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In the 25 years since Vietnam introduced the doi moi programme of reforms, citizens have come to participate far more actively in politics at both commune and village levels. But government is still not fully accountable¡­

In eight countries of Central Asia and South Caucasus, ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funds a project to increase public participation and make governance more accountable through independent monitoring of public policy-making and implementation. The¡­

For ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF's Fifth Round of Funding, the Secretary-General has approved a short list of 64 project proposals recommended by the ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Advisory Board. The proposals were short-listed out of a record number of more than 3,700¡­

±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funded and supported the organization of a conference in Cairo on 26-27 July on "Ways to Strengthen the Democratic Transformation of Egypt". The conference, held by The Cairo Institute for Human Right Studies in¡­

In Azerbaijan, a transitional society shaped by vast oil and gas resources, ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funds a new project to create the country's first women's parliament. The initiative will serve as tool to give more meaning to women¡¯s rights¡­

In Ukraine, ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funds a project to build skills among NGOs and citizens to engage in political processes and hold their local government officials accountable. The project works in eight regions throughout East and West¡­

India has the largest tribal population in the world, with more than 460 tribes comprising some 85 million people. Almost one third are in the Himalayan region. They face a range of challenges, from displacement and exclusion¡­

How can civil society in Russia work more effectively with the authorities to achieve positive change? ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funds an initiative to build skills among Russian NGOs that lack experience in interacting with officialdom and in¡­

At this crucial time for democratization efforts in several countries, ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF hosted a seminar on 9 May to present the findings of a vast study about how well the support family is supporting the many actors in the field.

'The Doers of Democracy', an exhibition of photographs organized by ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF, was displayed in the Visitors' Lobby at ±¬ÁÏÍø Headquarters in New York from 9 May to 15 July 2011, and at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in September¡­

Welcome to the latest issue of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Update, the newsletter of the United Nations Democracy Fund. This electronic quarterly provides a user-friendly snapshot of what we do, how we work and why.

Cyber-attacks by the state, politically-motivated censorship, and government control over internet infrastructure have emerged as especially prominent threats to freedom in the internet, according to an ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded report¡­

A compendium of ten exemplary ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded projects was compiled by Dr. Lincoln Mitchell of Columbia University. It draws on his meta-evaluation of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF's First Round of Funding.

In Algeria -- as in Tunisia and Egypt -- greater participation by women is crucial to building better governance and genuine democracy. ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF has just launched a new initiative to strengthen the leadership of Algerian women¡­

The following is an excerpt from testimony by Ted Piccone, Deputy Director for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, to the hearing on "Reforming the United Nations" held by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on¡­

After 12 years of civil war in Burundi, the challenge is to keep addressing the divisive factors that drove the country's brutal armed conflict, while finding ways to nurture the country's fragile democracy. An ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funded¡­

Somalia is one of the world¡¯s most challenging environments in which NGOs can operate. A new project funded by ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF in Somaliland works to raise women¡¯s awareness of their rights and how to exercise them. Implemented by the¡­

Reflecting the crucial and historic era for democratization efforts worldwide, the list of countries contributing to ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF grew to 40 in February 2011, with Argentina becoming the latest donor to the Fund. ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF depends¡­

Ensuring women's participation will be key to building a democratic and well-governed Egypt. Although women were granted full political rights more than 50 years ago, they have yet to achieve equal access to decision-making¡­

Welcome to the latest issue of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Update, the newsletter of the United Nations Democracy Fund. This electronic quarterly provides a user-friendly snapshot of what we do, how we work and why.

The political participation of women will be critical in building the way forward in Tunisia after the historic events of early 2011. An ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded project uses communication campaigns to promote a positive image of¡­

An ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded project has launched a guide to developing accurate voter lists in transitional democracies. The handbook is based on a comparative analysis of transitional countries in Europe, including Armenia, Bosnia¡­

An ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded project has launched a guide to developing accurate voter lists in transitional democracies. The handbook is based on a comparative analysis of transitional countries in Europe, including Armenia, Bosnia¡­

An ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF-funded initiative has developed a widely sought after Arabic-language legal search engine on human rights and humanitarian law. The engine, , makes it possible for even those without legal training to¡­

Welcome to the latest issue of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Update, the newsletter of the United Nations Democracy Fund. This electronic quarterly provides a user-friendly snapshot of what we do, how we work and why.

President Obama made special mention of the ±¬ÁÏÍø Democracy Fund in his address to the General Assembly on 23 September, saying "it¡¯s time for every Member State... to increase the ±¬ÁÏÍø Democracy Fund". He spoke of democracy as¡­

±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Executive Head Roland Rich met on 21 September with Mar¨ªa Otero, United States Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs and Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and¡­

Governments spoke candidly at an event on the International Day of Democracy about their individual countries¡¯ journeys towards democratic governance, reflected on the challenges ahead, and reaffirmed their commitment to the¡­

Roland Rich, Executive Head of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF, was interviewed by Bill Miller for his program Global Connections. The interview was taped on 5 August. In the course of the interview Mr Rich discusses ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF projects and answers¡­

Welcome to the latest issue of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Update, the newsletter of the United Nations Democracy Fund. This electronic quarterly provides a user-friendly snapshot of what we do, how we work and why.

In Palestine, ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funds a project to build leadership capacity among youth and establish forums for them to participate in democratic processes and promote democratic principles in their communities.

Welcome to the latest issue of ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Update, the newsletter of the United Nations Democracy Fund. This electronic quarterly provides a user-friendly snapshot of what we do, how we work and why.

On Kenya¡¯s independence in 1963, when the constitution was negotiated in London, only one woman delegate from Kenya was present. Women¡¯s rights and issues were largely ignored in the document that emerged. Despite numerous¡­

Anthony Kwame Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University and a member of the ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF Advisory Board for 2010-11, spoke at the Board's Spring meeting on 29 March. His remarks were¡­

Forty-one organizations in more than 30 countries successfully negotiated and signed Fourth Round project documents with ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF during 2010, and are now implementing these new projects with ±¬ÁÏÍøDEF funding. The list will be¡­