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Armenian women farmers joined a UNDEF-backed event promoting leadership and climate-smart agriculture.
 

Empowering youth to drive civic and environmental change, the Strengthening Youth Movements for Inclusion in Local Development Policy in Colombia project amplifies their voices through advocacy campaigns and innovative social media strategies.

The United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) held its second board meeting of the year, bringing together distinguished members to set priorities for 2025, focusing on strengthening civil society projects that improve governance and protect and promote civic space.
 

The UN Democracy Fund discussed women鈥檚 leadership, climate change mitigation and related issues with partners working in the MENA region.

The Kosovo Democratic Institute supports civil society organizations in 12 Kosovo* municipalities to engage with local authorities in ensuring the implementation of commitments to green governance.

Global leaders and development experts gathered at the SDG Lounge to share insights and strategies for advancing peace and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

At the recent HLPF on Sustainable Development, Juliana Uribe Villegas, Executive Director of Movilizatorio and a partner of the UNDEF, represented the voice of civil society in a pivotal discussion on the intersections between good governance and bold climate action.

The UN Democracy Fund discussed women鈥檚 leadership, media freedom and related issues with a group of policymakers, NGO workers, and media representatives from Kyrgyzstan.

Village Focus International's two-year project was launched in January 2023 to provide legal awareness training to local communities, enhance the legal education of law students in these critical areas, and provide pro bono legal services to communities facing land and resource disputes.

The members of United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) Advisory Board met to review and endorse a selection of projects for its 18th Round of Funding totaling over USD 7.6 million.

Natural Resource Governance Institute, in partnership with UNDEF, assembled a diverse group of local CSOs members from various municipalities across Kebili to equip them with advanced facilitation techniques and conflict mediation skills.

Haris Rovcanin, Assistant Editor of UNDEF backed Association Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH), was awarded the Sr膽an Aleksi膰 regional journalistic award.

Journalists from across the Balkans met in Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage in the promotion and protection of digital rights in Central Europe.

Arab youth researchers create a regional network to foster democratic culture through events held for an UNDEF funded project.

International Day of Democracy event focused on the need for the values of democracy to accelerate the SDGs, particularly for climate action, and highlighted the role of youth in protecting and promoting civic space and moving climate action forward.

Iraqi radio show The Green Economy is a welcome addition to the airwaves, explaining the vital environmental issues facing the country, and analyzing the government鈥檚 efforts to address them.

The Amman Center for Human rights studies (ACHRS), which has received support from the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), is one of the 2023 winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.

UNDEF funded a Lebanese Civil Society Organization, KAFA, launched a national campaign, utilizing videos on social media to illustrate examples of gender-based violence and educate people about available protections.

In May, representatives of three CSOs came to UN Headquarters to share their experiences of running citizen鈥檚 assemblies: Cynthia Mbamalu is Director of Programs at Yiaga Africa, a CSO in Nigeria, Silvia Cervellini is the co-founder of Delibera Brasil, and Iain Walker is the Executive Director of the newDemocracy Foundation.

JHR鈥檚 UNDEF-funded project in Tunisia recently began a follow-up reporting on the local government鈥檚 slow and inadequate response to the tragic and avoidable incident.

An UNDEF project in Mexico is strengthening the political participation and leadership of women with disabilities in the development of a national disability strategy.

A conversation with the Deputy Secretary-General, SDG advocate, and UNDEF's project partners regarding innovation for women and equality.

An UNDEF project in Albania organized a roundtable with journalists and other key media actors to counter expressions of hate speech and sexism, and to uphold journalistic standards.

An UNDEF project in Bosnia and Herzegovina raises public awareness about the Bosnian war by developing tools for teaching and learning as a means to counter revisionist and denialist narratives.

This November, UNDEF project partner ABAAD presented critical work on gender equality to the fourth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law at the United Nations in Geneva.

Implemented by Charitable Public Association "World Without Borders", UNDEF's project aims to boost awareness and increase specialized training on how to protect the rights of children and young people, to build institutional systems to monitor their situation and to receive and process allegations of rights violations.

In Pakistan, an UNDEF project is working to enhance women鈥檚 rights, participation, and gender equality in decision-making processes.

An UNDEF project in Tunisia is working to train and support young human rights defenders, including persons with disabilities, to monitor and report on progress towards implementation of articles 29 and 30 of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General has approved a short list of 33 project proposals for the UN Democracy Fund鈥檚 Sixteenth Round of Funding, amounting to over seven million dollars.

An UNDEF project in the Middle East and North Africa is working to empower young civil society leaders to defend human rights in their communities.

