National Democratic Institute (NDI)

🆕 Our latest #newsletter 🗞️ is here! From restoring trust after elections to young people turning civic participation into political power, this edition highlights how people and communities are building stronger, more accountable democracies worldwide. Inside, explore stories from: 🔹 🇨🇮 #Côted’Ivoire, where dialogue helped restore trust in an #election after years of violence. 🔹 🇺🇦 #Ukraine, where citizens continue to defend the democratic future they envision despite prolonged war. 🔹 🌍 The #MiddleEast, where emerging leaders are navigating political change and building for the long term. 🔹 🇭🇺🇵🇱 #Hungary and #Poland, with lessons on the conditions that can support democratic renewal. 🔹 👥 #Youth movements and how young people are turning frustration over corruption and inequality into political power. 🔹 🇰🇭 #Cambodia, where new research examines the connection between scam networks, political protection and democratic #accountability. Read more: ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact #FreedomWorks #Democracy #DemocraticResilience #YouthLeadership

Amidst increasing global volatility, Americans are spiritedly debating how they want their country to engage with the world around them. Historically, America’s closest allies are fellow democracies, and its greatest rivals are authoritarian dictatorships like China and Russia. Do democratic values advantage America and its allies in today’s geopolitical competition? On October 22, join International Republican Institute President Dan Twining and National Democratic Institute (NDI) president Tamara Cofman Wittes in conversation with Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri for a discussion of how the US can tackle the challenges posed by authoritarian rivals and maintain the support of the American people in doing so. Register to attend in-person or virtually today: https://bit.ly/47lDTvS

📢 #NDI’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Deborah Ullmer, will testify before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on 🇳🇮 #Nicaragua’s political crisis. The hearing, titled “Nicaragua’s Political Crisis: Ortega’s Assault on Democracy,” will examine developments in Nicaragua and their implications for democracy, human rights, and regional security. 📅 September 30, 2026 🕒 3:00 PM ET 📍 U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 📺 Watch the livestream: https://bit.ly/4xHQa8G

🌍 Winning an election is one thing. Governing democratically is another. New analysis by #NDI’s expert Nate Grubman, PhD, “The Day After: Anticorruption Movements in Government in Hungary and Nepal,” examines what happens when movements fueled by public frustration over corruption win sweeping electoral mandates. In both #Hungary and #Nepal, newly elected leaders have pledged to move quickly to prosecute corruption, recover misappropriated assets, and reshape institutions. But landslide victories can also create a new challenge: when opposition representation is weakened, governments may have fewer checks on their power. The experience of Hungary and Nepal highlights a critical question for anticorruption movements: How do you deliver justice for past corruption while building systems that ensure future accountability? The story explores several lessons: 🔹 Anticorruption reforms need strong institutions, not just political mandates. 🔹 New governments need meaningful democratic oversight and checks on power. 🔹 Transparency, public participation, and due process matter even during periods of rapid reform. 🔹 Opposition parties and civil society have an important role in keeping governments accountable. 🔹 Political movements need to evolve into democratic institutions that can sustain reform over time. As the #UN notes on the International #DayOfDemocracy, democracy is more than elections. It depends on the rule of law, meaningful participation, dialogue, and accountable governance. The day after an election may be just as important as election day itself. Read more ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact

