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Dear Friends,

Within the span of seven days, the world lost two giants who stood for
freedom and human dignity — Senator John McCain and former UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan. They were public servants who dedicated much of their
their lives to upholding universal values, and advancing democracy and
human rights. This is a time when we remember the causes to which they were
dedicated and honor their legacies. NDI is proud to have worked with Kofi
Annan and his foundation in efforts to promote electoral integrity.

Senator McCain, the long-time chairman of the International Republican
Institute, and NDI have been partners in a common mission. Senator McCain
and NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright experienced in different ways, but on a
very personal level, the absence of freedom in their lives -- he as a
prisoner of war in Vietnam and she as a refugee escaping the Nazis and then
the Communists in Czechoslovakia, her country of birth. That shared
experience shaped their world view and reinforced the close cooperation
between our two institutes.


Last September, I announced my plans to retire after 32 years at NDI. I
will be stepping down next week when Derek Mitchell will become the
Institute's new president. Ambassador Mitchell is an outstanding choice by
NDI's Board of Directors. During the 1990s, Derek was a senior program
officer at NDI, and has worked in the U.S. Senate, the Department of
Defense and at respected Washington think tanks. Most recently, he served
as ambassador to Myanmar/Burma. He has always been deeply committed to
NDI's mission, and the Institute will benefit from his leadership,
experience and expertise as it responds to new opportunities and
challenges.

Alongside a talented and dedicated staff, as well as a global network of
volunteers, I have been privileged to work with thousands of courageous
democrats in every region of the world who have struggled against
tremendous odds to live in democratic societies. These efforts have not
always been easy or cost free. local partners have often sacrificed their
livelihoods, and sometimes their freedoms and lives, for fundamental human
and political rights. At NDI, we have lost staff members to terrorist
attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to ethnic cleansing in Burundi; in
Egypt, staffers were tried and convicted on spurious charges and sentenced
to up to five years in prison.

I am most proud of the deep and abiding relationships that we have forged
with a community of democrats in every region of the world -- with
governments, political parties, parliaments, civic organizations, along
with women, youth and marginalized communities -- who work to advance a
more peaceful, stable and humane world.

NDI, I believe, has remained true to its mission while adapting and
changing as new challenges have emerged. Our growing work in areas of
governance, information technology, disinformation, violent extremism,
along with women and youth empowerment, are but a few examples of this
adaptation and change. Yet more needs to be done to help address
democratic deficits and backsliding. We are experiencing what has been
called a decade-long "democratic recession." At the same time, we are
reminded of recent examples of democratic resilience -- from Burkina Faso,
Armenia and Malaysia, to The Gambia, Ethiopia and Slovakia.

NDI could not carry out its mission without the leadership of our Board of
Directors, led by Madeleine Albright, the support of the U.S. Congress,
and the generosity of our private and public donors, including the
National Endowment for Democracy, USAID, the Department of State, along
with the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland, to name but a few.

I am currently serving on the Board of the Commission on Presidential
Debates, as a member of the George W. Bush Institute's Advisory Council on
Human Freedom, and as a member of USAID's Advisory Committee on Voluntary
Foreign Assistance. I will be taking and teaching a few college classes,
and spending more time on the golf course and with my grandson. I will
also be staying on temporarily as a part-time consultant to NDI.

I hope friends and colleagues will remain in touch. For the time being, I
can continue to be reached at my NDI email address or, alternatively, at
kennethwollack@gmail.com. My telephone number is 202-256-2873.

With warm regards and deep appreciation,

Ken


Kenneth Wollack
President
National Democratic Institute
455 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20001
202-728-5500 (Tel)
888-875-2887 (Fax)
email: ken@ndi.org
website: www.ndi.or