conrado Rodriguez of Cuba, a minister in the impoverished city of Santiago de Cuba. Father José, she said, "reminds us that democracy – at its best – is more than just another system of government... Democracy is grounded in a belief that the legitimate power of governance comes not from the barrel of a gun, or from the means to arrest and to brutalize prisoners, or from the capacity to punish those who dare to voice their discontent. Power, to be legitimate, must come from the people."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who delivered a keynote address, noted "three essential elements of a free nation – representative government, a well-functioning market and civil society – that work like three legs of a stool." But "walls are closing in" on civic organizations in an increasing number of countries, she said, citing Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Russia, China and Egypt. "Over the last six years, 50 governments have issued new restrictions against NGOs, and the list of countries where civil society faces resistance is growing longer."

"An attack on civic activism and civil society is an attack on democracy," she said. "...it doesn't matter whether the goal is better laws or lower crime or cleaner air or social justice or consumer protection or entrepreneurship and innovation, societies move forward when the citizens that make up these groups are empowered to transform common interests into common actions that serve the common good."

The next ministerial level meeting will take place in 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Related:

Pictured above: Lech Walesa and Madeleine Albright greet each other at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Community of Democracies. Photo courtesy of Pavol Demes.

Published on July 16, 2010

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

fgalleto — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:35:27 +0000

In the decade since the founding of the Community of Democracies, which met June 2-4 in Poland, a major change has been the explosion of technology and the tools it has created, both for those supporting the free flow of ideas and other democratic values and for authoritarian states interested in the opposite, curtailing information and suppressing human rights.

Speaking on a panel in Krakow, NDI's chief technology officer, Chris Spence, explored the role of technology in democratic development and the risks its use poses in closed societies.

"Our view is that technologies are clearly a net positive for democracy...because of the important role [they] can play in consolidating democracy in fragile and transitional democratic states," he said. In such places, democracy, which hasn't fully taken root, "risks backsliding toward authoritarianism if nascent democratic institutions are not strengthened. Creative uses of technology in these environments can and do help make these institutions more efficient, accessible, transparent and effective and thus help democracy deliver for their citizens."

Spence noted that in the early 1990s NDI began to recognize the important role technology plays in politics and democratic development, and began to develop creative ways to integrate technology tools and approaches into its democracy support programs.

He cited two current NDI programs:

A tool, www.afghanistanelectiondata.org, for analyzing Afghanistan election results data in the aftermath of last summer's flawed presidential election. It was developed to pinpoint fraud, to try to hold the government accountable for better elections, and to help civic groups and political parties oversee the next round of parliamentary elections slated for September. Embracing an "open data" approach, the site uses information provided by the Afghanistan government in a 2,500-page PDF document that was difficult to use and combines that with demographic, ethnographic, topographic and security information from other sources. The site makes the data easier to analyze using new visualization tools including maps, graphs and other data filtering tools.
A Citizen Hotline program in Uganda that allows citizens to use text messaging to report problems with voter registration for the country's 2011 elections that will be combined with a domestic election monitoring program on election day. The Hotline uses a technique, known as "crowd sourcing," to pinpoint the location of complaints. This is an evolving new approach to increasing citizen participation and oversight of elections and other political processes, including human rights monitoring, budget monitoring, and any number of others.

"The introduction of these tools in the absence of good civic or political organization is not enough."

Spence noted that while technology tools are useful and frequently necessary, to be most effective in bringing about political reform, they must be used to support well-organized political activities by strong organizations, typically civic groups or political parties, with long-term plans for change. "The introduction of these tools in the absence of good civic or political organization is not enough," he said.

Spence also addressed the risks associated with the introduction of technology tools in authoritarian states, which usually have technological advantages over their citizens. "In closed societies, citizens and civic groups are at a technological disadvantage and need to be very deliberate in building communication strategies that take into account a full understanding of risk," he said. "They must include a combination of the right technologies and procedures that are designed for their specific environment."

The “New Technologies for Democracy” panel was moderated by Teymoor Nabili of Al-Jazeera. Panelists included Matt Harrison from the Prometheus Institute; Walid Al-Saqaf, an online journalist and activist from Yemen; Susan Pointer, director of public policy and government relations at Google for Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and Wael Abbas, a well-known Egyptian blogger and activist.

Related:

Pictured above: A map from www.afghanistanelectiondata.org

Published on July 16, 2010

Remarks of Madeleine K. Albright at the High Level Democracy Meeting of the Community of Democracies

fgalleto — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:28:40 +0000

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Maturing and Developing Democracies Share Experiences on Parliamentary Research Services

fgalleto — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:41:07 +0000

"Democracy," said U.S. Rep. David Price, "cannot be imposed from without but must grow from within, organically and at its own pace."

