The National Democratic Institute (NDI) will award its 2016 Madeleine K. Albright Grant to Reactor - Research in Action, a Macedonian research and advocacy organization, which has played a critical role in supporting women’s political participation in the country.

NDI’s Chairman, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, will present this year’s award to Ms. Tanja Maleska, chairwoman of the executive board and one of the founding members of Reactor, at NDI’s annual Madeleine K. Albright Luncheon. Reactor will use the $25,000 grant to develop and implement a web-based tool for women politicians in Macedonia. Through the tool, women politicians will be able to access community support by connecting across party lines, and tap into expertise and resources from the Gender Equality Platform. In addition, Reactor will develop a rapid response mechanism to expose discriminatory practices, attacks, and biased practices.

This year’s luncheon will be held at noon on Wednesday, May 18, at the Four Seasons Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will give the keynote address, and Sehrish Naseem, the 2016 Andi Parhamovich Fellow, will give special remarks. During her fellowship, Ms. Naseem is developing a project to educate and encourage political parties in Pakistan to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Reactor is an independent non-partisan and not-for-profit think-tank committed to providing timely and relevant research on the issues of gender equality, youth and urban development, civic engagement, human rights, social justice, and European Union integration. Reactor actively works with the policy community to propose evidence-based policy alternatives.

Reactor has previously seen success in using digital technologies to empower and educate citizens, and has prioritized women’s empowerment and gender equality in their research. They are the initiator and a founding member of the Gender Equality Platform, which includes organizatiaons working on gender equality mechanisms and with women politicians.

The Madeleine K. Albright Luncheon has honored the role of women in politics and the work of women’s political empowerment for the past 10 years. Proceeds from the event support NDI’s Madeleine K. Albright Women’s Project that helps women break down the barriers from engaging in politics, and empowers them with knowledge and skills so they can participate, compete, and lead.

Madeleine K. Albright, the former U.S. Secretary of State and current chairman of the NDI board of directors, has been a role model for and a key champion of the Institute’s work on women’s empowerment and gender equality. In 2005, in recognition of her longstanding activism on the issue of women’s political engagement across the globe, NDI established the Madeleine K. Albright Grant, which each year provides a grant to a grassroots organization working on women’s political empowerment.

Published April 19, 2016