Latest News (Domestic Observation)

Introducing the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations

Following the successful implementation of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, NDI has been facilitating a consensus building process, initiated through the Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) and including representatives of the existing and developing regional networks of nonpartisan domestic elections monitoring organizations, aimed at developing a declaration of principles for domestic nonpartisan election observation/monitoring.  UNEAD has been co-facilitating the process and the NEEDS Project has also provided support in building consensus around it.

The Declaration of Global Principles provides for two levels of endorsements: 1) by nonpartisan domestic election observation/monitoring organizations; and 2) endorsements by intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations concerned with or that support domestic nonpartisan election observation/monitoring.  The second type of endorsers are be noted as “Supporters of the Declaration”. 

During the 1st EU Forum for Domestic Election Observers, organised last July in Brussels by the European Commission, GNDEM was given the opportunity to present the new Declaration to more than100 domestic observers organizations attending the event.

NEEDS also works together the GNDEM to strengthen the development of shared values in domestic observation and providing technical assistance and training services to its members. For further information concerning the GNDEM, please visit www.gndem.org

The Domestic Observer Forum, organized in July in Brussels, witnessed the creation of a new regional network, RONACO

The NEEDS training, organised in Dakar in November 2009, conducted a session on how to create regional networks of domestic observer groups. To illustrate the presentation, NEEDS invited a representative of the regional network Acuerdo de Lima. Following the learning outcomes, 12 organisations for Africa Francophone countries decided to create a regional network. With the constant technical support of NEEDS project and its partners, EISA and CAPEL, the new network was officially launched during the Domestic Observer Forum organised by the European Commission on the 14 and 15 of July 2010. The Déclaration de Bruxelles 15 juillet 2010 gave birth to the « Réseau des Observateurs Nationaux de l’Afrique Centrale et Occidentale ». The RONACO is composed by :

  • Convention de la Société Civile Ivoirienne (CSCI), Côte d’Ivoire
  • Plate-Forme de la Société Civile pour la Démocratie.  Cameroun
  • Association Camerounaise des Femmes Juristes, Cameroun
  • Réseau National pour l’Observation et la Surveillance des Elections au Congo (RENOSEC), RDC.
  • Réseau d’Observation des Confessions Religieuses(ROC). République Démocratique du Congo
  • Plate-forme des Associations et ONGs engagées dans le processus Electoral, République centrafricaine
  • Association des Femmes Juristes de Centrafrique (AFJC), République Centrafricaine
  • Association Nigériane pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme ( ANDDH) ; NIGER
  • Croisade de la Société Civile : NIGER
  • COSOME, Burundi
  • Gorée Institute, Sénégal

Member with a special statut: Union Nationale Malgache des Droits Humains (UNMDH) ; Madagascar

List of Organisations which attended the domestic observers training: