ELECTION OBSERVATION PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: APPLICATIONS FOR SHORT TERM OBSERVERS TRAINING COURSE ARE NOW OPEN UNTIL 12 APRIL 2018

The Training Program for Short Term Observers (STOs) 2018 is now open for registration. Applicants may register until 12 April 2018. Held annually since 2002, the course organized by Sant’Anna School Dirpolis Institute (Law, Politics, Development) in partnership with the Osservatorio dei Media - Pavia and Elex, enjoys a long tradition of providing in-depth teaching about OSCE-ODIHR’s election observation methodology, international standards related to elections, the principles of election observation, the duties and activities of short-term observers in the field.

The purpose of European Union election observation missions is to assist partner countries in holding genuine democratic elections. The European Commission, in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is committed to providing election assistance and to promoting human rights protection and the rule of law worldwide. The EU election observation contributes to strengthening democratic institutions, peace-building process and public confidence in electoral procedures.

An observation mission, with a core team composed of 10 to 15 international experts, assesses all aspects of the electoral process, its constitutional and legal framework, the delimitation of constituencies, the registration of voters and candidates, the training of election staff, voter education, and the media coverage. To ensure balance and diversity, ODIHR considers nationality and gender in the team’s composition.

The purpose of this training course is to foster the practical application of knowledge derived from lectures, to develop organizational skills, and to further enhance the professionalism of election observers providing greater transparency and understanding of ODIHR’s election observation methodology.

Cover photo: Professor Andrea de Guttry teaching in a seminar