An UNDEF project in Bangladesh is supporting young people, who make up one-third of the country鈥檚 population, to increase their representation and participation in local political processes.

An UNDEF project in Kenya works to address the potential impact of the internet, social media and digital technologies, both positive and negative, on electoral integrity and confidence in the electoral process in Kenya.

An UNDEF project in Malaysia completed its work to strengthen indigenous community land protection through empowerment of local action groups and youth in Central and South-Eastern Perak State.

The Global Commission on Democracy and Emergencies, convened by Danilo T眉rk, former President of Slovenia, and chaired by Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Belgium, issued its final report with policy recommendations based on lessons learned from across the democratic world from the Covid-19 pandemic.

An UNDEF project in Kyrgyzstan completed its work to strengthen the transformative role of community-based media in reducing gender-based violence, including amid the surge of such violence as a result of pandemic lockdowns and economic pressures.

UNDEF Mali project holds a round table on women鈥檚 leadership and media literacy. View the !

An UNDEF project in Nepal works to strengthen gender-responsive local governance, with a focus on the rights of marginalized and indigenous women in the Icchakmana and Kalika municipalities of Chitwan.

An UNDEF project in Mexico works to ensure access to social security for 2.2 million domestic workers who have previously been denied labour rights.

The UN Democracy Fund invites civil society organizations to apply for project funding between 4 November 2021 and 12 December 2021.

An UNDEF project in the Gambia has not only paved the way for the historic passage of the Access to Information Bill in August 2021; it has also created unprecedented cooperation and collaboration between civil society and government.

An UNDEF project in Lebanon works to strengthen the autonomy of Syrian women refugees so as to increase their opportunity to fully participate in the democratic, economic and reconstruction processes.

An UNDEF project in Uzbekistan supports women鈥檚 leadership in green entrepreneurship amid severe impacts of climate change, and thereby their participation in the local economy.

UNDEF project in the Balkans used the citizen assembly model to address high rates of vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of government

The UN Deputy Secretary-General has approved a short list of 35 project proposals for UNDEF鈥檚 Fifteenth Round of Funding, following recommendations by the United Nations Democracy Fund Advisory Board. UNDEF has contacted those short-listed.

A team of independent evaluators completed a meta-evaluation of nine UNDEF projects implemented in Tunisia from 2013 to 2021, so as to assess UNDEF鈥檚 overall engagement there.

UNDEF鈥檚 Advisory Board met virtually on 1 April 2021 and endorsed a short-list of 38 projects for its 15th Round of funding totaling almost $10 million dollars.

In Armenia, an UNDEF-funded project implemented by aims to contribute to sustainable management strategies of natural water resources in the Ararat Valley.

UNDEF鈥檚 current annual call for project proposals will remain open until 6 December 2020.

The UN Democracy Fund invites civil society organizations to apply for project funding between 1 November 2020 and 1 December 2020.

As the world confronts COVID-19, democracy is crucial in ensuring the free flow of information, participation in decision-making and accountability for the response to the pandemic.

A range of UNDEF civil society projects have responded to UNDEF鈥檚 call for action against falsehoods, conspiracy theories, disinformation and hate speech.

The UN Democracy Fund is working closely with its civil society project organizations to address and counteract the wide range of ways the Covid-19 crisis may impair democracy and increase authoritarianism.

In Colombia, is working to improve the quality of news from rural areas or so called information deserts, particularly those affected by armed conflict. Supported by UNDEF, a mobile Journalism Lab provides training in journalism skills for local leaders and active citizens in towns where a decades long armed conflict has established the ideal conditions for silence and censorship.

UNDEF joined forces with International IDEA and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on 16 September 2019 to mark the International Day of Democracy with an event at UN Headquarters focused on participation and inclusion.

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UNDEF Executive Head Annika Savill chaired a session of a Chatham House conference on Kofi Annan's legacy in June 2019, in which panellists included Raila Odinga, Kenya's former Prime Minister.

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Three projects in China, Laos and Vietnam advance the rights of vulnerable youth.

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An UNDEF project works for women鈥檚 leadership and political participation in the Somalia regions of Galmudug and Puntland by building awareness, advocacy, and capacity at the grassroots level.

A new UNDEF project in Kazakhstan works to rehabilitate young ex-offenders through training, skills development and psychological support.

An UNDEF regional project has just completed a series of activities aimed at contributing to efforts to repeal criminal defamation laws and other restrictions to freedom of expression - barriers to strong and stable democracies.

The annual Athens Democracy Forum was held on 14-19 September 2018, organized for the sixth time by The New York Times in cooperation with the UN Democracy Fund and Athens City Hall.

