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 resources2. Assisting in reform and3. 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

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 www.idea.int

Contact the Secretariat

Martti AntolaOfficer for External Relations and Governance SupportOffice of the Secretary-GeneralStrömsborg SE – 103 34 StockholmSWEDENEmail: m.antola@idea.intTel: +46 8 698 37 21

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