Price was speaking at a unique week-long event in Warsaw, Poland, last month that exemplified that theme. Representatives of maturing and developing democracies gathered for two purposes. The first was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Frost-Solomon Task Force, which in 1990-96 provided assistance from the U.S. Congress to new parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe that were emerging from communist rule. The second was a Parliamentary Staff Institute to use the lessons learned through that experience to assist representatives of 11 parliaments from different parts of the world that are making their own transitions to democratic governance.

The particular focus of the institute was the development and strengthening of parliamentary research services. It was organized by the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a successor organization to Frost-Solomon that is chaired by Price, in cooperation with NDI and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"Where democratic governance has taken root," Price said, "where elected leaders are already working to reform and strengthen their institutions — then commissions such as ours can provide an added boost by sharing our own experiences, good and bad...because when we speak, we speak as peers, as fellow elected officials and professional staff members who are driven by many of the same motivations and ideals. We also have firsthand knowledge of the things that make our own legislature more effective, and can bring that knowledge to bear in targeted ways."

The commemoration events were hosted by the Senate and Sejm of Poland, one of the parliaments that benefitted from the Frost-Solomon program that is now helping other countries with democratic development. Also in attendance was former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, D-TX, for whom the task force was named along with the late U.S. Rep. Gerald B. H. Solomon, R-NY. Additional participants were Dan Mulhollan, director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a group of veteran CRS employees who worked with the task force and representatives from 10 Frost-Solomon countries who all shared their expertise on developing research services.

Speakers underlined the importance of reliable, impartial, timely and accurate research for parliaments drafting legislation. And they shared tips on how to engage legislators and help them see the value of research, which was a concern of a number of representatives from the 11 developing parliaments who feel the importance of their work is not recognized.

"The key to democracy is effective legislation," which requires good information, said William Robinson, former deputy director of CRS. Paul Rundquist, formerly of CRS, emphasized the significance of visibility, flexibility, confidentiality and reliability as researchers prepare information for lawmakers and encourage them to see its value.

Renata Blagniene speaks at the commemoration at the Polish Senate.

Renata Blagniene, head of the General Information Division of the Lithuanian parliament, who was one of the original Frost-Solomon participants, said the vision provided by CRS in those early days "forced us to work hard and to achieve standards." She and her team learned how to be active, be visible and gain political support for their research.

Frost-Solomon provided assistance to parliaments in 10 emerging democracies — Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Its programs were based on the principle that successful democratic transitions in the former communist countries depended on the establishment of effective democratic legislatures.

Those programs, administered by CRS, provided more than 1,200 computers, printers, faxes and other office equipment; more than 9,300 books and other materials for parliamentary libraries; and training programs for more than 2,200 staff and members. "[A] lasting positive impact on the democratic work of parliaments can be demonstrated in all of the countries," according to the task force's final report, published in 1998.

HDP comprises a bipartisan group of 20 members of the U.S. House who work to promote and support the development of democratic governments around the world. It is co-chaired by Price and U.S. Rep. David Drier, R-CA. Attending the staff institute were representatives from HDP partner legislatures in Afghanistan, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia, Pakistan and Timor-Leste.

"While our work has evolved considerably since the first Frost-Solomon delegations 20 years ago," Price said, "one constant remains at its core: the importance of a legislative research service to an independent legislature. For policymaking is often a battle of ideas, and ideas must be supported by facts."

Related:

Pictured above: Former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost (left) and Rep. David Price (center) speak to Ibrahim Samadi, a participant in the parliamentary research service institute from Afghanistan.

Published on July 7, 2010

NDI Mourns Loss of Poland's President, Democratic Leaders in Tragic Airplane Crash

fgalleto — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:35:20 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/12/2010

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

2010

English

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In Memoriam: Ambassador Nicholas A. Rey

ggreene — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:33:03 +0000

Nicholas A. Rey, who fled Poland with his family as a child after the outbreak of World War II and returned as the United States ambassador during the Clinton administration, died on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C. Rey was a member of the National Democratic Institute’s board of directors.

“Nick brought his considerable knowledge and experience to the Institute,” said NDI president Kenneth Wollack. “And we benefitted measurably from his commitment to the organization and its mission.”

Previously a director of the Polish-American Enterprise Fund and a co-founder of the American Polish Advisory Council, Rey served as ambassador to Poland at a pivotal time, as the country consolidated its democratic turn and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Washington Post, in its obituary for Rey, said:

Mr. Rey was 20 months old when his parents fled their native Poland on Sept. 5, 1939, four days after German forces invaded neighboring Poland and began World War II.

Michael Rey said his father's parents, who as members of the Polish intelligentsia expected to become victims of the Nazi forces, left in a diplomatic convoy to Austria. Rey said his grandfather had gained permission from the U.S. ambassador, Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr., for him, his wife and their infant son to join the diplomats.

