The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Most Libyans are eager to exercise their newfound political freedoms and participate in shaping their country’s future, but they feel disadvantaged by their lack of exposure to democratic practices and have concerns about security and their economy, according to new public opinion research undertaken by NDI.

When Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer set out to write the score for the new Sherlock Holmes film, he knew he wanted to collaborate with Roma musicians. With NDI’s assistance, Zimmer visited Roma towns and settlements, primarily in Eastern Slovakia. Roma, sometimes called Gypsies, are virtually unrepresented in government, and therefore enjoy very few of the benefits other Europeans take for granted.

Working as an intern in the Afghan parliament in 2007, Atifa Safi helped members and parliamentary committees write reports, take minutes, conduct research and analyze data.  She had the opportunity to contribute to the legislative process while seeing the workings of government close up, and the lawmakers benefited from the help that she and other interns provided. When she graduated from the program when it ended in 2008, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she could do more for young people.

As a boy in Germany, Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer heard about the “romantic music and fairy tales of Gypsy life.” But he wasn’t satisfied with the stories and wanted to learn more about the Roma people and their plight.

An opportunity came last year when Zimmer, a long-time human rights advocate, heard about the deportation of Roma migrants from France and wanted to help. His interest led him to NDI, which has been working for the past decade to empower Roma activists in Central and Eastern Europe.

NDI President Kenneth Wollack traveled to Burma in June to meet with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who he first met on a visit there 16 years ago.

In an interview, Wollack reports that little in the country has changed since the adoption of an undemocratic constitution in 2008 and sham elections last November. Still, Wollack says that Aung San Suu Kyi remains the unflappable and optimistic leader he met on his last visit in 1995 and it’s clear that her party, the NLD, is alive and rebuilding.

Last year’s presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire ended in a violent standoff between the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, and the internationally recognized winner of the vote, Alassane Ouattara. During the five-month crisis, which ended with Gbagbo’s arrest and Ouattara’s inauguration, more than 3,000 Ivorians died. We spoke with Charles Djrekpo, NDI resident director, about NDI efforts to help the reconciliation process, and how women and youth leaders are the key to a more a peaceful future for Côte d’Ivoire.