Transparency in the funding of campaigns, political parties and democratic politics is at the heart of the international anti-corruption agenda.
The adoption of commitments on political finance transparency as part of the Open Government Partnership is an important step in that direction.
A lack of information on how much money circulates in and around elections, where resources are coming from and how they are spent could facilitate corruption and undermine integrity of political participation and representation. Transparency in the funding of political parties and election campaigns plays a key role in advancing global anti-corruption agenda.
International Women’s Day presents an opportunity to take stock and reinforce the sought-after goals for women’s empowerment in all spheres of life. The global pursuit to #BalanceforBetter can only be attained when there is zero tolerance for any form of discrimination against women and girls, when there is no impunity for violence against all women and girls, not because they are daughters, sisters, wives or mothers but simply because they are human.
The key findings on political gender equality derived from the most recent update to the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices data are as follows.
This issue of the GSoD In Focus explores the contribution that the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices can make to the review of progress on the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Committed to the principles and practices of democracy, the Secretary-General as the most senior officer of International IDEA, is ultimately responsible for the leadership of the institute, ensuring the mobilization of political and financial support to expand the Institute’s impact and relevance.
Collective demands for the constitutional accommodation of territorial cleavages are pervasive across very diverse contexts.
In many countries, political identification on the basis of territory is a central basis of political mobilization, around which political claims are framed, political parties formed, elections contested, governments composed, and constitutional claims made and resisted.
International IDEA organized a two-day roundtable discussion in The Hague, on 27 and 28 November 2018, to convene participants from electoral management bodies (EMBs) and cybersecurity agencies, as well as academics and independent experts from 20 countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, The United Kingdom and The United States of America.
The Office of International IDEA to the European Union organized a Meeting of Representatives of International IDEA Member States in Brussels on 3 December 2018. The meeting was hosted by the Permanent Mission of the African Union to the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
Luxembourg joined International IDEA as the 32nd Member State of the organization when the Council of Member States met in Stockholm on 13 December 2018. The Member States welcomed Luxembourg to the organization and looked forward to cooperating to promote sustainable democracy worldwide. Luxembourg noted in its application that the country subscribes to the mandate of International IDEA to promote and strengthen sustainable democracy at the global and national levels.
The Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) is an annual summit that brings together senior government officials and other notables from the Asia Pacific region and around the world to grapple with a theme in democracy.
The key findings on corruption derived from the most recent update to the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices data are as follows.
International IDEA’s Annual Review of Constitution-Building Processes provides a retrospective account of constitutional transitions around the world, the issues that drive them, and their implications for national and international politics.
This year, the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network celebrates 20 years as the world’s largest online source of electoral knowledge.
For democracies to function properly and meet the needs of citizens, they need to be adequately resourced. It is therefore unavoidable to talk about money when discussing the conduct of elections, running a government, drafting laws and running public services.
Sandwiched between China and Russia, Mongolia’s democracy is in constant peril. The country’s political turmoil is not only prompted by the geopolitical forces outside of its borders, but also from creeping corruption from within.
Money is a necessary component of the democratic process, enabling the expression of political support as well as competition in elections. At the same time, if the funding of political parties and election campaigns are not effectively regulated, money could also undermine the integrity of processes and institutions of political participation and representation.
Voter turnout is one of the crucial indicators of how citizens participate in the governance of their country.
Higher voter turnout is in most cases a sign of the vitality of democracy, while lower turnout is usually associated with voter apathy and mistrust of the political process.
With parliamentary elections in Moldova less than three months away, debate on the funding of election campaigns is heating up. On 6 December 2018, International IDEA organized Moldova’s first roundtable dialogue on Third-Party Contributions in Political and Campaign Funding, together with the Center for Continuous Electoral Trainings (CICDE).
International IDEA and the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies (PSCD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation in promoting and supporting democracy. This agreement formalizes and strengthens the long-standing successful cooperation between the two organizations and provides the working framework for inter-institutional dialogue and further cooperation.
