Page 185 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

ROLE PLAYED BY INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION 167

International IDEA

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(International IDEA) is an inter-governmental organization with 30 member
states. Its mission is to support sustainable democratic change by providing
comparative knowledge, and assisting in democratic reform, and influencing
policies and politics.

In the field of elections, constitution building, political parties, gender
in democracy and women’s political empowerment, democracy self-
assessments, and democracy and development, it undertakes the work
through three activity areas:

• providing comparative knowledge derived from practical experience on democracy building
processes from diverse contexts around the world;
• assisting political actors in reforming democratic institutions and processes, and engaging in
political processes when invited to do so; and
• influencing democracy building policies through the provision of our comparative knowledge
resources and assistance to political actors.

COVID-19 and Democracy
The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is changing how we lead our lives and how political
leaders are making decisions at the local, national and global level.
International IDEA provides analysis and commentary on COVID-19 and Democracy, and information
on how our democratic rights are affected during health crises and emergencies.
Global Overview of COVID-19 : Impact on Elections

Keep up with the latest changes to the 2020 elections calendar.
Government Responses to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a number of exceptional legal/constitutional responses from
governments around the world as they seek extraordinary measures to manage the threat. While
there are a series of databases which have been established to track these responses, however, to
understand the situation fully, a more nuanced, in-depth expertise is required. This requires in-country
expertise. Through a partnership with the New Zealand Centre for Public Law at Te Herenga Waka—
Victoria University of Wellington, the Center for International and Area Studies at Northwestern
University, International IDEA presents a number of video testimonials providing in depth explanations
of the legal/constitutional response to COVID-19 in over 40 countries.
COVID-DEM INFOHUB

The COVID-DEM Infohub has been established to help democracy analysts worldwide track, compile
and share information on how state and government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) are
impacting on democratic governance. The COVID-DEM Infohub is an initiative of the global platform
Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC) and is managed by DEM-DEC Director Tom Daly and his
team. International IDEA is a partner of DEM-DEC.
Global Monitor of COVID-19’s Impact on Democracy and Human Rights

Governments around the world have assembled emergency powers to respond to the COVID-19
pandemic, at times undermining human rights and democratic processes. A new online platform will
allow policymakers, analysts, journalists and the public to now hold these governments to account.
The Global Monitor of COVID-19’s Impact on Democracy and Human Rights, launched by the European
Union and International IDEA, gathers updated information on 162 countries and will harness the global
expertise of think-tanks and other organizations to offer “a one-stop shop” with measures taken globally
and analysis on how they affect democracy and human rights, from media freedoms to constitutional
checks and balances.