Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. It's an honour to be here.
I have very brief remarks. I represent the National Democratic Institute for international affairs based in Washington, D.C. We support democracy in governance around the world, and are currently working in over 65 countries with the support of the U.S. government, European governments, and the Canadian government, and for that we have deep appreciation for the Canadian support of democracy in governance around the world.
I would like to underscore Fatemeh's very important remarks today. As she has laid out, the 2016 elections will be far from what could be considered free and fair by any standard. The recommendations that she has just articulated are standards that could easily be met by the Iranian government with support of the international community. They are achievable. They are very basic things like publicizing polling stations and supporting international observation. These are minor activities that the government should consider and the international community should push for.
We are currently working with Fatemeh and her colleagues on ideas for supporting more women in political office in Iran, which we think is important. The number of women currently stands between 2% and 3%, which is affecting society at large in the country. We're also working with civil society activists both inside and outside Iran in the lead-up to the 2016 elections.
Again, thank you very much for having us both here. We appreciate your time, and we look forward to your questions.