An UNDEF project launched in early 2018 will work in the Guinea-Bissau regions of Bafata and Gabu to decrease gender-based violence, focusing on female genital mutilation. It will also champion freedom of speech for human rights defenders, and young people鈥檚 participation in public decision-making processes.

UNDEF鈥檚 annual call for project proposals is open from 20 November to 20 December 2017, after receiving the green light from the UNDEF Advisory Board on 16 November.

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The annual听Athens Democracy Forum听was held on 13-17 September 2017, organized for the fifth year by听The New York Times听in cooperation with the UN Democracy Fund and Athens City Hall. This year鈥檚 programme included discussions on the future of polling, political discourse in the post-truth era, bridging the generational gap, the power of the political cartoonist, and progress towards the Global Sustainable Development Goals.

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An UNDEF-funded project in Belarus organized an international forum in Vitebsk in May 2017 on empowering people with disabilities by creating opportunities for work and employment.

UNDEF event co-hosted with World Federation of United Nations Associations, WFUNA, focused on how civil society organizations can learn from others鈥� experience to be more effective and create more sustainable impact in their activities.

Around the world today, 130 million girls didn't go to school. Not because they didn鈥檛 want to, but because they weren鈥檛 able or allowed. They are denied an education for a variety of reasons, from cultural norms and costs to violence and extremism.

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An UNDEF project in India works to address inequalities by improving local services provision to women and youth in disadvantaged communities in the Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Orissa.

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For people of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic, a recently introduced ruling brings the risk of statelessness or deportation.听Lack of identity documents and difficulties in obtaining them mean that Dominicans of Haitian descent may become stateless, while Haitian immigrants are not able to obtain an immigration status because they have been unable to submit all required documentation, or have been denied regular immigration status.

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An UNDEF-funded project is being launched in Algeria to help consolidate democratic values and practices among young people in the northern province of Blida, with a particular focus on the rights of women and girls. The project agreement was signed on 21 December 2016 following negotiations among all stakeholders, including Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior, local government, the implementing local NGO Association Djazairouna, and the UN Development Programme office in Algiers.

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As Colombia emerges from decades of conflict, the government of President Juan Manuel Santos 鈥� winner of the 2016 Nobel peace prize 鈥�- has made education is one of the three main pillars of government policy. This is essential both to make the hard-won peace sustainable, and to overcome the enormous challenge of inequality.

Allowing women to become political leaders is vital, not only to ensure a fully inclusive democracy, but so that women鈥檚 interests and concerns are represented in decision making.  With the ongoing conflict in Somalia, the problem of female representation in government is not given a high priority.

An UNDEF regional project to involve young people, especially young women in political life in Libya, Morocco and Tunisia has led to a number of the participants standing in elections for the Moroccan Parliament, including Hanane Rihab who was elected as a member of the Socialist Union for Popular Forces, coming top of the women鈥檚 list.

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An UNDEF-funded project in rural India completed its work the end of 2015 to promote democratic processes and human rights through the use of media and the freedom of information, including by launching a platform for communities to share audio information using mobile phones and the internet.

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UNDEF celebrity Board member Jeffrey Wright came into the UN studios to present Prisoners of the Caucasus, a documentary on an UNDEF project for penal reform in the Caucasus.

Another UNDEF project with Arab NGO Network for Development recently launched in five countries in the Middle East and North Africa region 鈥� Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco  - with the goal to enhance participation of civil society organizations into the sustainable development agenda.

UNDEF funds a project in Jordan to foster a more informed public dialogue on human rights through strengthening media. It works for high quality journalism on human rights-related issues; holds on-air forums actively informing and engaging the public; builds media skills, tools and communications strategies including new information and communication technology to increase citizen participation and collect data relevant to local human rights issues.

For Nepal's Chepang people, one of the indigenous groups living in the Himalaya foothills, poverty and marginalization remain a daily reality.听Chepang women are further marginalized by lower literacy rates, lack of access to health services, and scarce economic and political influence in a traditionally male dominated environment.听

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With populations in both Malawi and Zambia consisting of over 50 per cent young people, there is an increasing push among governments, development partners and civil society to recognize the specific needs and vulnerabilities of young people as well as their immense capacity to contribute positively to development.

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An UNDEF-funded project in Turkey works with Syrian women refugees in Reyhanli, in Reyhanli, near the Turkey-Syria border, so as to give them opportunities to organize, engage and support other refugees while preparing for the future, whether in Turkey or in Syria. The initiative thus focuses on the sizeable Syrian refugee communities who are currently seeking to build a life in Turkey and not planning to move on to Europe or elsewhere.

