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The 9th Bali Democracy Forum provided the perfect opportunity for International IDEA, the Community of Democracies and the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP) to hold the Asia-Pacific consultation on political empowerment of women. The consultation represents the second regional consultation on this issue, after another was held in November 2016, which focused in Europe.

The interlinkages between governance, economics, assistance and security attract growing interest in aid policy arenas.  A recent book published under the auspices of the Pacific Basin Research Center, entitled The Evolution of Development Thinking, reviews the progress and shortfalls in addressing such issues. In particular, it assesses the effectiveness of more robust mechanisms for citizen participation and more inclusive governance within the development process.

During International IDEA's Council of Member States meeting on 8-9 December, and in the presence of Yves Leterme, Secretary-General of International IDEA, Mongolia, represented by the Chargé d'affaires of the Mongolian Embassy in Sweden,  Bulgan Enkhtuvshin, handed over the Chairship of International IDEA to Peru, represented by the Ambassador of Peru to Sweden, José Beraún Aranibar. Peru will take up its role as the Chair of International IDEA in 2017.

On November 23, the book “Argentina: Una sociedad anómica” (“Argentina: An Anomic Society”) was launched at the bar association Colegio de Abogados, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The book  was presented  by its authors Antonio María Hernández, an Attorney specialised in constitutional law, Eduardo Fidanza, the Director of Poliarquía and Daniel Zovatto, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of International IDEA. 

International IDEA has conceptualized this Framework in order to provide an example of the main elements of an internal gender policy for an electoral management body (EMB).

Its purpose is to support EMBs in their aspirations and efforts to create their own internal gender policies in recognition of their mandates and political status in different countries around the world.

Today, Benin joined International IDEA as the 30th Member State of the organization. At the Council meeting held in Stockholm today, Member States approved Benin’s membership application and welcomed Benin, represented by Ambassador Eusèbe Agbangla, to International IDEA.

The Republic of Benin will be the seventh country from the African continent to become a Member of International IDEA (in addition to Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa).

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) has organized a discussion on “Political Participation in Times of Mass Migration and Refugee Crises” at UN Headquarters today.

“Since I was born, I never got to vote. The same person has been in power for 30 years. Nothing would change if I could vote”, said Yaccub Said Islam of Cameroon.

Participants from across the globe participated in discussions and shared experiences during a two-day conference on the topic of Money in Politics and its Effects on People’s Representation.

After detailed in-depth discussions on different aspects of the problems, the conference unanimously endorsed the New Delhi Declaration on Political Finance Regulation.

Money and politics are inextricably linked.

The functioning of contemporary democracies necessitates political financing, and sometimes the combination of private and public funding sources. However, there is a strong need to control unfair and illegal practices and to regulate political finance in the light of the role that political parties play in the democratic process.

For elections to meet international standards, inclusion of underrepresented groups should be ensured, affirmed participants at a workshop on “Marginalized Groups in Electoral Processes” organized by International IDEA in Stockholm, on 22-23 November 2016.

On 25 November 2016, International IDEA’s Secretary General Yves Leterme travelled to Bucharest, Romania, to participate in the Central and Eastern European Civil Society Forum.

The impact of economic resources on the political participation of women has become a prominent issue in the field of comparative political finance.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that politics dominated by money is, more often than not, politics dominated by men. It is not surprising that the issue has moved to the forefront of debates on gender and political finance.

On 14 and 15 November, the Africa and West Asia Programme of International IDEA (AWA IDEA) organized (in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)) a technical training and capacity development workshop on inter-party dialogue. The focus of the workshop was on natural resources governance and socioeconomic transformation in Central African countries.

Elections are complex undertakings. Regardless of where they take place, election management bodies (EMBs) face numerous risks in organizing them.

These risks are linked to the legal, operational, technical, political and security aspects of electoral processes. When risks become certainties, the consequences can be serious in both well-established and transitional democracies.

Democratic accountability in service delivery

On 22 and 23 November, International IDEA’s Secretary General, travelled to Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend the IX High Level Meeting on “The European Peace: What is Recipe for a Strong Union for All?” organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

International financial institutions (IFIs) are active in many developing countries, influencing the economy through their different operations and, in some cases, exerting significant influence on public sector reform and national economic policies.

International IDEA’s Secretary-General travelled to the Netherlands on 17 and 18 November 2016, as part of International IDEA’s efforts to intensify its outreach to its member states.

On 15 November 2016, International IDEA welcomed Hon. Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Rwanda, with a delegation of Members of the Chamber of Deputies, to the International IDEA Headquarters in Stockholm.