Contact NED Experts

The NED is a valuable resource for information related to democracy worldwide. Staff experts are available to comment on democratic development and related topics in Africa, Asia, Central Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

To contact a staff expert, or for more information on NED programs, events and publications, please contact:

Jane Riley Jacobsen,
Director, Public Affairs
202-378-9700

Press Releases:

May 27, 2009 - 2009 Democracy Award Honorees Announced
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will honor the courage and determination of five Cuban democracy activists with the presentation of its annual Democracy Award at a Capitol Hill ceremony and reception on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. 

January 23, 2009 - Richard A. Gephardt Elected Chairman of National Endowment for Democracy
On Friday, January 16th, the board of directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) elected Richard A. Gephardt to serve as the Endowment’s new chairman.

November 6, 2008 - “Religion and Democracy: Allies or Antagonists?”
Jean Bethke Elshtain to Deliver Annual Lipset Lecture on Nov. 12 at Embassy of Canada.

October 29, 2008 - NED Welcomes Fall 2008 Reagan-Fascell Democracy and Visiting Fellows: Newly arrived Fellows at NED include leading democratic activists, journalists, and scholars from a wide range of countries, including Germany, Guinea, India, Nepal, Senegal, Ukraine, and the United States. 

September 10, 2008 - Memorial Program Will Honor Legacy Of Bronislaw Geremek: Speakers to include Billington, Brzezinski, Diehl, Dobriansky, Lugar. On Thursday, September 11, at 11:00 AM, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), in cooperation with the Embassy of Poland, will host a memorial gathering to honor the life and work of former Polish foreign minister Bronislaw Geremek, whose life was tragically cut short when he died in a car accident on July 13 at the age of 76.

July 15, 2008 - International Media Assistance is an Underappreciated Key to Democratic Development: Sustained and committed support of independent news media can make a dramatic difference in creating sustainable development and democracy in the world, according to a newly-released report from the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

June 13, 2008 - 2008 NED Democracy Award to honor Heroes of Human Rights and Democracy in China, Life and work of Tom Lantos will be honored with Democracy Service Medal - On Tuesday June 17, the National Endowment for Democracy will honor the heroic efforts of Chinese workers, lawyers, and writers working to advance democratic values and fundamental rights within China with the presentation of its annual Democracy Award. Chen Guangchen , Zhang Jianhong, Yao Fuxin and Hu Sigen, who are all serving sentences in Chinese prisons, are four of the recipients. Other honorees cannot be named publicly until the award ceremony. The award presentation and a roundtable discussion will take place on Capitol Hill in the Caucus Room (345) of the Cannon House Office Building at 3:30 – 5:00 PM.

June 11, 2008 - Nasteh Dahir Farah assassinated in Somalia - It is with great sadness that we at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have received the news of the death of a friend and partner, Nasteh Dahir Farah, Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

April 25, 2008 - The National Endowment for Democracy, the Olympics, and Tibet - Recent English and Chinese-language articles published online by PRC government-controlled news services regarding Olympics-related activities and recent protests in Tibetan areas contain inaccurate and misleading statements about the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Feb 21, 2008 - NED Calls on Serbian Government to Protect Human Rights Defenders and Journalists - The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has petitioned the government of Serbia to act to protect human rights defenders and journalists who have come under threat since the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo.

Feb 11, 2008 - NED Mourns the loss of Congressman Tom Lantos - The Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy extends its deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of Congressman Tom Lantos, who died today, February 11, 2008.

Nov. 9, 2007 - Pierre Hassner will deliver Fourth Annual Lipset Lecture - On November 15, the Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC will host the fourth annual Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture on Democracy in the World featuring Pierre Hassner, research director emeritus at CERI (the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales) in Paris, who will address the topic: Russia's Transition to Autocracy: The Implications for World Politics.