'In accepting the Tipperary International Peace Award, I want to sound a call to protect the space needed by civil society. Confident nations are those that see civil society as an indispensable partner in working for the betterment of society.'

The right to free counsel for poor persons accused of a crime is enshrined in law in the West Bank. Yet the government legal aid system is not meeting the need and few lawyers are trained to provide effective criminal defence services. In addition, police, prosecutors, and courts often engage in practices that are unsupported by law and further undermine the rights of the accused.

An UNDEF-funded project in Liberia works to empower rural women by providing speedy information and networking opportunities via radio and mobile technology.  Implemented by the Liberia Women Media Action Committee, the radio-to-mobile service makes broadcasts of Liberia Women Democracy Radio, LWDR 91.1 FM, available via cellphone and on line.

Cameroon suffers from a shortage of communication and accountability between local elected leaders and their electorates in planning and implementation. This is why UNDEF funds a project to build participatory governance and including local communities in local decision making processes.

An UNDEF-funded Bolivia project works to strengthen representation and political participation in regional political decision-making for five urban indigenous groups in Santa Cruz de la Sierra -- Ayoreos, Guaran铆es, Chiquitanos, Guarayo and Yuracar茅-Moje帽os.

An UNDEF Kosovo* project engages civil society in monitoring to advance transparency and accountability in local governance. Coordinated by the Kosova Democratic Institute, the project works in 14 municipal assemblies across all seven regions of Kosovo -- Prishtina, Mitrovica, Peja, Gjakova, Prizren, Ferizaj and Gjilan.

UNDEF and its partners in the United Nations Working Group on Democracy held an event at the International Peace Institute in New York on the theme of the democratic engagement of young people.

The first project of UNDEF's Eighth Round of Funding was signed on 9 September 2014, one of some 50 new initiatives that will be launched by UNDEF in this new Round. The project will work to strengthen independent journalism in Libya, so that local citizens have better access to information.

An UNDEF project works for alternatives to prison sentencing in the Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.  The goal is to promote the effective use of non-custodial and early release measures to challenge the overuse of imprisonment, help decrease in the prison population and build proportionate responses to crime. 

An UNDEF-funded project in Costa Rica works to promote leadership and citizenship skills among disadvantaged youth. In March 2014, the project held a train-the-trainers camp for 50 adolescents, with skills to be implemented as part of a cascading process in their communities.

An UNDEF Nepal project works to increase participation of women in local governance at the most basic level of the ward, through Ward Citizen Forums. It educates women in democratic rights and gender-responsive budgeting, making them more vocal in their demands in the decision-making process.

An UNDEF Cambodia project to strengthen ethics in journalism organized the country's first awards in this area in December 2013. Awards were distributed to 13 Cambodian media organizations -- TV stations Bayon, Apsara, Hang Meas, SEATV, TV 5, TV 3, TV 9 and CTN.

An UNDEF-funded project works in Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt to strengthen the role of women in society, particularly in remote and underprivileged areas. Implemented by the Jordanian Centre for Civic Education, the project works with local civil society groups to improve their capacity and networking.

After a series of disruptions caused by political upheavals and government restrictions, an UNDEF Egypt project has started work in earnest to form a coalition of partners for integrity. Implemented by the Arab Program for Human Rights Activists, the initiative held its first conference in December 2013.

In the Longido District of northern Tanzania, UNDEF supports a community development project among the Maasai population with a special focus on women. It works to strengthen women鈥檚 role in decision-making and priority-setting to better reflect their needs.

A graduate of an UNDEF-funded project for women鈥檚 empowerment in India has been elected Mayor of Ahmedabad, a city with a population of six million. Meenaxiben Patel, elected Mayor in April 2013, participated in a training and capacity-building programme funded by UNDEF and implemented by the New Delhi-based Centre for Social Research before being elected.

For Azerbaijan's presidential elections on 9 October 2013, and parliamentary elections in November 2015, UNDEF funds a project in Azerbaijan to build awareness of electoral process and voting rights among local communities, with a special focus on women and youth.

UNDEF co-convened an event at the International Peace Institute in New York on 16 September to mark the International Day of Democracy. The invitation-only event, 鈥淒emocratization at the Sharp End鈥� brought together leading UN officials from the UN鈥檚 work in the field, including Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti.

An UNDEF project in Uganda works to build a critical mass of women grassroot activists who demand accountability and improved service delivery to communities. The project seeks to influence democratic processes through empowering communities to hold their leaders accountable and to demand for gender-sensitive service delivery.

An UNDEF-funded project in Cameroon works to promote a culture of democratic practices among young people, and to transform community radio into an effective tool towards this end. It gives rural, marginalized people an opportunity to make their voice heard.