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![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/12meeting.jpg "<p>"Democracy is...to decide together." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Wládia Drummond, Brazil</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/11Iranian-Protests.jpg "<p>"Democracy is... many and it is one. It is large and it is small. It is standing under harsh, beating sun and joining together to make shelter. Taken during a protest in front of the White House during the Iranian election crisis in June 2009." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Ian M. Cunningham, United States</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/10Vote.jpg "<p>"Democracy is voting for who you want as your president." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Mustafa Kia, Afghanistan</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/9Democracy-Still-Learning.jpg "<p>"Democracy is...still learning." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Jun Krishna Joshi, Nepal</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/8road-to-freedom.jpg "<p>"Democracy is...to live in freedom." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Mohamed Kaouche, Algeria</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/7Being-different-from-others.jpg "<p>"Democracy is the state of being free to act and look different from the way others do." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Kaveh Baghdadchi, Iran</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/6Press-freedom.jpg "<p>"Democracy is...when we Have Press Freedom!!!" Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Mehman Huseynov, Azerbaijan</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/5Dream.jpg "<p>"Democracy is... to have a dream about better future." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Dino Peric, Bosnia and Herzegovina</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/4Freedom.jpg "<p>"Democracy is... freedom without boundaries!" Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Venkatesh Hamyanaik, Australia</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/3The-road-to-education.jpg "<p>"Democracy is... accessible and quality education for all. It is education as a right." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Mikas Aleya C. Matsuzawa, Philippines</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/2Right-to-Learn.jpg "<p>"Democracy is... the right to education, the freedom to learn and the hope of a future."</p>
<p>Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Mike Mitchell, Benin</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p> </p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-September/In-Our-Hands_South_Africa.jpg "<p>"Democracy is...in our hands." Winner of the 2010 Democracy Photo Challenge, Kaylene George, South Africa</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-March/3_3.jpg "<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold\">Vicente Fox (right), former president of Mexico, and his wife Martha Fox de Sahagun (second from right) meet with IRI President Lorne Craner and Executive Vice President Judy Van Rest at IRI’s office in Washington, DC. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold\"><o:p></o:p></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-March/10_0.jpg "<p>Board Member of IRI’s Arab Women’s Leadership Institute also participated in the Women’s Democracy Network conference.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The Board Member discussed their efforts to reach out to Arab women and get them involved in the political process in their region.</p>
<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;
mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\"><span style=\"color:red\"> </span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-March/6_1.jpg "<p>Participants in IRI’s Rising Stars program from Afghanistan pose for a photo at the end of their trip to Dubai, UAE.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>IRI hosted six Afghan leaders from government, civil society and the private sector for a two-day workshop on anti-corruption and democratic transition.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The workshop was a follow-up to IRI’s June 2009 Rising Stars exchange between emerging leaders from Afghanistan to Indonesia to learn from Indonesia’s success in economic development and good governance.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"\"><o:p></o:p></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-March/7.jpg "<p>Special guest speaker Rosen Plevneliev, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria, and a member of GERB (the governing center-right political party) speaks to nearly 30 young leaders from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The IRI-hosted seminar featured trainers on public opinion research, communications and campaign organization from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and the US.</p>
<p class=\"MsoListParagraph\" style=\"margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"\"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-March/3_0.jpg "<p>IRI President Lorne Craner (far left) and IRI’s director for Eurasia program, Stephen Nix (second from right), meet with the Vlad Filat, Prime Minister of Moldova (second from right) to discuss IRI’s work in Moldova.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"\"><o:p></o:p></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/IMG_0382.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA\"><span style=\"color: #1f497d\"><span style=\"color: black\"> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA\"><span style=\"color: #1f497d\"><span style=\"color: black\">A child gets some help while placing her father’s ballot in the box in Lviv oblast on election day.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/3_2.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Former Secretary of State and IRI Board Member Lawrence Eagleburger (left) visits with IRI Board Member Rich Williamson (center) and Chester Crocker, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the dinner.</span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/13_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%; font-size: 10pt\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%; font-size: 10pt\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt\">Members of the IRI-sponsored youth committee in Tabqet Fahel, Jordan pose together after the completion of an organized city beautification campaign titled “The Most Beautiful Neighborhood.” The group cleaned a dried river bed which had become a de-facto city dump. Fifty youth took part in the campaign, joined by the mayor and council members who assisted them in the effort. The members are wearing sashes which say “Cleanliness is our belief” and “Keep our city clean.” </span></span></span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/8_0.jpg "<p class=\"MsoListParagraph\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto\"><span style=\"font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt\">During a reception in the U.S. Capitol, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) (left), Congressman David Dreier (R-CA) (center) and staff from the Congressional Research Service welcome legislators from Haiti, Kenya, Liberia and Peru for the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) Parliamentary Visitor Program. Congressman Dreier, who sits on IRI’s Board of Directors, also serves as Ranking Member for the HDP.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<!--EndFragment-->
