The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Voters in several areas of Peru will head to the polls on Dec. 5 to take part in run-off elections for department presidential candidates who did not achieve the required 30 percent of the vote during first-round elections Oct. 3. Ten departments – or states – will hold runoffs for the top two candidates. In preparation for the vote, NDI is working with its Peruvian civic partner, Transparencia (Transparency), to organize, record and broadcast debates between the top candidates on television and radio.

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In the West African country of Burkina Faso, gender discrimination touches many aspects of women's lives. Inheritance rights are unequal between men and women, violence against women is pervasive and women have lower literacy rates — 22 percent compared to 37 percent for men, according to the 2009 U.N. Human Development Report. To raise awareness about these problems, a coalition of representatives from Burkinabe women's and human rights organizations traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, in October to present a report on the status of women's rights in Burkina Faso to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

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