Africa
IRI is working to counter the sentiment that democracy is in retreat in Africa. Evidence for this belief includes backsliding in Ethiopia…
IRI is working to counter the sentiment that democracy is in retreat in Africa. Evidence for this belief includes backsliding in Ethiopia…
To counter democratic backsliding in Benin, once one of Africa’s most stable democracies, IRI is promoting political pluralism, increasing the…
In recent years, Burkina Faso – the “land of honest men” – has suffered spiraling conflict involving violent extremist organizations…
Politics in Cameroon are marred by low voter turnout, accusations of irregularities, and a crackdown on Anglophone separatists in the…
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a small, landlocked, politically unstable country wracked by political and ethnic violence. According to…
Following the assassination of President Idriss Déby and the resulting coup in August 2021, IRI has closely monitored the evolving…
After accusations of closed-door, undemocratic deal-making that ushered in the change in presidents in 2019 in the Democratic Republic of…
Following mass protests and historic democratic reforms, IRI is working with Ethiopian citizens, civil society, and media to promote the…
Ghana is a stable multiparty democracy in West Africa, albeit one that sometimes faces charges of democratic backsliding and complaints…
Kenya is heading into important elections amidst constitutional challenges and a push to increase the number of parliamentarians in the…
More than half of Mozambique’s population lives below the poverty line, and corruption is a major concern. Tensions between the…
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, rich in oil, rife with accusations of corruption. Nigeria is a political and economic…
While Sierra Leone has held regular multiparty elections since the 2002 end of its civil war, opposition parties face police…
Somaliland is a small autonomous region in northern Somalia, where the government’s decision to postpone the next election cycle has…
Sudan has been working toward forming a transitional legislative council, drafting a new constitution, putting a peace agreement in place,…
Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, has been in power for over half a century. Though the country has held…
After 22 years of authoritarian rule by President Yahya Jammeh, in 2017 The Gambia began to move toward a democratic…
Uganda has been governed by the same party and president since 1986, and the country’s civil society and independent media…
Zimbabwe held a presidential election in 2018, and though election observers called it deeply flawed, it did give former Vice…
In many ways, the Asia-Pacific region is a bellwether for the world’s democratic development. It contains more than half the…
As one of the most densely populated countries on earth, Bangladesh needs a government that is responsive to over 160…
There are few countries that have witnessed the political turmoil that has rocked Burma over the last three decades. In…
A country rich with history and culture, Cambodia sits at a pivotal point in their democratic development. With an emphasis…
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is one of the biggest threats to democracy on the world stage. As the challenges…
Though the Republic of Fiji has become a regional leader, from the mid-80s to the early 2000s the country was…
Indonesia is a vibrant and diverse country with over 270 million people. IRI’s work there supports political parties and civil…
Since IRI cannot work in closed North Korea, its work focuses on building the intellectual, social, and emotional competencies of…
As a one-party state with strong restrictions on civil liberties, the people of Laos face many obstacles to a democratic…
In Malaysia, IRI supports initiatives that advocate more inclusive civic, political and electoral engagement, especially among the country’s most underrepresented…
The Maldives is one of the most dispersed countries in the world. As a nation consisting of 196 inhabited islands…
Located between Russia and China, a vibrant democracy in Mongolia can serve as a model for other aspiring nations hoping…
IRI has worked in Nepal since 2018 conducting legislative strengthening, civil society, and women’s and youth empowerment programs. After a…
The geo-strategic location of Pakistan plays a significant role in influencing and shaping the dynamics of South Asia. IRI has…
Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been holding regular elections since independence in 1975 but the 20-year civil war that took…
A longtime strategic partner to the United States, the Philippines has experienced an uneven pathway to building democratic institutions and…
Once considered the Pacific Islands’ most stable democracy, in 2021 Samoa’s ruling political party and the world’s second-longest ruling head…
Despite sporadic but frequent years of civil unrest, including the most recent riots in 2021, Solomon Islands continues to hold…
Situated in a geo-strategic location in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka and the U.S. maintain strong bilateral relations based on…
With its vibrant democracy and civil society, Taiwan is a world leader in innovating to create positive social change and…
IRI has operated consistently in Thailand to strengthen the ability of Thai political parties to effectively and democratically govern, bolster…
IRI Timor-Leste provides leadership training and support to rising, forward-looking leaders. IRI’s approach includes media releases and talk shows featuring…
Since gaining independence in 1980, the archipelago country of Vanuatu has elected only five women to its 50-person parliament. Through…
IRI has supported democratization efforts in Eurasia for 30 years, where the spirit and desire for democracy is evident on…
Armenia is in a period of transition, with the government promising to tackle issues ranging from a lack of transparency in policy making, corruption, and weak…