Fifty-four years later, when Nicholas Rey hung his photograph in the U.S. embassy as the ambassador, he hung it beneath Biddle's photo, Michael Rey said.

The Institute extends its deepest condolences to Ambassador Rey’s family, and will always honor his many years of work – at the Institute and elsewhere – for human dignity and democracy. We will miss his leadership.

More about Ambassador Rey | Read The Washington Post obituary »

Pictured above: A photo of Ambassador Nicholas A. Rey, displayed at a U.S. Embassy memorial service in Warsaw on Jan. 26.

–

Published on Feb. 3, 2009

Legislative Oversight and Budgeting: A World Perspective

ggreene — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:45:30 +0000

Author:

John Johnson, Robert Nakamura, Rick Stapenhurst

Publisher:

World Bank Publications

Published Date:

09/12/2008

Resource Type:

Case Studies

Language:

English

Using case studies from numerous countries including the Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Poland and South Africa, Legislative Oversight and Budgeting brings together scholars and practitioners to explore oversight from a variety of perspectives and legislative settings.

Note: The links below connect to the first and second sections of the document, broken into chapters listed consecutively for easier downloading.

English

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NDI Expert Explores “Semi-Presidentialism” in Central and Eastern Europe

ggreene — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:27:42 +0000

As co-editor of the recently published book Semi-Presidentialism in Central and Eastern Europe, Sophia Moestrup, NDI senior program manager for Central and West Africa, examines the effects of “semi-presidentialism,” on democratization in the region since 1990. “Semi-presidentialism” – a regime situation where there is a directly elected president as well as a prime minister responsible to the legislature – exists in more than half of all Central and Eastern European countries.

With a collection of essays on Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine, Moestrup and co-editor Robert Elgie of Dublin City University explore whether some forms of semi-presidentialism are more conducive to democratization than others. They conclude that this form of governance has not had a positive impact on democratization in Central and Eastern Europe, due largely to friction between presidents and prime ministers as well as the democratic requirements for European Union membership that dictate any and all democratic reforms in the region.

Learn more: Read about Semi-Presidentialism in Central and Eastern Europe at the publisher's web site| Visit site »

Poland

mtaqi — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:56:27 +0000

After nearly eight years of assisting political parties, activists, and civil society organizations, NDI ended its programming in 1998. Though not devoid of political turmoil, as a member of NATO and the European Union with a democratic government and a strong economy, Poland now serves as a beacon to many of its neighbors and to countries around the world who aspire to greater freedom. For that reason, the Institute maintains close partnerships with Polish political and civil society organizations, most notably the European Institute for Democracy (EID), a non-government organization (NGO) that runs training programs for democratic activists in other countries.

Subscribe to updates about Poland

Past Programs

With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy, NDI assisted Poland’s political parties as they evolved from broad-based opposition movements to ideologically defined national organizations that could contest elections and aggregate public interests. During its tenure in Poland, NDI worked with more than 2,500 political party leaders, candidates and activists from eight political parties and the Solidarity trade union in more than 25 cities. Throughout Poland, hundreds of additional activists benefited from NDI materials. NDI's multi-partisan training helped to foster cooperation and relations that contributed to the reduction of longstanding political animosities that for many years impeded the political transition.

NDI's approach centered on long-term party development (branch organization, membership and volunteer recruitment, headquarter-branch relations, and fundraising), as well as on election-related themes including campaign planning, organization, voter contact, and message development and delivery. An integral component of NDI's program was to augment the political participation of women and youth by improving their political skills and strengthening their presence in party ranks. Perhaps most important, NDI's training-of-trainers program provided long-term skills with which Poles could continue to transfer knowledge, skills, and information long after NDI's departure. Many of these activities also served as a basis for subsequent NDI work elsewhere.

East-East Exchanges

In September 1998, NDI hosted six Serbian political activists to take part in the Polish election campaign. The Serbian activists campaigned with local candidates, met with national campaign managers, and conferred with journalists on media coverage. Unlike a study mission to a western-style democratic country such as the United Kingdom, this program represented the first east/east political-party exchange for NDI and laid the foundation for NDI’s ongoing program in Serbia.

To sustain that legacy, NDI assisted with the creation the European Institute for Democracy, a Polish NGO whose mandate is to support democratic transitions in Poland and abroad. Headed by former NDI staff and trainers, EID educates political parties on organizational development and works intensively with women and youth activists, using principles acquired from NDI's programs.

