On 2–3 June 2016 International IDEA hosted a workshop, entitled ‘Democracy Assistance and Results Management: Ownership and Learning in Action’, at its offices in Stockholm.
The purpose of the workshop was to share experiences of locally led and learning-oriented approaches to the planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) of democracy-assistance projects and programmes.
This report summarizes the Policy Dialogue on Democracy and Service Delivery, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa, on 23–24 November 2015.
The event was timely, as it unfolded in a context of a growing and common concern, among all of the collaborating partners, regarding service delivery challenges in the region and their potential impact on governance and democracy.
This report documents the Round Table on Elections and Youth: Entry points for Electoral Management Bodies, which took place in Centurion, South Africa, on 24–26 November 2015.
In response to the complexities embodied in youth inclusion in the democratic process, International IDEA has initiated a process for documenting the challenges and practices directed at youth inclusion in politics and within electoral processes from across the continent.
The proportion of women in the Tunisian Parliament is impressive, but is not matched by gender equality in other areas, such as in the cabinet or the leadership of parliamentary committees.
Creating opportunities for further advances in gender equality requires work on many fronts, such as addressing social attitudes to women and men, improved education and training for women and legal protection with regard to violence against women.
Financing of political parties and electoral campaigns as part of larger political reform was the main topic of a seminar held on 28 July at the Sindicatura General de la Nación in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
El Seminario “Financiamiento de la Política: Desafíos para la Reforma”, se realizó el jueves 28 de julio en la Sindicatura General de la Nación en Buenos Aires, Argentina.
El 19 de julio de 2016, Sergio Bitar, miembro del Board de IDEA Internacional y uno de los editores de la publicación “Transiciones democráticas: Enseñanzas de líderes políticos”, (IDEA Internacional/Galaxy Gutenberg) fue el expositor principal de la primera sesión del ciclo “Ideas y autores, repensando la sociedad chilena”, organizada por la Fundación Chile 21.
Sergio Bitar, International IDEA Board Member and co-editor of Democratic Transitions: Conversations with World Leaders, was the keynote speaker at the first session of the series Ideas and Authors, Rethinking Chilean Society, held on 19 July and hosted by the Fundación Chile 21.
Effective service provision entails the efficient and effective provision of public services, but also giving citizens and groups within society—regardless of gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or class—the opportunity to participate in the relevant decision-making processes.
When a country begins a political transition away from violent conflict or non-democratic rule, there are many difficult steps that it must take.
Developing an electoral justice system, which includes the means and mechanisms to ensure that electoral integrity is maintained or restored when an electoral process is damaged by repression, misconduct, or irregularities, may appear to decision-makers to be a secondary concern or even an afterthought.
One of the key recommendations of the Myanmar National Post-Election Conference of March 2016 was that “observers’ rights and duties should be part of the electoral laws and related by-laws”. Thus, on 1 August 2016, International IDEA and Democracy Reporting International (DRI) provided support to the Union Election Commission of Myanmar in initiating a discussion on how to enshrine the role and duties of domestic election observation to civil society organizations (CSOs).
This report documents the Policy Dialogue on how to deepen the transition to democratic governance in Central Africa, the second in the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) Africa and West Asia Regional 2015 Policy Dialogue Series, which took place at the Meridien Re-Ndama Hotel in Libreville, Gabon, on 14–15 December 2015.
For decades, the Middle East has experienced persistent violence and protracted conflict.
Since the beginning of the Arab Awakening in 2010—widely referred to in the coverage of developments in the region as the Arab Spring or the Arab Uprisings—the Arab world has gone through massive change.
The influence of money in politics is a significant threat to democracy, affecting established and emerging democracies alike.
Inadequately controlled flows of money undermine the credibility of elections and the integrity of democratic institutions and processes around the world. Well-designed political finance regulations that are enforceable and anchored in their country’s context play a vital role in ensuring that money is a positive force in politics.
On the occasion of the 24th World Congress of Political Science, which will take place on 23-27 July 2016 at Poznan, Poland, International IDEA is set to lead discussions on key democracy issues and topics. Organized by the International Political Science Association (IPSA), the biennial is considered a key environment to advance and develop the field of political science with the relevant contributions of experts, scholars, and policymakers at all levels.
El 12 y 13 de julio se realizó el Foro Chileno-Alemán, titulado ‘Desafíos para la Democracia’, en el marco de la visita del Presidente de Alemania, Joachim Gauck, a Chile. El foro fue organizado por el Ministerio Secretaria General de la Presidencia (Segpres), las fundaciones alemanas Konrad Adenauer, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert, Hans Seidel, Rosa Luxemburg y Freidrich Naumann.
The influence of money in politics is a significant threat to democracy, affecting established and emerging democracies alike.
Since the general elections in Tonga on 27 November 2014, two Peoples’ Representatives in the 26-seat Parliament, comprising of 17 Peoples’ Representatives and 9 Nobles Representatives, have been dismissed. These Representatives were disqualified for breaches of the Electoral Act 1989. Mr Mateni Tapueluelu, (Peoples’ Representative for Tongatapu 4) was disqualified by the Supreme Court on 15 December 2015 for outstanding debts.
A Chilean-German Forum, entitled “Challenges for Democracy”, was held in the context of a visit to Chile by German President Joachim Gauck on 12-13 July. The forum was jointly organised by the Ministry General Secretariat of Government, and German Foundations Konrad Adenauer, Heinrich Böll, Friedrich Ebert, Hans Seidel, Rosa Luxemburg, and Freidrich Naumann.
