National Democratic Institute to honor "civic innovators" – including The GovLab

The GovLab is delighted and proud to be awarded the 2013 NDI Democracy Award  as a “Civic Innovator” of the Year. The GovLab’s Director, Professor Beth Simone Noveck, together with 12 other “individuals and organizations that have exhibited a sustained commitment to democracy and human rights, and have demonstrated leadership, integrity and courage in their dedication to democratic values and practices” will be honored at a dinner in Washington, DC on Tuesday evening.
The roster of civic innovators include:

• María Baron, Chair, Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency and Executive Director, Fundación Directorio Legislativo (Latin America)
• Jared Cohen, Director, Google Ideas and Ginny Hunt, Strategy Principal, Google’s Civics Team (United States)
• Vukosava Crnjanski Sabovic, Founder and Director, Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (Serbia)
• Gregor Hackmack, Co-Founder, Parliament Watch (Germany)
• Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Lead Government Chair, and Rakesh Rajani, Lead Civil Society Chair, Open Government Partnership (Global)
• Ellen Miller, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Sunlight Foundation (United States)
• Rufus Pollock, Founder and CEO, Open Knowledge Foundation (Global)
• Tom Steinberg, Founder and Director, mySociety (United Kingdom)
• The Amnesic Incognito Live System (TAILS) (Global)
• Oras Tynkkynen, Vice Chair of the Committee for the Future, Parliament of Finland (Finland)

This year, the program of the Dinner and Awards will focus on civic innovators. According to program: “Technology is changing the way that citizens organize and that democracies function. NDI will present its 2013 Democracy Award to “The Civic Innovator,” in recognition of an emerging class of creative and entrepreneurial individuals who are using technology to help advance and improve democracy in the digital age. The award will be accepted by a representative sampling of government officials, elected politicians, entrepreneurs and civic activists who are at the forefront of this movement to use innovation to improve the responsiveness and transparency of government institutions and to expand opportunities for democratic participation.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a “nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government…The Institute’s work upholds the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also promotes the development of institutionalized channels of communications among citizens, political institutions and elected officials, and strengthens their ability to improve the quality of life for all citizens.”  The NDI currently focuses on the following program areas:

• Citizen Participation Helping citizens engage in their country’s political process is one goal of NDI programs. The Institute provides technical assistance in organizing techniques, civic and voter education, budget oversight and other skills that help make governments accountable.
• Debates NDI and the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) have partnered to help debate sponsoring organizations overcome the challenges they face when planning candidate debates around the world.
• Democracy and Technology Democracy practitioners and activists are using new technologies to improve access to information and enhance their effectiveness.
• Democratic Governance The Institute’ governance programs seek to promote effective public-sector institutions and processes that operate in a manner consistent with democratic values of transparency, representation, pluralism and accountability.
• Elections NDI programs promote the integrity of electoral and political processes based on international human-rights law and the practicalities of citizen mobilization.
• Political Parties Political parties form the cornerstone of a democratic society and serve a function unlike any other institution in a democracy.
• Women’s Political Participation The Institute’s programs help to create an environment where women can advocate on matters of policy, run for political office, be elected, govern effectively, and participate meaningfully in civic life.