Adopting best practices in electoral administration is an important way for States, particularly those in transition or emerging from conflict, to organize elections that will be viewed as credible and acceptable. International IDEA, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, provides a unique repository of knowledge and best practices in electoral administration through its ACE Knowledge Network. The Network gives electoral professionals access to a comprehensive range of materials, case studies and lessons learned, covering all stages of the electoral process.

With UNDEF’s support, the Network has expanded its reach by strengthening the functions of its regional centres in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The centres strengthen regional cooperation by providing election management bodies with a forum to seek advice on electoral issues. Furthermore, the regional centers have translated and disseminated key documents in several languages including Arabic, French, Spanish and Russian. The regional centre for West Africa is the UNDEF-backed Gorée Institute.

In June 2009, UNDEP Programme Officer Cynthia Hatfield participated in IDEA’s annual seminar, which brought together regional centre representatives and electoral professionals to share experiences and enhance the functionality of the Network. A Regional Centre Intranet was launched as a secure platform for exchanges of lessons learned and discussion of regional issues.