Nov. 2, 2007 - Murder of Independent Journalist Alisher Saipov Deserves Impartial Investigation by Kyrgyzstan - NED grantee Alisher Saipov, founder and editor of the independent Uzbek language newspaper Siyosat, was shot to death in Osh, Kyrgyzstan on Oct 24. The Endowment extends its condolences to Saipov's family and colleagues, and demands a thorough and impartial investigation of this crime and of the smear campaign against Saipov that preceded his death and continues today. [read in Russian]

Aug. 31, 2007 - 2007 Democracy Award to Spotlight Press Freedom Activists from Egypt, Thailand, Russia and Venezuela will be honored by NED on September 18 - The National Endowment for Democracy will present its annual Democracy Award to an organization and three individuals who have bravely contributed to increasing and preserving press freedom and independent media in Egypt, Southeast Asia, Venezuela, and Russia.

Aug. 13, 2007 - National Endowment for Democracy Grieves Loss of Two Murdered Journalists in Somalia - It is with grief and outrage that the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) learned of the targeted assassination of our esteemed colleague, Ali Iman Sharmarke, the director of Horn Afrik radio. He was killed when a remote-controlled mine was detonated on the route of the funeral procession for Radio Capital Voice director Mahad Ahmed Elmi, who was shot only a few hours earlier by unidentified gunmen in the outlying Mogadishu neighborhood of Gubta.

June 1, 2007 - National Endowment for Democracy to Donate Founding Papers to Library of Congress: June 7 Event to Mark 25th Anniversary of Reagan's Westminster Address - The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will donate papers from its founding and early years of operation (1982-1994) to the Library of Congress on Thursday, June 7, the eve of the 25th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's historic Westminster Address to the British Parliament, which led to the founding of NED. A panel discussion, signing ceremony and reception will take place in the Madison Building of the Library, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 30, 2007 - Center for International Media Assistance Inaugural Forum: Exposing Corruption and Promoting Good Governance
Panel to mark World Press Freedom Day and launch "Media Matters" Book
"The International Role of the Media in Exposing Corruption and Promoting Good Governance," is the topic for the first public meeting of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA). The panel discussion in honor of World Press Freedom Day will take place on Wednesday, May 2 from 8:00 - 10:00 am in room HC-5 of the US Capitol.

Apr. 17, 2007 - Albright, McCain and Weber call for release of Le Quoc Quan
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Senator John McCain and NED Chairman Vin Weber are the authors of a letter sent April 12 to the President of Vietnam protesting the March 8 arrest of Le Quoc Quan, a Vietnamese lawyer who was most recently a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at NED. [read more]

Mar. 16, 2007 - NED Reagan-Fascell Fellow Le Quoc Quan Arrested after Return to Vietnam - The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is greatly troubled by the arrest in Vietnam of Le Quoc Quan. Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer, has recently been in residence at NED on a congressionally-funded Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship, pursuing independent research on the role of civil society in emerging democracies. He was arrested on March 8 in his hometown in Nghe An province, only 4 days after his return from Washington to Vietnam. At this time, Le Quoc Quan's whereabouts are unknown, and there are no public charges against him. [read more...]

Feb. 23, 2007 - Joint Statement on the Murder of Dusko Kondor. The Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) condemn the brutal murder of human rights activist Mr. Dusko Kondor and urge the authorities of Republika Srpska as well as Republika Srpska police, to effectively find and prosecute the perpetrators of this crime. [read more...]

Jan. 17, 2007 - NED Grieves NDI Staff Killed in Iraq. The Board of Directors and staff of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) were profoundly saddened to learn of the losses sustained by our dear friends and colleagues at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) when a convoy of its employees in Iraq was ambushed today, killing four and wounding two others. Since 2003 NDI and it's staff have worked tirelessly with Iraqis who are bravely pursuing a democratic future for their country. This work, carried out by an international staff (including many Iraqis) across Iraq, and in the open, requires courage, determination and optimism - all characteristics that our fallen and injured colleagues had, and have, in abundance. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and friends of those lost today, and with their colleagues who will continue the pursuit of a democratic Iraq.

View additional Press Releases.