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Under the EU Media Dialogue programme, WFD delivered a campaign against the use of hate speech in Kyrgyzstani elections. In the run up to the November 2021 parliamentary elections, WFD targeted political parties, candidates, activists, and the media, to raise awareness of the concept of hate speech, the legal implications of its use, and positive measures that could be taken to prevent or avoid it. Political parties demonstrated their agreement with the aims of the campaign, when they included points discussed at WFD activities in the cross-party memorandum on holding elections within the law.
On 25 July, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) launched a new Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) to support the advancement of democracy in Nigeria through increased political participation and electoral representation of young people.
Nigeria |
The 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which fell on 9th November 1989, prompts reflections on the state of democracy around the world.
For a decade, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) supported the Parliament of Ghana as it worked to become a stronger, more inclusive and accountable institution. WFD Ghana nurtured the next generation of political leaders – both young men and young women – to better equip them to break from participating in decision-making.
In October 2020, WFD marked the conclusion of its most recent programme in Ghana. Like everywhere, the task of strengthening democracy in the country is ongoing. WFD’s Ghanaian partners – including the Speaker, Members, Secretary General and staff of the Parliament of Ghana and civil society organisations – continue this important work.
In addition to the programme’s achievements detailed below, the rich legacy of WFD’s work in Ghana includes a wealth of local knowledge and relationships which WFD retains within our regional African programmes and those in the rest of the world.
In October 2020, WFD marked the conclusion of its most recent programme in Ghana. Like everywhere, the task of strengthening democracy in the country is ongoing. WFD’s Ghanaian partners – including the Speaker, Members, Secretary General and staff of the Parliament of Ghana and civil society organisations – continue this important work.
In addition to the programme’s achievements detailed below, the rich legacy of WFD’s work in Ghana includes a wealth of local knowledge and relationships which WFD retains within our regional African programmes and those in the rest of the world.
On 16 May 2022, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy presented the findings from its latest study on socio-political participation of young people in North Macedonia. The findings show that half of young people (51%) take initiative to solve certain social problems, but only one third manage to often solve the problems they engaged with. One third of the respondents (34%) believe the country is farther from the EU perspective compared to last year. Almost half of respondents (45%) believe the country will become an EU member state, which is a drop of 15% compared to 2019. Half of young people (57%) rarely or never follow political events and developments in the country. Young people with disabilities are facing greater challenges in increasing their participation compared to the general youth population.
North Macedonia | Study |
Young people in East Africa are severely underrepresented in politics. In July 2019, David Momanyi, an experienced youth activist, visited the UK Houses of Parliament to share his experience campaigning for more representative governance in Kenya.
Kenya |
This IDAHOBIT, we must ask: How do we ensure that political decision-makers see and listen to LGBT+ people and incorporate their views and needs into COVID-19 responses?
In November 2023, WFD co-hosted the 6th Bali Civil Society and Media Forum (BCSMF) with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners as well as the inaugural Democracy Action Partnership (DAP). These briefing papers expand on the insights and recommendations exchanged during the BCSMF working groups.
In 2012, WFD started working in Pakistan by supporting the federal and provincial legislatures. Over the years, WFD has worked with stakeholders both at federal and provincial level to strengthen the parliamentary system in Pakistan.
WFD supported the development of a free mobile app which improves the openness and transparency of the Sierra Leone Parliament. The app enables citizens to follow what the parliament is doing and get more involved in politics.
More than 500 political and civil leaders, Nobel Laureates, and organisations have signed an open letter to defend democracy. The letter warns that our freedoms are threatened by governments using the COVID-19 crisis to tighten their grip on power.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) is guiding the region of the Philippines towards a peaceful and inclusive autonomy. WFD is working to support the democratic aspirations of the BTA.
This policy paper examines how political party strengthening contributes to democracy promotion and identifies where these approaches work best. The evidence suggests that the sister-party model – a model centred on relationships between parties with similar ideological positions – has value, but that it would be more effective if it were deployed more strategically.
Briefing |
Election campaigns provide particularly fertile ground for hate speech and incitement to hatred. Political parties, candidates, opinion makers, and members of civil society can be influential spreaders of hate speech. Hate speech is also amplified by the media, in particular social media.