During a time when democratic elections around the world face an evolving and increasingly complex set of threats and challenges, sustained cooperation among global electoral integrity stakeholders is urgently needed.
The Global Network for Securing Electoral Integrity (GNSEI or Network) convenes election stakeholders around a shared vision: to inspire and inform action to advance electoral integrity in the face of critical threats to democracy. Specifically, GNSEI brings together leading international electoral integrity actors to establish a broad-based platform to develop, advance, and promote adherence to norms, guiding principles, and codes of conduct that address emerging and long-term threats to electoral integrity. While there are other platforms and forums that focus on specific election integrity issues or bring together sub-communities of election integrity actors, there has not been a standing platform for these electoral integrity actors to regularly and systematically cooperate.
How was GNSEI formed?
The Network concept was announced by President Biden during the first Summit for Democracy in 2021, among a larger set of initiatives under the Presidential Initiatives for Democratic Renewal. Since then, GNSEI has been formed through a collective effort among more than 30 leading election-related organizations and networks across the globe. While USAID is facilitating the Network’s initial formation, it is not a U.S. government-led platform and is being formed in an inclusive and collaborative manner with the support of numerous global election integrity actors.
What will GNSEI do?
The shared mission of GNSEI is to ensure that elections – and the institutions, norms, principles, and processes underpinning them – reflect the will of all people.
The Network has two primary objectives:
- To strengthen the electoral integrity norms framework by leveraging GNSEI’s collective expertise to identify critical threats to elections, promote awareness of and adherence to existing norms and good practices. Additionally where there are gaps, shape consensus around guiding principles and effective methods to address emerging concerns.
- To provide a standing platform for an expanded network of actors to defend and promote electoral integrity by sharing innovative and effective practices; encouraging conversations on how to dis-incentivise actors from undermining elections; and building relationships between a variety of actors that can enable coordination and rapid response in the face of threats, including those from other sectors whose work has bearing on electoral integrity, such as rule-of-law actors, human rights defenders, anti-corruption bodies, and the information integrity and technology sectors.
Who is part of GNSEI?
Please see below for a detailed list of Network Participants and Observers.
NETWORK PARTICIPANTS
- Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies (ArabEMBs)
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
- Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
- Democracy International (DI)
- Democracy Reporting International (DRI)
- Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
- European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO)
- East and Horn of Africa Election Observation Network (EHORN)
- Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM)
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
- International Republican Institute (IRI)
- Kofi Annan Foundation
- National Democratic Institute (NDI)
- New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
- Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators Network (PIANZEA)
- Red de Observación e Integridad Electoral - Acuerdo de Lima (RedOIE)
- Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)
NETWORK OBSERVERS
- The Carter Center
- Commonwealth Secretariat
- The Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries (ECF-SADC)
- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)
WHO IS PART OF GNSEI’S STEERING COMMITTEE?
Please see below for the list of GNSEI Steering Committee members:
- Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
- Red de Observación e Integridad Electoral-Acuerdo de Lima (RedOIE)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
