NDI - Sri Lanka

Sandra Pepera

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author:

Julie Ballington

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme

Published Date:

10/31/2011

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

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

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Urdu

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

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

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

Author:

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

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/06/2014

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

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

English

Arabic

Spanish

Russian

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

Increasing Women’s Political Participation Through Effective Training Programs: A Guide to Best Practices and Lessons Learned

fstovall — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:08:23 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/23/2013

Resource Type:

Training Manual

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual (English)	994.16 KB
Download the manual (français)	1.02 MB
Download the manual (РУС)	1.31 MB
Download the manual (español)	1.08 MB
Download the manual (بالعربية)	787.23 KB

Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors

fstovall — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:06:44 +0000

Publisher:

United Nations

Published Date:

04/03/2012

Resource Type:

Declaration

Language:

Arabic, Bangla, English, French, Mongolian, Romanian Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Romanian

Russian

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (Arabic)	267.58 KB
Read the declaration (English)	897.79 KB
Read the declaration (Bangla)	8.27 MB
Read the declaration (Burmese)	302.33 KB
Read the declaration (French)	327.02 KB
Read the declaration (Indonesian)	16.61 MB
Read the declaration (Mongolian)	345.97 KB
Read the declaration (Romanian)	275.41 KB
Read the declaration (Russian)	286.22 KB
Read the declaration (Spanish)	326.57 KB
Read the declaration (Urdu)	370.99 KB

NDI Partners with Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to Strengthen Parliaments

fstovall — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:42:06 +0000

NDI and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) have signed an agreement to collaborate on efforts to enhance representative government around the world. The association is a group of national and subnational legislatures of the Commonwealth, representing some two billion citizens from all faiths and ethnicities from six continents.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Nairobi Sept. 8 by the secretary-general of the CPA, William F. Shija, and the president of NDI, Kenneth Wollack.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Nairobi Sept. 8 by the secretary-general of the CPA, William F. Shija, and the president of NDI, Kenneth Wollack. Shija attended the signing ceremony in advance of the 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference hosted by the Kenyan Parliament. Wollack was in Nairobi attending NDI's first board meeting held outside the United States. NDI Board member Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate majority leader, also participated in the ceremony.

NDI and CPA will continue to work together to develop and promote the use of the CPA's "Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures," a guide to good parliamentary practice developed in 2006 by a CPA Study Group that drew on a number of technical inputs, including an NDI discussion document. The CPA benchmarks are being used around the world to help parliaments self-assess their procedures and processes to identify areas where democratic governance can be improved.

Wollack and Daschle noted NDI's past successful cooperation with the CPA and looked forward to additional partnership at the global level and in Commonwealth parliaments where NDI has a parliamentary strengthening program. For his part, Shija welcomed the formal partnership as a vehicle for the 175 national and subnational legislatures of the Commonwealth to work with NDI to strengthen developing parliaments.

NDI and the CPA also collaborate with other international organizations on parliamentary strengthening, including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank Institute.

Related:

Pictured above: Kenneth Wollack (left) and William F. Shija at the signing ceremony in Nairobi

Published September 21, 2010

One-Stop Election Guide, Sri Lanka

jbowen — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:12:18 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/01/2008

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the manual	3.91 MB

Sri Lanka

ggreene — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:42:42 +0000

Political Situation

Beginning in early 2009, military advances progressively diminished the amount of LTTE-controlled territory until the government announced in May that it had successfully defeated the Tamil Tigers after several decades of war. The conflict resulted in a large number of civilian causalities and according to some estimates has left more than a hundred thousand internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North, the majority of whom remain detained in welfare centers. The Sri Lankan government announced plans to resettle the IDPs in conjunction with demining and reconstruction efforts in the North.

The government has come under international criticism for numerous political and civilian disappearances and assassinations, and threats against journalists. In particular, the killing of a prominent newspaper editor in early 2009 brought about heightened concerns over freedom of speech. The Sri Lankan Government also recently announced the re-activation of the Press Council, a government body with the power to fine and jail journalists and editors.