<p> </p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/13.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">A man arrives to vote in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on November 29.<span style=\"color:black\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>IRI’s delegation commended the poll workers, who were well prepared, enthusiastic and professional in carrying out their duties.</span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/12.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Ballots are counted in the November 29, 2009 elections in Honduras.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span><span style=\"color:black\">The elections were managed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, an independent body whose members had been in place prior to 2009.</span> </span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/10.jpg "<p> <span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">IRI delegation leader, David Kramer (left), visits with an elderly woman who voted in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on November 29.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>IRI sponsored an election observation delegation <span style=\"color:black\">including representatives from Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Spain and the United States for the November 2009 Honduran elections.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span></span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/9.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Women hold up their voter registration receipts in Sudan after IRI's multi-party women's dialogue on elections.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>During the dialogue, the women of Southern Sudan rallied together to encourage women to register to vote.</span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/8.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Participants listen to a presentation during the second Latin America and Caribbean regional conference hosted by IRI’s Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) in Lima Peru.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span><span style=\"color:black\">The WDN hosted Network members from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The program focused on caucus building and legislation development. Ana Escobar, the former Vice President of El Salvador, gave opening remarks and stressed the importance of women working together to provide better governing practices in their home countries. </span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/7.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Participants visit during IRI’s <span style=\"color:black\">Arab Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI) Advancing Women Leaders Conference.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>AWLI’s three-day conference provided participants with intensive trainings and opportunities to learn from each other as they shared ideas and experiences with their colleagues from other Arab countries.</span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/6_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;
mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan, founder of the Jordanian National Commission for Women and a champion of women’s rights and human development, greets members of IRI’s Arab Women's Leadership Institute </span><span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">during the </span></span><span style=\"font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:
AR-SA\">Advancing Women Leaders Conference in Amman, Jordan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span><span style=\"color:black\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>Her Highness participated in an informal roundtable with women members of parliament, civil servants and young leaders from across the Arab region.</span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/5_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Jordanian mayors and a delegation of mayors from Ukraine discuss their experiences in local governance and decentralization during an IRI-sponsored roundtable attended by the Jordanian Minister of Municipal Affairs.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>In early November, IRI hosted Sergiy Odarych, the Mayor of Cherkassy, Ukraine and Luba Mayboroda, a Deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council in Jordan for the second half of a Jordanian-Ukrainian local elected leaders exchange program.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>During their busy week in Jordan, Mayor Odarych and Deputy Mayboroda traveled to six municipalities in the north, center and south of the country and interacted with the mayors, municipal councils and key municipal staff in each city.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>IRI organized a visit of nine Jordanian mayors to Ukraine in June 2009.</span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/4_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Youth members of Al-Resaleh Party’s branch office in Karak, Jordan work on developing local committee structures during an IRI training.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>As a result of the training exercise, the branch office planned an event for the first week of December to raise party name identification in Karak by distributing party fliers at a busy traffic intersection during rush hour.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/3_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Citizens participate in a town hall meeting in Ajloun, Jordan jointly organized by IRI, the municipal government and the city’s citizens and youth committees.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The town hall focused on city cleanliness and sanitation issues in Anjara, a key business district of the city.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>This district is facing severe water and sewage problems because of antiquated infrastructure and lack of regular garbage collection.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The meeting was attended by the Ajloun mayor, councilors elected from the Anjara district, the members of the Ajloun citizens and youth committees, and approximately 50 residents of the district.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>This was the first town hall meeting co-organized by both the citizens committee and youth committee. </span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/2_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\">Local elected officials and representatives from civil society organizations <span style=\"color:black\">participate in an exercise during the first in a series of trainings in Rabat, Morocco.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The first training seminar focused on strategic communication for internal and <span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>external communication.</span></span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/1_0.jpg "<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA\"> A group discussion is held during a session for the Young Women in Leadership mentoring program in Uganda.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>IRI and the Youth Plus Policy Network of Uganda initiated a joint inter-university mentoring session to encourage young women to exercise leadership in economic, political and civic organizations and institutions. <span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\"> </span>The training focused on the development of effective networking strategies as well as providing tips on leadership skills. </span></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/2010-February/4.png "<p>Left to right: IRI President Lorne Craner and <span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; \">Kenneth Wollack, President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) discussing their co-authored paper, </span><i><span lang=\"EN\" style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:
EN\">“New Directions for Democracy,"</span></i><span lang=\"EN\" style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:
EN\"> live on</span><i><span lang=\"EN\" style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:
EN\"> </span></i><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; \">CSPAN’s Washington Journal. The paper offers </span><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; \">concrete recommendations for the next administration to rejuvenate U.S. democracy promotion efforts around the world. </span></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"\"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/gallery/Activities-2007-March-WDNAnniversary/9.jpg "<p>"IRI President Lorne Craner visits with Ida Odinga, Chairperson of the League of Kenya Women Voters. </p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/gallery/Monthly-2007-April/3.jpg "<p>Iraqi election monitors look at a voter registration list posted outside a polling station in Battambang. A delegation of Iraqis worked with Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia to monitor Cambodia's April 1 local commune council elections. <a www.iri.org=\"\" mena=\"\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\">.</a>"</p>")
![](http://iri.org/sites/default/files/gallery/Monthly-2007-May/1.jpg "<p>"Loretta Rosales (fourth from bottom right), a parliamentarian from the Philippines, leads a training session on leadership skills for women in government at IRI's ÒWomen Defining PoliticsÓ conference in Sri Lanka. The two-day conference brought together participants from throughout Sri Lanka to discuss how to increase women's participation in politics. </p>")