Despite many democratic challenges in Belarus, IRI has worked with political opposition parties and movements since 1997. Since fraudulent presidential…
For over 20 years, IRI has partnered with Georgian political actors, youth, and electoral stakeholders to assist the country in holding to a democratic trajectory,…
IRI has worked with civil society in Kazakhstan since the 2019 political transition, helping organizations analyze and advocate for reforms…
After two revolutions against authoritarian presidents (in 2005 and 2010), Kyrgyzstan now has a parliamentary government, but weak governing coalitions…
Moldova holds competitive elections, and the rights of free assembly, expression, and religion are protected. Pervasive corruption and a weak…
With 30 years of independence, Ukraine is both united and diverse, with a strong sense of national identity often threatened…
Since 2019, IRI has worked with the Oliy Majlis, the lower house of parliament of the Republic of Uzbekistan, connecting legislators with international peers and experts to encourage them to improve and…
Since the collapse of communism in Europe in the 1990s, democracy has seen mixed results, at best, in Southeastern Europe.…
Since the fall of communism in the early 1990s, Albania has made enormous strides in transitioning from dictatorship to democracy,…
IRI is working in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to promote a multi-party political system that is responsive to citizens’ needs…
IRI is focusing most of its work in Bulgaria on fighting political corruption. IRI’s programming in the country is aimed…
Though Kosovo has a dynamic political scene, the country’s political parties still need support in their efforts to respond to…
IRI is supporting meaningful youth participation in politics by working with key governing and opposition parties to strengthen Montenegrin party…
North Macedonia, a parliamentary republic, celebrated three decades of independence and multi-party democracy in 2021. The country has been a…
IRI is working to improve party responsiveness to citizens’ needs by promoting political competition, pluralism, and a democratic culture. Specifically,…
IRI is promoting political competition by helping political leaders with policy development and advocacy, and by cultivating a new generation…
Citizens across Latin America and the Caribbean want opportunities for themselves and their children – to live in health and…
For nearly four decades, Argentina has been a democratic country in a region known for authoritarian rule. Bolstering the democratic…
The Movement Towards Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo, MAS) party has returned to power with Luis Arce’s 2020 presidential win—amplifying long-simmering…
IRI is increasing youth leaders’ political participation and strengthening government accountability in the Caribbean by equipping youth with the capacity…
IRI helps support democratic processes and good governance in Colombia through work with the government, civil society organizations (CSOs), and…
Cuba remains the Western Hemisphere’s longest standing dictatorship. Cubans are isolated from other societies by sea and from one another…
Since 2017, Ecuadorians have redoubled efforts to strengthen their democratic system. To support these efforts, IRI in Ecuador works with…
The current political context of El Salvador is marked by internal conflict, corruption, and inequality of opportunities. Supporting strong democratic institutions and participatory processes to engage…
Since the Peace Accords in 1996 that ended the country’s civil war, Guatemala has worked to overcome ongoing challenges of…
After the conclusion of a tumultuous process of Guyana’s 2020 Election, trust in electoral and governance systems has begun to…
For years, Haiti has been plagued by political instability, economic hardship, and natural disasters, among other crises. IRI seeks to…
Honduras has faced numerous challenges to its democratic development and stability in the decade since this 2009 coup against then-President Manuel Zelaya including…
The United States and Mexico relationship is critical to regional stability, security, and prosperity. IRI has worked with state and…
While Nicaragua shares few of the public safety challenges of its northern neighbors, electoral irregularities, constitutional manipulations and the declining…
After the fall of the Noriega military dictatorship, IRI was one of the first international non-governmental organizations to visit Panama…
IRI began its work in Peru when democracy was reinstated just after the turn of the century. Since then, the…
For more than a decade, respect for civil liberties and space for political dissent has continued to erode in Venezuela.…
The regional outlook for stable, democratic governance, and consistent economic growth in the MENA region continues to regress, with the…
As Africa’s largest country and with the Mediterranean to the north and the Sahara to the south, Algeria has a…
Situated in the heart of the Middle East with a diverse population and rich history, Iraq has built a democratic…
To bolster institutional capacity and inclusive, responsive policymaking in Jordan, IRI partners with subnational government representatives and demand-side actors. IRI…
Corruption deeply plagues Lebanese politics with the same ruling class retaining power, based on sectarian allegiances, since the end of…
In the midst of a challenging political transition, IRI in Libya understands the importance of supporting citizen-centered governance and works…
Since 1997, IRI’s promotion of participatory governance in Morocco has revolved around skills-based training, civil society academies, technical support to…
In the midst of an ongoing civil war and an unsuccessful constitutional committee, IRI Syria supports civil society actors in…
IRI has been working with civic and political leaders in Tunisia since the 2011 Revolution, which ended decades of single-party…