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:

Washington, D.C.
Robert Benjamin, Regional Director
(202) 728-5660

Subscribe to updates about Poland

NDI to Honor World Leaders Who Personify Two Decades of Democratic Development

vrao — Fri, 19 Nov 2004 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/22/2004

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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NDI Reports: A Review of the Activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

vrao — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2008

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Spring 2011: Digital Mapping, Women's Participation, Domestic Monitoring	1.2 MB
December 2008: Making Democracy Deliver	2.37 MB
Summer 2008: Kosovo, Pakistan, Sudan	571.9 KB
Summer 2007: Youth, Women, Technology	801.33 KB
Summer 2006: Bosnia, Liberia, West Bank and Gaza	462.92 KB
Fall 2005: Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait	865.42 KB
Spring 2005: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan	813.77 KB
Spring 2004: Win With Women, Elections in Eurasia	615.17 KB
Fall 2003: Celebrating 20 Years	808.11 KB
Spring 2003: Women's Leadership in Yemen, Nepal, Senegal	468.06 KB
Fall 2002: Democracy in the Middle East, Cuba	547.6 KB
Spring 2002: Asian Political Parties, Afghanistan	528.32 KB
Winter 2001: Sept. 11, Nicaragua, Belarus	507.47 KB
Summer 2001: Election Monitors in Central & Eastern Europe	683 KB
Spring 2001: Mexico, Peru, Serbia	732.14 KB
Winter 2000: Zimbabwe, Croatia, Thailand	2.52 MB
Winter 1999: Indonesia, Nigeria, Azerbaijan	3.23 MB
Fall 1999: Nigeria, Indonesia, Morocco	1.29 MB
Winter 1998: Kenya, Poland, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1998: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Ghana	2.01 MB
Winter 1997: Nicaragua, South Africa, Ghana	2.93 MB
Summer 1996: Russia, International Leaders Forum	2.98 MB
Spring 1996: West Bank Gaza, Bosnia, Burundi	2.4 MB
Winter 1995: West Bank Gaza, Ukraine, Malawi	3.28 MB
Fall 1995: South Africa, Russia, Yemen	2.22 MB
Summer 1995: Haiti, Peru, Malawi	2.68 MB
Spring 1994: South Africa, Mexico, Ethiopia	3.43 MB
Summer 1993: Russia, Namibia, Nicaragua	3.52 MB
Spring 1993: Cambodia, South Africa, Yemen	3.71 MB
Spring 1992: Romania, South Africa, Bolivia	1.99 MB
Winter 1991: Zambia, Poland, the Baltics	2.05 MB
Summer 1991: Zambia, Mexico, Bangladesh	1.26 MB
Spring 1991: Namibia, Russia, Senegal	1.36 MB
Winter 1990: Poland, Namibia, Bangladesh	1.33 MB
Fall 1990: Former Soviet Republics, Haiti, Bulgaria	2.07 MB
Summer 1990: Eastern Europe, Dominican Republic, Haiti	2.7 MB
Spring 1990: Hungary, Nicaragua, Panama	1.3 MB
Winter 1989: Pakistan, Argentina, Chile	1.59 MB
Fall 1988: Chile, Pakistan, Nicaragua	1.26 MB
Summer 1988: Costa Rica, Panama, Chile	1.61 MB
Spring 1988: Tunisia, Chile, Paraguay	1.28 MB
Winter 1987: Haiti, Chile, Nicaragua	1.84 MB
Fall 1987: Haiti, Uruguay, Nicaragua	1.43 MB
Spring 1987: Argentina, Philippines, Haiti	1.22 MB
Spring 1986: Philippines, Brazil, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1986: Chile, South Korea, Northern Ireland	2.92 MB
Winter 1986: Mondale Assumes Chairmanship, Argentina, Haiti	3.96 MB
Summer 1985: Senegal, Northern Ireland, South America	1.15 MB

NDI - Poland

Importance of Authentic Elections and Unhindered Election Observation Stressed at OSCE Warsaw Meeting

At the opening plenary session of the Warsaw meeting. Photo by OSCE/Piotr Markowski

NDI Mourns the Loss of Polish Patriot and Democracy Champion Bronislaw Geremek

20th Anniversary of Frost-Solomon Task Force to be Commemorated in Poland

NDI E-news: Community of Democracies, Burma, Iraq | August 2010

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Community of Democracies Celebrates 10 Years

Transatlantic Democracy Dialogue Begins

Commemorating the Frost-Solomon Task Force

Toward Better Parliamentary Research Services

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Albright Reaffirms Need to Work at Preserving 'Gift of Freedom'

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

Remarks of Madeleine K. Albright at the High Level Democracy Meeting of the Community of Democracies

Maturing and Developing Democracies Share Experiences on Parliamentary Research Services

NDI Mourns Loss of Poland's President, Democratic Leaders in Tragic Airplane Crash

In Memoriam: Ambassador Nicholas A. Rey

Legislative Oversight and Budgeting: A World Perspective

NDI Expert Explores “Semi-Presidentialism” in Central and Eastern Europe

Poland

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East-East Exchanges

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NDI to Honor World Leaders Who Personify Two Decades of Democratic Development

NDI Reports: A Review of the Activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs