Zgjedhjet lokale të 8 Majit në Shqipëri paraqesin një mundësi të mirë për të rritur numrin e grave në poste publike, në një vend që ka një nga përqindjet më të ulëta në Evropë të grave të zgjedhura. Ky ishte mesazhi nga Kryetarja e Parlamentit të Shqipërisë, znj. Jozefina Topalli, drejtuar grave që sapo kishin përfunduar një program 10 mujor trajnimesh të organizuar nga NDI mbi menaxhimin e fushatave, zhvillimin e mesazheve dhe advokimin.

Mardia Greaves-Bloh was only 17 when Liberia tumbled into a brutal civil war in 1989. The war would continue with brief interruptions until 2003, and she saw children as young as 7 join the fighting. Those who survived often found no homes or families to return to when the conflict ended. It was her compassion for those abandoned children that led her to work for child protection services after the war. For several years, she helped ex-combatant children living in the street readjust to life in Liberian society.

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.

Young Iraqi women aspiring to political careers are getting a boost from a new Young Women’s Leadership School launched recently with the help of NDI Iraq staff member Ferdos Majeed.

Afghan women candidates speak at a pre-election rally in Kabul.

Where women have gained a political voice around the world, there have been tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace.