National Democratic Institute

3 takeaways from NDI's recent participation in :
🔴Anti-corruption actors need to improve cross-border collaboration.
🔴 We need to celebrate anti-corruption victories big & small.
🔴Democracy cannot function while corruption flourishes.
https://bit.ly/45Y5sKn

A recent peace committee in 🇨🇮 is a group of community leaders including women and youth from all of the area’s ethnic groups whom NDI has trained in conflict mediation strategies. https://bit.ly/3xFaDCf

Yesterday, NDI President Tamara Wittes participated in Wilson Center & USAID - US Agency for International Development's Democracy, Human Rights & Governance (DRG) policy launch event. The discussion focused on USAID's ongoing commitment to global democracy across the bureau and how the Agency will approach new and emerging threats.

USAID's new DRG policy recognizes & mainstreams "the need to incorporate the goals, frames & strategies of democracy support into every aspect of how
USAID works," President Wittes said at the event.

You can watch the full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct4OCSwTrxY

🇯🇲 has been a cornerstone of Caribbean democracies since gaining independence in 1962. Civic and political leaders have expressed increasing concern, however, about declining engagement in political life and the impact on the country’s progress and ensuring elected officials are responsive to citizens. This disengagement has been evidenced in voter turnout, which has reached historic lows for national (37%) and municipal elections (29.6%), particularly among young people.

To help counter this concerning trend, the Jamaica Debates Commission staged two issue-driven debates for Local Government Elections called for February 26, 2024, by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

With - US Agency for International Development support, NDI recently supplied on-the-ground technical support for local government debates in Kingston & participated in TV and radio interviews to promote the debates.

Local Government Election Debates Engage Jamaican Voters Jamaica has been a cornerstone of Caribbean democracies since gaining independence in 1962. Civic and political leaders have expressed increasing concern, however, about declining engagement in political life and the impact on the country’s progress and ensuring elected officials are responsive to...

Don't miss this important conversation streaming LIVE today at 1pm ET via Wilson Center Center: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/launch-usaids-democracy-human-rights-and-governance-policy

Launch of USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Policy Join the Wilson Center and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) virtually to celebrate the release of USAID’s new Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Policy on Thursday, July 18, at 1 p.m. EDT.

: Check out NDI President Tamara Wittes on Middle East Institute's latest podcast about global democracy trends:

Rethinking Democracy Ep. 3: Economic Conditions and Support for Democracy with Daron Acemoglu and Tamara Cofman Wittes About the series: This is a critical year for the future of democracy. Half the world’s population will go to the polls in 2024, at a time when citizens in America and across the globe are losing faith in democratic institutions. We often view the rollback of democracy and threats to the liberal i...

Women political leaders from 10 SEE countries pledge to prevent and stop violence against women in public space. We're launching the and crafting action plans to offer training, guidance, and support across SEE. Together, we'll drive lasting change at the personal, institutional, and socio-cultural levels! 🇦🇱🇧🇦🇧🇬🇭🇷🇽🇰🇲🇪🇲🇰🇷🇴🇷🇸🇸🇮 European Liberal Forum

HAPPENING TOMORROW: Don't miss NDI President at Wilson Center event recognizing the launch of USAID - US Agency for International Development's new Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) policy! Register here to tune in virtually:

Launch of USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Policy Join the Wilson Center and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) virtually to celebrate the release of USAID’s new Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Policy on Thursday, July 18, at 1 p.m. EDT.

Here's what NDI's Senior Associate for Gender, Women and Democracy Sandra Pepera had to say at the launch of the Women LEAD initiative hosted by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Launch of Women LEAD: Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in the Digital Age On the margins of the seventy-fifth NATO summit, please join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the National Democratic Institute for an even...

Including parliaments in global anti-corruption convenings makes for richer and more informed discussions. MPs can contribute insights regarding the political incentives and realities associated with integrity reform processes.

At the same time, legislators benefit from sharing peer experiences and the exchange of solutions to common challenges and goals. Parliamentarians learn from other actors and from each other, while also building networks and solidarity within and between countries for the benefit of the causes of integrity and democracy.

Fighting corruption democratically provides a path to sustainable anti-corruption results. Engaging allies from democratically elected parliaments is good for integrity and for democracy.

https://bit.ly/45HYwB5

🆕 NDI's Sandra Pepera spoke to N1 Bosna i Hercegovina about fostering greater opportunities for women's political leadership ⬇️⬇️

NDI's Sandra Pepera: Way to encourage women's leadership is through raising awareness among male political elites N1

Happening this Thursday: Don't miss this Wilson Center & USAID - US Agency for International Development virtual DRG Policy Launch Event featuring NDI President Tamara Wittes w/ Samantha Power, Shannon Green, Ambassador Mark Green, Ibrahim Mounir, & Cheri-Leigh Erasmus.

More details & register: ⬇️⬇️

Launch of USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Policy Join the Wilson Center and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) virtually to celebrate the release of USAID’s new Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Policy on Thursday, July 18, at 1 p.m. EDT.

🎙️This week, NDI President Tamara joined Middle East Institute podcast alongside Dr. Daron Acemoglu & host Gonul Tol.

Listen here:

Rethinking Democracy Ep. 3: Economic Conditions and Support for Democracy with Daron Acemoglu and Tamara Cofman Wittes About the series: This is a critical year for the future of democracy. Half the world’s population will go to the polls in 2024, at a time when citizens in America and across the globe are losing faith in democratic institutions. We often view the rollback of democracy and threats to the liberal i...

Here's what NDI leadership had to say at :

In the plenary session, NDI President Tamara Cofman noted that corruption and conflict fuel each other, and reducing corruption is an essential first step in reducing the number of grievances that lead to conflict.

In the first panel on the relationship between political finance corruption and environmental destruction, Senior Advisor for Political Parties Slobodan Milic noted that in the absence of rigorous and enforced campaign finance legal frameworks.

In NDI’s second panel focusing on how hidden debt contributes to corruption and underdevelopment, hosted jointly with Transparency International, we launched the jointly developed Civil Society Debt Transparency and Accountability Checklist, a tool for civil society organizations to assess how transparent their country’s public debt legislation is.

Finally, NDI hosted its session on case studies on the stages of dekleptification - the process of identifying and dismantling networks used by corrupt politicians/kleptocrats to siphon public money for private gain.

https://bit.ly/45Y5sKn

that NDI contributed to2⃣ chapters in Open Government Partnership's ?

🗳️Open Election Data by Julia Brothers: https://bit.ly/4cXcUb2
🏦 Parliamentary Oversight by Victoria Hasson: https://bit.ly/3xJDZ2y

Open Government Foundations: Open Election Data - Open Government Partnership Elections are the basis for democratic legitimacy and are supported by international standards for transparency. Election data must be open to the public for citizens to participate in, understand, evaluate, and, ultimately, accept an election process and its outcome as representing their will. Elec...

Next Thursday, July 18, Join Wilson Center/USAID - US Agency for International Development 's virtual launch event for USAID’s new Democracy, Human Rights, & Governance Policy (DRG) alongside Samantha Power, Shannon Green, Amb. Mark Green, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus & Mounir Ibrahim.

Details:

lnkd.in

New NDI Newsletter: Transparency and Accountability
Read here: https://bit.ly/4bsTkC4
Not yet subscribed? Join our newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2Uwg4gt

"At World Summit on the Information Society this year, 'multistakeholder' was the name of the game," writes NDI Director of Democracy & Technology Moira Whelan.

https://dem.tools/blog/the-future-of-the-internet-is-at-risk

Members of parliament (MPs) are rarely integrated within the panels and programs of international anti-corruption and governance convenings. Discussing political integrity and democratic governance without democratically elected legislators is akin to discussing elections without taking note of the role of political parties and candidates.

Technocratic solutions centered exclusively on capacity building or technology transfer are unlikely to address the power imbalances underlying most forms of corruption. An approach focused on doing anti-corruption democratically requires political approaches with political actors.

https://bit.ly/45HYwB5

📚🔖NDI's Victoria Hasson authored a new chapter of Open Government Partnership Open Gov Guide: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/open-gov-guide/open-government-foundations-parliamentary-oversight/

https://www.opengovpartnership.org/open-gov-guide/open-government-foundations-parliamentary-oversight/

NDI recently led a trainer-of-trainers exercise with members of the Tibet Action Institute and the Tibet Computer Resource Center focused on shoring up digital security. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498Cq70FqxM

NDI's Richard Christel shares his main takeaways & key lessons learned from :

🔵 First, anti-corruption actors, from law enforcement to activists and journalists to academics, need to improve cross-border collaboration. Corruption and criminality know no borders, and we, as democracy and anti-corruption crusaders, need to catch up.

🔵 Second, effective anti-corruption reforms are years in the making. In order to maintain momentum and minimize feelings of citizen apathy toward reform efforts, we need to celebrate anti-corruption victories big and small. Zambia has yet to operationalize its new access to information law, but its passage after nearly two decades of stalls and starts is an achievement in itself.

