Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

As programme coordinator of the Dutch Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and Director of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy in Kenya (CMD-K), Njeri Kabeberi has played a crucial role in bringing parties together when a wave of violence erupted in Kenya after the elections in 2008. Njeri Kabeberi and her staff have worked with courage, vision and immense self-sacrifice to bring dialogue and reconciliation between political parties and ethnic communities.

The Dutch ribbon is a tribute to democracy heroes initiated this year on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy at the initiative of the Dutch Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), the Forum for Democratic Development (FDO), and the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD).

In the categories The Netherlands, Europe, and International four "heroes of democracy" are honored. Besides Njeri Kabeberi, former MEP Jan Marinus Wiersma, the Dutch-Moluccan activist Pattisahusiwa Farida and the Amsterdam-based foundation Kantara also receive a democracy ribbon. The award comes with a cash prize of € 500, -.

The recipients of the ribbons have been nominated by a committee consisting of Arthur McMillan Scott, MEP and Chairman of the Democracy Caucus, Prof.. J. TH. Houwink ten Cate, Professor Genocide Studies, University of Amsterdam, Nancy Jouwe, Director of Foundation and PACE Kosmopolis Utrecht, and Esther Vonk, Programme Officer Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States at Mama Cash.

The Dutch tribute to Njeri Kabeberi follows upon a recent German award for her work. On Thursday, October 30 she received the Human Rights Prize of the Chamber of Lawyers of Frankfurt am Main.