International IDEA

IDEA in a Nutshell The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is the only global intergovernmental organization with a direct mandate to support democracy worldwide IDEA support democracy through providing comparative knowledge resources, assisting in democratic reform and influencing global policies and politics regarding democracy support 25 Member States on 6 continents; relies on its Member States for its mandate, political legitimacy, governance, strategic direction and financing Does not promote a single approach to democracy, but rather seeks to promote the sharing of different experiences from developing and sustaining democracy Headquarters in Sweden, regional offices in Africa, Latin America and Asia

Any country dedicated to democratic principles and with demonstrable democratic practices can become a member, but we strive to maintain a regional balance Currently 25 Member States on 6 continents: Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay Japan is an observer Our Member States

Headquarters: Stockholm (Sweden) Africa: Regional Office in Pretoria (South Africa), West Africa Office in Accra (Ghana), Project office in Khartoum (Sudan) Americas: Regional Office in San José (Costa Rica), Andean Region Office in Lima (Peru), Country Offices in Bogota (Colombia), La Paz (Bolivia) and Quito (Ecuador) Asia/Pacific: Project office in Kathmandu (Nepal) Regional Organizations: UN Liaison Office in New York (USA), EU Liaison Office in Brussels (Belgium) Our Offices

Although there can be no single “right” model of democracy, IDEA believes there are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled. We define democracy as: A system of governance in which government is controlled by the people in which citizens are treated as equals in the exercise of that control IDEA’s “Working Definition” of Democracy

To support sustainable democratic change through: 1.Comparative knowledge resources 2.Assisting in reform and 3.Influencing policies and politics All of IDEA’s programmes are:  designed to contribute to all three elements  context sensitive - making available comparative experiences, facilitating dialogue and encouraging locally-driven and informed change processes  collaborative - building worldwide networks and creating synergy with a wide range of partners Core Mission

No one-size fits all solutions to democracy – it can not be exported, only supported Non prescriptive – we do not impose ourselves on states or stakeholders but distill experiences from countries in the North and South and offer examples of processes that have worked in different parts of the world Catalytic – our knowledge resources and policy proposals are designed to be used by those involved in various democratic reform processes Focus on processes rather than events We work with a broad range of partners at the global and regional levels Our Approach

Making elections work better  host and facilitate electoral knowledge and training networks like ACE, NEEDS and BRIDGE  promote the electoral cycle approach to complement election observation  assist in reforming electoral systems (e.g. in Bolivia and Mexico) Political parties and representation  support and develop capacity of political parties (e.g in Sudan)  assist in political reform (e.g. in Colombia and Peru)  participation of women What We Work With

Assessing the state of democracy  has developed a methodology for assessing the state of demoracy at the national and local level to help identify stregths and weaknesses Constitution Building  develop methodology for an inclusive process of constitution building  assist constitution building efforts e.g. in Nepal, Bolivia and Ecuador Other areas of work  Democracy and gender, democracy and development, democracy and conflict

National policy makers, such as parliamentarians, political party leaders, lobbyists, civil servants Peer organizations, such as UN organizations and agencies or regional organizations Practitioners, such as civil society organizations, local institutions and technical assistance organizations IDEA acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing knowledge resources, expertise and a platform for debate on democracy issues. Primary Audiences

Creating, compiling and sharing knowledge in the form of handbooks, expert networks, databases and training on the basis of field research Influencing policy to provoke constructive change in democratization processes at the national and international levels Supporting democratic reform processes on the basis of requests by countries Key Outputs

Our Staff

Secretary-General Vidar Helgesen Some 120 employees from 40 countries 30% working in the field in Latin America, Asia and Africa 70% working at HQ in Stockholm Our Staff

Visit our website at Contact the Secretariat Martti Antola Officer for External Relations and Governance Support Office of the Secretary-General Strömsborg SE – Stockholm SWEDEN Tel: For More Information on IDEA