🔵 Lastly, democracy cannot function while corruption flourishes. This has been overlooked in the past, but we, as a collective of democracy activists and supporters, can do so no longer. Without tamping down on corruption, government initiatives aiming at improving education, health, and sanitation will have diminished results. By the same token, strengthening the accountability relationships between government, parliament and civil society provides the checks and balances that are essential for preventing and addressing corruption.

https://bit.ly/45Y5sKn

🗓️: HAPPENING TODAY: Don't miss Carnegie Endowment for International Peace & 's event w/ the White House Gender Policy Council marking the launch of Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in the Digital Age (Women LEAD) on the margins of the .

Register: https://t.co/SrTwh6VxvV

A recent NDI-supported local peace process in followed the principle of “people-to-people” engagement in which communities in conflict are helped to understand each other’s perspectives and ultimately prefer to resolve conflicts peacefully. https://bit.ly/3xFaDCf

Happening this Monday: On the margins of the seventy-fifth , please join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and for an event marking the launch of Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in the Digital Age (Women LEAD), a new initiative focused on advancing women’s political participation globally and addressing barriers to women’s leadership, both online and offline.

Happening this Monday: On the margins of the seventy-fifth , please join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and for an event marking the launch of Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in the Digital Age (Women LEAD), a new initiative focused on advancing women’s political participation globally and addressing barriers to women’s leadership, both online and offline.

https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2024/07/launch-of-women-lead-women-leading-effective-and-accountable-democracy-in-the-digital-age?lang=en

As the representative institution of government, legislatures are central to determining whether democracies succeed in ensuring the needs and priorities of a nation’s citizens are addressed. In the fight against corruption, parliaments play a critical role in passing the legislative reforms, making the necessary budget allocations and exercising oversight of the executive branch.

Including parliaments in global anti-corruption convenings makes for richer and more informed discussions. MPs can contribute insights regarding the political incentives and realities associated with integrity reform processes.

At the same time, legislators benefit from sharing peer experiences and the exchange of solutions to common challenges and goals. Parliamentarians learn from other actors and from each other, while also building networks and solidarity within and between countries for the benefit of the causes of integrity and democracy.

Fighting corruption democratically provides a path to sustainable anti-corruption results. Engaging allies from democratically elected parliaments is good for integrity and for democracy.

https://bit.ly/45HYwB5

The biannual International Anti-Corruption Conference hosted by Transparency International (TI) is the largest gathering of anti-corruption experts, activists, and government officials around the globe. This year’s edition gathered over 2,000 such actors, including the President of Lithuania, for four days in beautiful Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss progress, new approaches, and new tools in the fight against corruption and the safeguarding of democracy. As one of the preeminent anti-corruption events around the world, NDI’s invitation to speak showed the importance of our institute in the anti-corruption space and allowed us to learn from other global actors on what is effective in pushing back against corruption around the world.

NDI was invited to participate in a plenary discussing the links between corruption and security, as well as speak on and host three panel discussions. In her plenary session, NDI’s President Tamara Cofman Wittes noted that corruption and conflict fuel each other, and reducing corruption is an essential first step in reducing the number of grievances that lead to conflict. As Dr. Wittes mentioned, corruption is the opposite of democracy. It thrives in the absence of accountability, which is the most powerful mechanism to fight corruption. Conflict resolution needs to incorporate democratic accountability to address the grievances and inequalities that drive conflict in the first place, lest corruption rekindles the conflict.

https://bit.ly/45Y5sKn

Last month, more than 2,000 civil society activists, journalists, government officials and private sector actors convened at the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss lessons learned and good practices for the fight against corruption.

The Conference was an excellent opportunity to highlight the stories of courageous activists and reformers from around the world. Lithuania's journey from Soviet subjugation to developed democracy in just a few short decades was an inspiring backdrop for discussions covering transparency, participation, and political integrity.

In the event that was otherwise impeccably conceived and executed, there was just one blindspot: the limited discussion about and participation of legislators.

This omission is far from the exception. Members of parliament (MPs) are rarely integrated within the panels and programs of international anti-corruption and governance convenings. Such was certainly the case with the third Summit for Democracy, held in Seoul in March of this year, which included dozens of panels, but no MP speakers. The UN Conference against Corruption’s Conference of State Parties held in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2023 was just marginally better: only two panels out of 58 focused on the role of parliaments in combating corruption.

Discussing political integrity and democratic governance without democratically elected legislators is akin to discussing elections without taking note of the role of political parties and candidates.

Technocratic solutions centred exclusively on capacity building or technology transfer are unlikely to address the power imbalances underlying most forms of corruption. An approach focused on doing anti-corruption democratically requires political approaches with political actors.

More from NDI's Kristen Sample and Westminster Foundation for Democracy Franklin De Vrieze: https://bit.ly/45HYwB5