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NL Photo report Future Leaders training
Last weekend marked the start of a new cycle of the Future Leaders project for political activists from the Middle East and North Africa. More than 30 participants from Morocco, Tunisia, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Jordan came to Amman for an intensive 3-day training in social democracy, campaigning, political communication and debating.
Female leadership training in Armenia
Last week, we organised a training in Armenia, together with Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF). It is difficult for Armenian women to advance to leadership positions in politics, due to prevailing stereotypes and a relatively conservative society. This training was designed to give a group of talented young women the necessary skills they can use against these obstacles and help each other.
Will you join the FMS team?
We are looking for interns again! Do you have an affinity with international politics and would you like to know what it is really like at a political organisation? Then apply now for one of the three internships we are offering.
Political newcomers: wave of change in Eastern Europe?
For years, we have been talking about the rise of nationalism, conservatism and nativism in Europe. Could it be that a countermovement is now emerging there? A number of new leaders in Central and Eastern Europe may be showing a new trend. Want to know more? Read all about it in the piece by our Eastern Europe expert Marina Ohanjanyan!
Elections in Ukraine: All You Need To Know
Ukraine is in the midst of an electoral campaign. Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Petro Poroshenko, who received the biggest number of votes in the first round of presidential elections, are actually close to the finish line. However, the electoral campaign becomes more and more interesting. Candidates focus on show and action, sometimes forgetting about their own programmes and ideas.
What is happening in Ukraine, what is this struggle about and who will win - Vitaliy Tysiachnyi, coordinator of the Social Democratic Platform in Ukraine, explains.
Get involved! Women empowerment in Morocco
Did you watch any of the election debates during the last Provincial Council elections? Then you must have noticed: lots of men in suits. We currently have only a few female party leaders in the Netherlands. Not only that: women occupy only 46 of the 150 Lower House members, are underrepresented in top positions and are still paid less in the same positions. Fortunately, many projects exist to change this. A well-known example is 'Vote for a Woman', an initiative to promote women's political emancipation and representation. As a result, last election, 42 women were elected with preferential votes. But there is still a world to be won, even though women have been allowed to stand for election for more than 100 years.
North Macedonia catching the EU train
On the 6th of March Foundation Max van der Stoel joined a roundtable discussion at the FES EU Office in Brussels: North Macedonia and Greece after the Prespa Agreement. This Agreement settled the name dispute between Greece and (now) North Macedonia and paved the way for Euro-Atlantic integration. The discussion covered both the lessons that could be learned from this process as well as expectations for the relations between North Macedonia and Greece after signing the Agreement.
Behind the scenes: a report on the protests in Belgrade
After months of weekly street protests, the protest movement in Serbia on Saturday 16 March tried to increase pressure on authoritarian President Vučić by occupying the public broadcaster's building and, unsuccessfully, demanding airtime. Without using excessive force, the building was cleared by police. The protesters dealt a small blow to the president in their fight for media freedom and restoration of democracy and rule of law, but the road to victory is still long. Foundation Max van der Stoel was at the protests in Belgrade and saw a particularly diverse group of citizens defy fear and take on the president.
Progressive government in northern Macedonia works on human rights
After a peaceful revolution, Prime Minister Zaev's progressive government has made great strides in a short time: improved relations with neighbouring countries, signed a historic agreement with Greece and made strides in Euro-Atlantic integration. The country is also breaking with illiberal trends in neighbouring countries in the field of human rights and equality. For instance, the rights of LGBT people are on the agenda of a political party in Macedonia for the first time.
Alfred Mozer and the Labour Party
This month saw the publication of the biography of Alfred Mozer, the first International Secretary of the Labour Party during the years 1946-1958:
'Alfred Mozer, German-Dutch-European, 1905-1979'.
