From 1-5 March 2015, NORDEM, together with a delegation from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, conducted a field visit to Ukraine where NORDEM personnel have been on the ground since the establishment of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMMU) in March 2014.
OSCE/ODIHR is observing the presidential election in Uzbekistan, which will be held on 29 March. NORDEM has sent one long-term observer to this mission.
Challenges and developments in election observation in the OSCE region were among the key issues discussed when NORDEM met the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Michael Link, at NORDEM's premises at the Norwegian Centre for HumanRights on 9 February.
NORDEM secondee Mette Bakken has contributed to IDEA Policy Paper on Electoral Law Reform in Africa.
The Policy Paper provides a series of recommendations to Electoral Management Bodies about to engage in the process of electoral law reform. The Paper is available online.
NORDEM Thematic Paper Series provides an outlet for NORDEM secondees to discuss current practices within areas of their expertise.
The first issue is written by NORDEM secondee Torbjørn Bjorvatn and revolves around field work experiences from working with the economic and environmental dimension in OSCE in Tajikistan.
NORDEM Thematic Paper Series is available for downloading
OSCE/ODIHR is observing the parliamentary election in Tajikistan to be held on March 1st, 2015. NORDEM has sent two long term observers to this mission and will in addition send four short term observers.
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) just released a new Handbook to provide better guidance for election observers in examining campaign finance as part of the overall assessment of elections.
The EU has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to observe the General Elections in Nigeria. One of NORDEM's experienced election observer participates in this mission as a long term observer.
On 15-17 December the Kosovo Property Claims Commission (KPCC) held its final session and the work on resolving conflict-related property claims will soon be finalized. Among the lawyers preparing the cases and attending the session were three NORDEM secondees.
NORDEM has sent one long term observer to The Carter Center's mission in support to the democratic transition in Myanmar.
This is the first time NORDEM sends experts to Myanmar.
OSCE/ODIHR is observing the parliamentary election in Uzbekistan to be held on 21 December. NORDEM has sent one long-term observer to this mission.
OSCE/ODIHR is observing the parliamentary election in Moldova to be held on 30 November. NORDEM has sent two long term and four short term observers to this mission.
Tunisian citizens voted in a genuine and competitive election on Nov. 23, the country's first presidential elections under the new constitution, states The Carter Center in their Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions after the first round of the presidential elections.
For the first time since independence, Tunisians were offered the opportunity to choose among a diverse group of presidential candidates in a genuine election. The Nov. 23 presidential polls, the second of two elections intended to consolidate Tunisia’s democratic transition, were administered in a professional and neutral manner. As such, Tunisia could serve as a model for other countries in the region struggling to establish democratic institutions.
The Carter Center will stay on to observe the secound round of the elections.
A total of 35 NORDEM Election Observers have been sent to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Ukraine.
This report addresses a major challenge in processes of political transition from open conflict to a system of democratic stability in ethnically divided societies.
The dilemma is how a democratic principle of representation that reflects group-based identities can contribute to overcoming group-based conflict dynamics.
This is where electoral quotas come into the picture: What are the effects of introducing quotas? Will they contribute to democratic stability or rather preserve and strengthen the cleavages that led to open conflict in the first place?
OSCE/ODIHR is observing the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be held on 12 October. NORDEM has sent six short term observers to this mission.
The EU has deployed its Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to observe the upcoming elections in Tunisia. NORDEM contributes with one long term and one short term observer. Both French speaking, with extensive experience from the region.
NORDEM deploys one long-term and one short-term observer to the EU Election Observation Mission in relation to the general elections in Mozambique on 15 October.
From 1 to 5 September, NORDEM held its annual course on democratization and human rights-based field work amid the farmlands and rolling hills of Hadeland, north of Oslo.
In August, NORDEM roster members Hans Dieset and Yasir Iftikhar joined the EU Election Assessment Team to Afghanistan on an unusual mission.
As part of a group of 100 Long Term Observers from 20 EU member states and Norway, they were tasked with assessing the Afghan Independent Election Commission's audit of some eight million ballots, stored in four dusty warehouses on the edge of Kabul.
Ingvil Conradi Andersen embarks on her first NORDEM assignment as a Senior Adviser to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM), based in Vienna.
In the coming years, Ingvil will be monitoring violations of freedom of expression in the entire OSCE region.
NORDEMer Trude Johansson ble intervjuet av australsk radio (på norsk) om hvordan det er å være valgobservatør.
Hør Trude fortelle om sine mange spennende oppdrag her.
"NORDEM ble startet som et prosjekt for 20 år siden. Behovene ute i felt har endret seg, men ikke avtatt. Snarere tvert i mot. Med regjeringens prioritering av menneskerettighter i utenrikspolitikken fortsetter NORDEM å være relevant."
Dette skriver skriver leder av internasjonale programmer ved Norsk Senter for Menneskerettigheter, Siri Skåre, i denne kronikken som ble publisert siste utgave av Flyktninghjelpens magasin Perspektiv.
The Carter Center deployed on July 7 an international election observation mission for Tunisia's national elections on Oct. 26 and Nov. 23, 2014.
One NORDEM election expert has taken on the position as Observer Coordinator in Core team. In addition, NORDEM supports the mission with one Long-term Observer (LTO).
Following an official invitation, and based on the findings and conclusions of an OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission undertaken from 7 to 9 May, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) to observe the 10 August presidential election.