🚨 What if shutting down scam compounds doesn’t actually stop the scam economy? Today, #NDI & Inca Digital released #ScamStateArchitecture, a 🆕 report by Jacob Sims that examines how #Cambodia’s cyber-enabled scam economy became embedded in, protected by, and politically useful to the country’s ruling coalition. The scale is staggering. Scam networks based in Southeast Asia are estimated to steal at least $10 billion from Americans each year, while scam losses across the Asia-Pacific may have reached $114 billion in 2025. Cambodia has long been an epicenter of this industry, with previous estimates putting its scam revenues in the billions of dollars annually. But the report asks us to look beyond the compounds themselves. 🔎 Shutting down scam compounds is not the same as dismantling the system that enabled them. Scam State Architecture introduces a framework for understanding how criminal economies can become embedded in, protected by, and politically useful to governing systems, insulating powerful actors from accountability. The report also highlights a critical part of the accountability story that is often overlooked: 📰 Independent journalists 🤝 Local civil society organizations 🛟 Survivor and rescue networks 🔍 Local watchdogs and investigators These actors generated the evidence that helped make international sanctions, investigations and other accountability measures possible. Protecting civic space and independent evidence generation is therefore not separate from combating organized crime. It is part of the infrastructure needed to fight it. The report concludes with a call for a broader approach: one that targets not only the visible symptoms of cybercrime, but the political, financial and institutional architecture that allows it to survive and adapt. 📘 Read #ScamStateArchitecture full report and explore what it means for #accountability, democratic governance, and the fight against digital-era organized crime. ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact

On #DemocracyDay, #NDI is proud to launch Priming the Pump: Ensuring Fair Representation and the Freedom for All to Safely Participate, a new series of case studies examining a central question: What really works to build lasting political power for #Women and #Youth? Drawing on decades of #NDI programming, focus group discussions, and interviews with key informants, Priming the Pump identifies 10 approaches that have helped strengthen the participation, representation, influence, and political power of women and youth. The approaches include: 👩💼 Strengthening women’s leadership at multiple levels of politics 🤝 Building networks among women 📣 Strengthening advocacy capacity 🛡️ Addressing violence against women in politics 🌱 Supporting youth-led collective action for political reform 🏛️ Advancing youth-led policymaking 🌍 Strengthening youth organizations and regional networks 📢 Supporting youth-led issue organizing The case studies will explore why these approaches work and offer practical guidance for adapting them across different contexts. Read more ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact

🆕 Democratic renewal doesn’t happen overnight. It is built long before it becomes visible. As we mark International #DemocracyDay, the experiences of 🇵🇱 #Poland and 🇭🇺 #Hungary offer important lessons for democracies under strain. In both countries, years of work by civil society, local organizations, media, local governments and community leaders helped sustain networks of participation when national avenues for engagement narrowed. #NDI’s work with local partners from 2022 to 2025 was part of this broader ecosystem, supporting civic engagement and exchanges between Hungarian and Polish activists focused on coalition-building, community engagement and collective action. Four lessons stand out: 💡Build before the opening: Political openings can emerge unexpectedly. Civic capacity cannot. 🏘️ Go local: People experience democracy through the issues that affect them: schools, healthcare, public services, corruption & accountability. Making those connections can turn concern into action. 👥 Engage youth: Create sustained opportunities for young people to participate, organize and shape public decisions. 🤝 Build coalitions: Strong civic networks can preserve democratic participation and create capacity for moments of political opportunity The experiences of Poland and Hungary remind us that no single organization, leader or tactic creates democratic change. It is the culmination of sustained civic engagement and organizing over time. Read the full story: ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact #InternationalDayOfDemocracy #DemocracyDay #Democracy

🆕 As we approach #DemocracyDay, we’re highlighting young leaders who are turning shared challenges into collective action. In #Abuja, nearly 100 young civic advocates, policymakers, labor leaders and creative activists from 13 #WestAfrican countries came together for #NDI and the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network’s Next Gen in Reform Symposium. Over three days, participants: 🔹 Identified shared barriers to democratic reform 🔹 Developed strategies for national and regional action 🔹 Connected across linguistic and geographic divides 🔹 Explored how creativity can amplify young voices 🔹 Built relationships to sustain collaboration beyond the symposium From spoken-word performances and #ARTivism to hands-on strategy sessions, the gathering showcased the power of a new generation of reformers bringing energy, creativity and solidarity to democratic renewal. As one participant from #SierraLeone put it, learning from colleagues across borders can offer new strategies and perspectives to strengthen the work happening at home. The momentum continues through the Next Gen in Reform Community of Practice, with members committed to staying connected, sharing lessons and supporting one another across borders. Different contexts. Common aspirations. A shared commitment to democratic change. Read the full story ⬇️ Link in the comments ⬇️ #NDImpact