Who We Are
The NEEDS project is run by a consortium of organisations with expertise in the field of elections, good governance, public information, domestic observation, security and logistics. The lead organisation is the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), joined in the consortium by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), EISA-Promoting Credible Elections and Democratic Governance in Africa (EISA), the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights through its Centre for Electoral Promotion and Assistance (IIDH CAPEL) and Internews Europe.
International IDEA is the sole inter-governmental organisation whose purpose is to stregnthen sustainable democratic processes worldwide through comparative knowledge resources, assisting in reform and influencing policies and politics. International IDEA has over twelve years’ expertise in providing assistance and knowledge tools for electoral processes and electoral framework design, with specialised training materials for elections. As a signatory of the Declaration of Principles on International Observation, International IDEA has a long-standing commitment to the advancement of democracy through electoral and institutional reforms as a result of objective and comprehensive assessments of electoral processes worldwide. Its specific policy objective in the framework of the Declaration of Principles on International Electoral Observation is to promote the insertion of observers’ recommendations in the post-electoral political dialogue and reform process of the beneficiary countries, in the interest of long-term and sustainable development of the beneficiary countries’ democratic institutions.
International IDEA brings its large knowledge base and human resources to the project, located within the Department of Design of Democratic Institutions and Processes, the Electoral Processes Unit and other specialised teams with highly qualified expertise on gender and conflict resolution issues. In addition, it provides specific areas of expertise in elections through its leading role in the development of global tools like the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, I-Know politics and the BRIDGE Project (the most popular learning and training instrument for electoral administrators in the world) and through the network of ACE Regional Electoral Resource Centres.
For more information, please visit the International IDEA website.
Established in 1951, IOM is an international organisation with 125 member states and a further 94 observers, including 18 states and 76 global and regional IGOs and NGOs. IOM has approximately 5,600 staff and currently over 1,700 ongoing projects. The structure of IOM is highly decentralised, with offices in over 100 countries for a total of 430 field locations.
The strengthening of democratic institutions through the promotion of national and local elections is a fundamental component of democracy, human rights, conflict prevention in third countries, and community stabilisation. In this context, IOM focuses its activities on providing access to voting to diasporas, supporting EU Election Observation Missions in third countries and assisting governments in the enfranchisement of internally displaced groups. Election Support and External Voting Activities are coordinated by the Election Support Unit in Geneva, while EU Election Observation Missions are implemented by the Election Unit in IOM- Brussels, also facilitating liaison with the European Commission, European Parliament, European Council and EU Member States. IOM has supported the implementation of 40 EU Elections Observation Missions (EU EOMs) worldwide. For more information
For more information, please visit the IOM Website.
EISA, formerly known as the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa, is an NGO established in 1996 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with field offices in Kinshasa, DRC, Antananarivo Madagascar and Maputo, and Mozambique, with a total of 53 permanent staff. Over the past 12 years EISA has built an internationally recognised centre for policy, research and information and provides this service to electoral authorities, political parties and civil society in a variety of areas such as voter, democracy education and human rights education in the formal and informal education environment, electoral reform, electoral observation/monitoring and electoral conflict management and transformation.
Over the past ten years EISA has developed specific and widely acknowledged expertise in electoral observation activities. In particular, EISA helped set up national election observation networks in many African countries, including but not limited to the DRC (RENOSEC), Mozambique (Electoral Observatory) and Botswana (BESNET) and Ivory Coast (through an EC tender). Since 1997 to date, EISA has served as the Secretariat of the SADC ESN, the 14-member CSO electoral network in the sub-continent. In this context, it is worth noting that EISA assisted the drafting of the African Union’s Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa of 2002 and the subsequent development of the AU’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance of 2007.
For more information, please visit the EISA website..
IIDH-CAPEL, a unique sui generis international NGO, was established in San José, Costa Rica, under an Agreement between the Government of Costa Rica and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that allowed the Institute complete independence from other regional players and influence. IIDH-CAPEL brings to the project its multi-dimensional role in democracy support that has gradually matured over the past 20 years. IIDH-CAPEL has specialised programmes on political participation, runs the secretariat functions of three EMB associations, and implements technical assistance projects to domestic observer groups, civic and electoral education programmes. The publications of IIDH-CAPEL cover a wide array of academic and specialised electoral information. It will also bring the specific expertise and logistical infrastructure in its region of responsibility, relying on a large network and a well established reputation.
IIDH-CAPEL serves as the Executive Secretariat for three associations of electoral bodies. This unique combination of functions places it in a strong position to transfer knowledge and build capacity for CSOs engaged in domestic observation in the Latin American and Caribbean regions and facilitate dialogue between international and domestic observation groups. Moreover, the specific nature of IIDH-CAPEL relationships with the Electoral Management Bodies of the mentioned regions also places IIDH-CAPEL in a privileged position to compare observers’ recommendations and lessons learned with EMB internal reviews, and locate the right balance between these two elements to influence technical or political reform processes.
For more information, please visit the IIDH-CAPEL Website.
Internews lies at the nexus of a group of European organisations working on democracy, freedom of expression and the development of independent and tolerant media in their own countries and abroad. Internews maintains ties with such organisations as Article XIX in UK, Reporter sans Frontières in France, IFIAS in Belgium, the Baltic Media Centre in Denmark, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) in France, the Oxford PCMLP in UK, the Thomson foundation in Wales (UK), and many others. Internews is a Steering Committee Member of the Global Forum for Media Development.
Internews has well established links with European journalists, broadcasters, internet foundations and human rights organisations. The Internews office is also the hub for the international network of Internews organisations in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Asia. Through the Internews International network, Internews benefits from logistic facilities and support in 45 countries worldwide.