Successive provincial council elections, which have been held periodically since February 2009, have seen the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) retain or strengthen its control. Some observers, however, have alleged improper use of state resources and unfair disqualification of opposition candidates. Provincial council elections are expected to continue in the remaining provinces throughout 2009, including in the Northern Province. They are widely expected to be followed by national parliamentary elections later in the year. Presidential elections may also be held within the next 12 months.

In July 2006, President Mahinda Rajapaksa established the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) with the mandate to produce proposals for constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka. The aim was to engage a broad spectrum of political party representatives and arrive at a consensus through deliberation. The APRC was comprised originally of representatives from the following parties: Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP); United National Party (UNP); Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP); Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU); Sri Lanka Muslim Congress; National Unity Alliance; Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC); Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP); Lanka Sama Samaja Party; Communist Party of Sri Lanka; All Ceylon Muslim League; Eelam Peoples Democratic Party; National Muslim Congress; Up Country People's Front; and Western Peoples Front. However, the APRC has since lost some of its political party members and has yet to publish a final report. There are currently 13 political parties represented in the APRC and the main opposition parties – UNP, JVP, and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) – are not among them.

Constitutional questions have also resurfaced since the end of the conflict. President Rajapaksa has pledged to implement the 13th Amendment, which was ratified in 1987. The amendment calls for the devolution of more power from the center to the provinces. However, there is considerable opposition within the government coalition for such a move. President Rajapaksa has also stated on more than one occasion that Sri Lanka has the strength to arrive at a political solution through discussion. The President further stated that Tamils and Muslims are all Sri Lankans and the government has a responsibility to ensure that they can live in freedom, in a democratic Sri Lanka.

Past Programs

NDI has conducted programs in Sri Lanka since 1995, including election monitoring assistance during presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections. NDI also sponsored roundtable discussions across the country in which citizens, civic leaders, political party representatives, and election officials developed recommendations for electoral reform and strategies for their implementation. In January 2006, NDI provided assistance to strengthen responsive dialogue and cooperation among political parties in the southern and eastern districts. Representatives developed consensus-based plans for addressing local issues, including those surrounding the ongoing ethnic conflict. The program also delivered constituency relations and leadership development training to district party organizations to assist them in becoming more responsive to local concerns.

Building on the previous program’s success, NDI conducted a program in 2009 and 2010 that supported political parties, local governments’, and other stakeholder groups’ understanding of and participation in current constitutional reform discussions. This was carried out through district and provincial-level dialogues, to influence the national reform process towards an equitable negotiated settlement of the ethnic conflict. Forums were also held with university students, women and media representatives. The program was focused on the Southern, Eastern, Central and Northern Provinces. In addition, the Institute supported domestic election monitoring groups to observe the April 2010 parliamentary elections and the voter registration process.

Funding

NDI programming in Sri Lanka has been funded by the British High Commission, the Foreign Ministry of Norway, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Featured Publications

In May 2009, the government of Sri Lanka won a decades’ long civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after killing the organization’s leader and regaining control over the entire island. The exact number of those who died is not known, but conservative estimates state that over 75,000 people lost their lives in fighting since the armed conflict began in the 1970s when the Tamil Tigers, concentrated in the North and East, began pressing for self-governance. When the government resisted, the LTTE organized and began a campaign of suicide bombings and attacks throughout the country. Several rounds of talks between the government and LTTE failed to establish a lasting peace.

In February 2002, the government and LTTE signed a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement intended to lay the groundwork for new talks. Sporadic violence continued, despite the ceasefire, and escalated dramatically in 2006 as talks stalled. By the time the government withdrew from the agreement in January 2008, more than 5,000 people had been killed since the ceasefire was signed.

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NDI 2005 Annual Report

vrao — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2005

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	6.23 MB

Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers

vrao — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 04:00:00 +0000

Publisher:

United Nations

Published Date:

10/27/2005

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

English, Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Bosniak-Cyrillic, Bosniak-Latin, Chinese, Croatian, Dari, French, Hungarian, Kazakh, Latvian, Macedonian, Moldovan, Pashtu, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian

Media Type:

PDF

The Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers were developed through a multi-year process involving more than 20 intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations concerned with election observation around the world. The process began informally in 2001 at the initiative of NDI and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD) and included an initial meeting at the UN in New York and a meeting in Washington co-hosted by the OAS and NDI. The declaration was commemorated at the UN on Oct. 27, 2005, and is now endorsed by 52 intergovernmental and international organizations, which are engaged in the process of improving international election observation.

Note: The first link below connects to the English-language version of this document. The subsequent links connect to the document in other languages, following the same alphabetical order as the list of languages above.

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Albanian

Armenian

Azeri

BiH Latin

Bosnian

Bosnyak-Cyrillic

Chinese (Mandarin)

Croatian

Dari

Hungarian

Kazakh

Macedonian

Molodav

Pashto

Polish

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Turkish

Ukrainian

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (English)	87.82 KB
Read the declaration (Albanian)	52.76 KB
Read the declaration (Arabic)	139.49 KB
Read the declaration (Armenian)	78 KB
Read the declaration (Azeri)	291.5 KB
Read the declaration (Bosniak-Cyrillic)	260.88 KB
Read the declaration (Bosniak-Latin)	204.71 KB
Read the declaration (Chinese)	194.03 KB
Read the declaration (Croatian)	145.88 KB
Read the declaration (Dari)	175.76 KB
Read the declaration (French)	75.93 KB
Read the declaration (Hungarian)	224.26 KB
Read the declaration (Kazakh)	234.13 KB
Read the declaration (Latvian)	256.82 KB
Read the declaration (Macedonian)	282.39 KB
Read the declaration (Moldovan)	166.21 KB
Read the declaration (Pashto)	273.96 KB
Read the declaration (Polish)	304.49 KB
Read the declaration (Portuguese)	146.22 KB
Read the declaration (Romanian)	244.08 KB
Read the declaration (Russian)	86.82 KB
Read the declaration (Serbian)	236.55 KB
Read the declaration (Spanish)	77.38 KB
Read the declaration (Turkish)	300.9 KB
Read the declaration (Ukrainian)	222.71 KB

Political Parties and the Transition To Democracy: A Primer in Democratic Party-Building for Leaders, Organizers and Activists

vrao — Mon, 09 May 2005 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/01/1997

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish

This handbook discusses organizational and procedural elements necessary for the daily operation of a political party and emphasizes the need to develop a party’s outreach capacity at the local level. It outlines strategies for long-term party development and for maintaining effectiveness between elections.

الأحزاب السياسية والانتقال إلى الديمقراطية

الناشر: منشورات المعهد الديمقراطي الوطني.

تفصيل: يناقش هذا الكتيّب العناصر التنظيمية والإجرائية الضرورية لعمل الأحزاب السياسية اليومي، ويشدّد على الحاجة إلى تنمية القدرات التواصلية لدى الأحزاب على المستوى المحلي. ويستعرض أيضاً الاستراتيجيات الآيلة إلى تطويرِ عمل الأحزاب على المدى الطويل وتفعيلِ دورها باستمرار بين انتخابات وأخرى.

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (English)	236.98 KB
Appendix A	2.63 MB
Appendix B	2.33 MB
Appendix C	722.22 KB
Appendix D.1	2.12 MB
Appendix D.2	2.6 MB
Appendix E	1.31 MB
Appendix F	2.04 MB
Appendix G	953.17 KB
Appendix H	1.93 MB
Appendix I	1.89 MB
Read the manual (Arabic)	677.21 KB
Read the manual (French)	646.12 KB
Read the manual (Russian)	453.34 KB
Read the manual (Serbo-Croatian)	242.9 KB
Read the manual (Spanish)	108.21 KB

From Dialogue to Action: Recommendations and Strategies for Electoral Reform in Sri Lanka

vrao — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2004

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	3.27 MB

Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues, Parliaments and Poverty Series, Toolkit No. 3

vrao — Wed, 05 May 2004 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/01/2004

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

This publication seeks to assist parliaments in facilitating and improving communication on poverty reduction issues with the electorate. It details various audiences and the types of public outreach strategies to implement.

