Democracy starts with Dialogue.

Democracy can only thrive when all voices are heard, and all people are given equal opportunity to participate in politics at every level.

We build all our democracy support programmes around that core belief, ensuring we help empower everyone – from traditionally marginalized groups to established politicians – to play their role in political life and work for the common good of their country.

But this takes hard work, flexibility and long-term commitment. That is why NIMD adheres to its core principles in all the countries where we work. Crucially, we are committed to our principle of impartiality: we are non-partisan and independent, and we always work with politicians from across the political spectrum.

We work across five key thematic areas of: Democracy Education, Dialogue, Women’s Political Participation, Youth Political Participation and Strengthening Democratic Infrastructure. Whether it is a formal dialogue platform, an informal gathering, a Democracy School class or an internal training session, our intervention strategies are aimed at bringing people together to collaborate.

NIMD works in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Dutch Caribbean and the MENA region.