For more information, please visit the Internews Europe Website.
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International IDEA |
International IDEA is the sole inter-governmental organisation whose purpose is to stregnthen sustainable democratic processes worldwide through comparative knowledge resources, assisting in reform and influencing policies and politics. International IDEA has over twelve years’ expertise in providing assistance and knowledge tools for electoral processes and electoral framework design, with specialised training materials for elections. As a signatory of the Declaration of Principles on International Observation, International IDEA has a long-standing commitment to the advancement of democracy through electoral and institutional reforms as a result of objective and comprehensive assessments of electoral processes worldwide. Its specific policy objective in the framework of the Declaration of Principles on International Electoral Observation is to promote the insertion of observers’ recommendations in the post-electoral political dialogue and reform process of the beneficiary countries, in the interest of long-term and sustainable development of the beneficiary countries’ democratic institutions.
International IDEA brings its large knowledge base and human resources to the project, located within the Department of Design of Democratic Institutions and Processes, the Electoral Processes Unit and other specialised teams with highly qualified expertise on gender and conflict resolution issues. In addition, it provides specific areas of expertise in elections through its leading role in the development of global tools like the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, I-Know politics and the BRIDGE Project (the most popular learning and training instrument for electoral administrators in the world) and through the network of ACE Regional Electoral Resource Centres.
For more information, please visit the International IDEA website.
 |
International Organisation for Migration |
Established in 1951, IOM is an international organisation with 125 member states and a further 94 observers, including 18 states and 76 global and regional IGOs and NGOs. IOM has approximately 5,600 staff and currently over 1,700 ongoing projects. The structure of IOM is highly decentralised, with offices in over 100 countries for a total of 430 field locations.
The strengthening of democratic institutions through the promotion of national and local elections is a fundamental component of democracy, human rights, conflict prevention in third countries, and community stabilisation. In this context, IOM focuses its activities on providing access to voting to diasporas, supporting EU Election Observation Missions in third countries and assisting governments in the enfranchisement of internally displaced groups. Election Support and External Voting Activities are coordinated by the Election Support Unit in Geneva, while EU Election Observation Missions are implemented by the Election Unit in IOM- Brussels, also facilitating liaison with the European Commission, European Parliament, European Council and EU Member States. IOM has supported the implementation of 40 EU Elections Observation Missions (EU EOMs) worldwide. For more information
For more information, please visit the IOM Website.
 |
EISA, formerly known as the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa, is an NGO established in 1996 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with field offices in Kinshasa, DRC, Antananarivo Madagascar and Maputo, and Mozambique, with a total of 53 permanent staff. Over the past 12 years EISA has built an internationally recognised centre for policy, research and information and provides this service to electoral authorities, political parties and civil society in a variety of areas such as voter, democracy education and human rights education in the formal and informal education environment, electoral reform, electoral observation/monitoring and electoral conflict management and transformation.
Over the past ten years EISA has developed specific and widely acknowledged expertise in electoral observation activities. In particular, EISA helped set up national election observation networks in many African countries, including but not limited to the DRC (RENOSEC), Mozambique (Electoral Observatory) and Botswana (BESNET) and Ivory Coast (through an EC tender). Since 1997 to date, EISA has served as the Secretariat of the SADC ESN, the 14-member CSO electoral network in the sub-continent. In this context, it is worth noting that EISA assisted the drafting of the African Union’s Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa of 2002 and the subsequent development of the AU’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance of 2007.
For more information, please visit the EISA website..
 |
IIDH-CAPEL, a unique sui generis international NGO, was established in San José, Costa Rica, under an Agreement between the Government of Costa Rica and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that allowed the Institute complete independence from other regional players and influence. IIDH-CAPEL brings to the project its multi-dimensional role in democracy support that has gradually matured over the past 20 years. IIDH-CAPEL has specialised programmes on political participation, runs the secretariat functions of three EMB associations, and implements technical assistance projects to domestic observer groups, civic and electoral education programmes. The publications of IIDH-CAPEL cover a wide array of academic and specialised electoral information. It will also bring the specific expertise and logistical infrastructure in its region of responsibility, relying on a large network and a well established reputation.
IIDH-CAPEL serves as the Executive Secretariat for three associations of electoral bodies. This unique combination of functions places it in a strong position to transfer knowledge and build capacity for CSOs engaged in domestic observation in the Latin American and Caribbean regions and facilitate dialogue between international and domestic observation groups. Moreover, the specific nature of IIDH-CAPEL relationships with the Electoral Management Bodies of the mentioned regions also places IIDH-CAPEL in a privileged position to compare observers’ recommendations and lessons learned with EMB internal reviews, and locate the right balance between these two elements to influence technical or political reform processes.
For more information, please visit the IIDH-CAPEL Website.
 |
Internews lies at the nexus of a group of European organisations working on democracy, freedom of expression and the development of independent and tolerant media in their own countries and abroad. Internews maintains ties with such organisations as Article XIX in UK, Reporter sans Frontières in France, IFIAS in Belgium, the Baltic Media Centre in Denmark, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) in France, the Oxford PCMLP in UK, the Thomson foundation in Wales (UK), and many others. Internews is a Steering Committee Member of the Global Forum for Media Development.
Internews has well established links with European journalists, broadcasters, internet foundations and human rights organisations. The Internews office is also the hub for the international network of Internews organisations in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Asia. Through the Internews International network, Internews benefits from logistic facilities and support in 45 countries worldwide.
For more information, please visit the Internews Europe Website.
