In 2020, the Commonwealth commemorated 40 years of election observation.
Through a two-day virtual Symposium and four Expert Forums, we are reflecting on lessons learnt and how international election observation methodologies have evolved. Speakers will also look ahead to future challenges and opportunities in the field of elections.
All sessions are open to all and will be hosted on GoTo Webinar and streamed live on Facebook. Recordings will also be available following the events.
Past events
Democracy Day Symposium
The Democracy Day Symposium on 15-16 September 2020 featured a High-Level Panel sharing experiences and insights on the evolution of democracy promotion in the Commonwealth, and a session analysing key electoral trends over the last 40 years.
- >Symposium programme and speakers (PDF)DocumentD17192_Elect-40_SymposiumProg1_V4.pdf (152.25 KB)
High-Level Panel – Reflecting on the Commonwealth’s Electoral History and Evolution: Personal Perspectives
Panel II: Key Electoral Trends Influencing the last 40 years
Expert Forums
The Expert Forums pick up from where the Symposium left off. A series of expert-driven sessions will provide the opportunity to delve deeper into the key trends and contemporary challenges to elections and observation.
Expert Forum programme and speakers (PDF)
Export Forum I: Challenges to Contemporary International Election Observation
Expert Forum II: Examining Trends: Representation and Inclusion
Expert Forum III: Rule of Law, Conflict Sensitivity and Elections
Expert Forum IV: Electoral Technologies and Social Media Truth and Trust in the Digital Age
