Puolueiden Kansainvälinen Demokratiayhteistyö Demo ry - DEMO Finland
Puolueiden kansainvälinen demokratiayhteistyö Demo ry
Partiernas internationella demokratisamarbete Demo rf
Political Parties of Finland for Democracy, Demo Finland
Puolueiden kansainvälinen demokratiayhteistyö Demo ry
Partiernas internationella demokratisamarbete Demo rf
Political Parties of Finland for Democracy, Demo Finland
Political Parties of Finland for Democracy, Demo Finland, functions as a co-operative organisation for Finnish parliamentary parties. It seeks to enhance democracy by carrying out and facilitating collaborative projects between Finnish political parties and political movements in the developing countries. The purpose of these collaborative projects is to promote dialogue and mutual learning on different forms of democracy, and the problems and possibilities thereof.
When the demonstrations of the Arab spring ended the thirty-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, women stood at the forefront of the protests at the Tahrir Square. The press often highlighted young educated women's role in carrying the message forward on Facebook and Twitter but more importantly, the women were in the streets calling for change as equal actors of the revolution.
The young women of Nepal are still encountering a lot of problems because of their sex but nevertheless feel that the Joint Youth and Students' Platform is promoting gender equality in politics. To assess women's role in Nepalese youth politics and in the work of the platform, Demo Finland carried out a small-scale study on the subject by interviewing several women who have participated in the platform.
According to the new Finnish Development Policy Action Plan, Finland's development co-operation is based on developing countries citizens' and their democratically elected representatives' ownership of their societies' development. "In the operation, increasing attention will be paid to human rights and support for the use of each developing country's own resources for development purposes. At the same time, we will redirect our own work efforts in accordance with the needs of developing countries, global division of duties, and Finnish competencies and strengths," Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala states.
Ghana’s democracy is considered to be one of the most succesful ones in Africa. The fact that the power has been shifted peacefully from a party to another is a sign of a functioning multi-party system. Also, Ghana’s media is acknowledged free and independent. However, the under-representation of women in Ghanaian politics casts a shadow to its democracy. Currently under 9 percent of the members of parliament are women.
"We know that the guys have their own networks, even in equal societies, there are associations that have existed for hundreds of years and they still do not let us women in. We need to have our own networks supporting each other."Astrid Thors
The 14th of January marked the first birthday of the Tunisian revolution and the fall of former dictator Ben Ali. Since then, Tunisia has taken remarkable steps in its democratization process. The political life is active, dozens of parties and hundreds of civil society organisations have been founded. Also, a governing body for drafting a new constitution was elected in a succesful election last autumn. Nevertheless, many Tunisians are disappointed by the slow pace of democratization. Especially the youth think that they have been forgotten. By a Tunisian request, Demo Finland has launched a co-operative project that aims to enhance the youth's voice in politics.
Democracy Digest 11.5.2012
Al Arabiya 10.5.2012
Democracy Digest 7.5.2012
Democracy Digest 3.5.2012
Democracy Digest 26.4.2012
Open Democracy 25.4.2012
Democracy Digest 24.4.2012
National Democratic Institute 23.4.2012
FRIDE 12.4.2012
Foreign Policy 11.4.2012
Democracy Digest 9.4.2012
UNDP 4.4.2012
European Council on Foreign Relations 2.4.2012
Democracy Digest 2.4.2012
Democracy Digest 26.3.2012