تعزيز المشاركة البرلمانية في الأهداف الإنمائية للألفية الجديدة والعملية الاستراتيجية للحدّ من الفقر - المساعي التشريعية للتواصل مع الشعب في قضايا الفقر

الناشر: برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي - منشورات المعهد الديمقراطي الوطني.

تفصيل: يسعى هذا الكتاب إلى مساعدة البرلمانات في تسهيل التواصل بين الهيئة التشريعية وجمهور الناخبين حول قضايا الحدّ من الفقر. فيتحدث تفصيلاً عن مختلف استراتيجيات التواصل التي يجب أن تتبنّاها والفئات التي تستهدفها.

English

Arabic

Attachment	Size
Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues (Arabic)	1.13 MB
Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues (English)	1.33 MB
Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues (French)	1.28 MB
Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues (Russian)	1.43 MB
Legislative Public Outreach on Poverty Issues (Spanish)	1.22 MB

Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies, Parliaments and Poverty Series, Toolkit No. 1

vrao — Wed, 05 May 2004 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/01/2004

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

This guide is designed for those who are working with parliaments to strengthen the legislative role in implementing MDG and PRSP by strengthening legislative-executive communication.

تعزيز المشاركة البرلمانية في الأهداف الإنمائية للألفية الجديدة والعملية الاستراتيجية للحدّ من الفقر - التواصل التشريعي-التنفيذي حول استراتيجيات الحدّ من الفقر

الناشر: برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي، منشورات المعهد الديمقراطي الوطني.

تفصيل: تمّ وضع هذا الدليل لكلّ من يتعاطى بشؤون البرلمان من أجل تعزيز دور الهيئات التشريعية في تطبيق أهداف الأمم المتحدة الإنمائية للألفية الجديدة، والوثيقة الصادرة عن البنك الدولي حول استراتيجية الحدّ من الفقر، عن طريق تسهيل التواصل بين السلطتين التشريعية والتنفيذية.

English

Arabic

Attachment	Size
Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies (Arabic)	1.13 MB
Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies (English)	623.73 KB
Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies (French)	574.52 KB
Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies (Russian)	738.76 KB
Legislative-Executive Communication on Poverty Reduction Strategies (Spanish)	543.53 KB

Parliamentary-Civic Collaboration for Monitoring Poverty Reduction Initiatives, Parliaments and Poverty Series, Toolkit No. 2

vrao — Wed, 05 May 2004 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Publisher:

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Published Date:

05/01/2004

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

English, Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish

This guide is designed to facilitate relationships between civil society and parliament with the aim of monitoring Millenium Development Goals (MDG) and the world Bank’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Detailing the various stages of this relationship, this guide focuses on assessing potential collaboration, building relationships, creating and maintaining monitoring strategies, and publicizing results.

تعزيز المشاركة البرلمانية في الأهداف الإنمائية للألفية الجديدة والعملية الاستراتيجية للحدّ من الفقر - التعاون البرلماني- الأهلي لمراقبة مبادرات الحدّ من الفقر

الناشر: برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي - منشورات المعهد الديمقراطي الوطني./p>

تفصيل: تمّ وضع هذا الدليل لتسهيل العلاقات بين المجتمع المدني والبرلمان بهدف مراقبة تطبيق الأهداف الإنمائية للألفية الجديدة، والوثيقة الصادرة عن البنك الدولي حول استراتيجية الحدّ من الفقر. يشرح هذا الدليل تفصيلاً مراحل هذه العلاقة مع تركيزه على دراسة فرص التعاون المحتملة، بناء العلاقات، إعداد استراتيجيات المراقبة وضمان استمراريتها، والإعلان عن النتائج.

English

Attachment	Size
Download the manual (English)	883.76 KB
Download the manual (Arabic)	1.01 MB
Download the manual (French)	654.27 KB
Download the manual (Russian)	918.42 KB
Download the manual (Spanish)	597.38 KB