International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that helps countries build strong and fair democratic systems. It works with governments, experts, and citizens to make sure elections are free and fair, and that democratic rules work well for everyone.

International IDEA has offices in many parts of the world, including Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and West Asia, and North America. Its main office is located in Stockholm, Sweden.

As of August 2019, Kevin Casas Zamora leads the organization as secretary-general. He previously served as Costa Rica's second Vice President and Minister of National Planning. Before him, Yves Leterme, former deputy secretary-general at the OECD and former Prime Minister of Belgium, held the position from 2014 to 2019. International IDEA is also recognized as an official United Nations Observer.

History

The 1990s were a time when many countries were working hard to build better democracies. Some places, like Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, were slowly moving toward democracy after difficult times with strict rulers. In South Korea, a person named Kim Dae-jung became president, and in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was released after many years in prison, which helped that country begin to become more democratic.

Because many people needed help learning how to make democracy work, Sweden and 13 other countries decided to create the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, known as International IDEA. The official meeting to start International IDEA happened on February 27–28, 1995, with 14 countries joining together: Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. The group focused on sharing information, doing research, creating guides, and helping countries improve their democratic processes.

In 2025, Gyanesh Kumar from India took on an important leadership role in International IDEA during a visit to Stockholm, Sweden.

Mission

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, known as International IDEA, works to help countries build strong and fair democracies. It does this by sharing knowledge, helping leaders and experts talk together, and creating tools to make voting and government work better. International IDEA also supports local people in checking and improving how their democracies work.

Key activities

International IDEA helps make sure elections around the world are fair and open. Since it started in 1995, it has worked with many groups like election officials, lawmakers, and community leaders. It shares ideas and tools to help build strong, trustworthy voting systems that belong to the people.

The organization also helps countries write fair rules for their governments. It offers advice and learning tools so everyone can take part in making these important decisions. International IDEA also studies how well democracies are working everywhere and shares what it finds to help improve them. It launched a project in 2016 to look at democracy worldwide, with reports showing how things are changing.

International IDEA provides online tools and data for anyone to explore, like information on how many people vote, ways to design voting systems, and laws about money in politics. It also has special status as a UN observer.

Members

International IDEA is an organization that helps countries improve their democracies. It started with 14 countries, including Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Chile, and Sweden. By 2024, it had grown to include 35 member countries such as Brazil, Canada, Germany, and India. Japan is an official observer, while the United States left in January 2026.

These countries used to take turns hosting meetings called Democracy Forums. These forums helped everyone talk about important issues like stopping corruption, making leaders responsible, and involving young people in decision-making.

Internal structure

International IDEA has nearly 300 staff members working in many offices around the world. Its main office is in Stockholm, Sweden, with other offices in New York, USA; Washington, DC, USA; Brussels, Belgium; The Hague, Netherlands; Kathmandu, Nepal; Abuja, Nigeria; Suva, Fiji; Thimphu, Bhutan; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; Asunción, Paraguay; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Tunis, Tunisia; and Canberra, Australia.

The organization also has a permanent representative to the United Nations, based in New York City.