United Nations electoral assistance should be understood in a broad sense. Historically it included advancing the principle of self-determination of peoples through the development of self-government and decolonization. In the modern period, it has entailed establishing and advancing the principle of democracy and political rights.

Today, the United Nations system is engaged in a wide range of development assistance activities which are intended to support the efforts of governments to promote democratic election processes. Since 1989, the United Nations has received over 140 requests for electoral assistance from Member States. Member States most often seek advice and assistance on the legal, technical, administrative, and human rights aspects of organizing and conducting democratic elections or seek the Organization's assistance in supporting the international observation of an electoral process.

In 1991, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 46/137, the Secretary-General designated the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs as the Focal Point for Electoral Assistance Activities. The Electoral Assistance Unit (re-designated as the Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) in 1994) was subsequently established in the Department of Political Affairs to assist the Focal Point in carrying out his/her functions.

In resolution 46/137, the General Assembly underscored ‘the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which establish that the authority to govern shall be based on the will of the people, as expressed in genuine and periodic elections'. It further stressed ‘its conviction that periodic and genuine elections are a necessary and indispensable element of sustained efforts to protect the rights and interests of the governed', and declared ‘that determining the will of the people requires an electoral process that provides an equal opportunity for all citizens to become candidates and put forward their political views, individually and in cooperation with others, as provided in national constitutions and laws'. In addition, the resolution stated ‘that the international community should continue to give serious consideration to ways in which the United Nations can respond to the requests of Member States as they seek to promote and strengthen their electoral institutions and procedures'.

In practice, the objectives of United Nations electoral assistance are essentially two-fold:

(i) to assist Member States in their efforts to hold credible and legitimate democratic elections in accordance with internationally recognized criteria established in universal and regional human rights instruments; and

(ii) to contribute to building the recipient country's institutional capacity to organize democratic elections that are genuine and periodic and have the full confidence of the contending parties and the electorate.

The United Nations recognizes that there is no single political system or electoral method equally suited to all nations. While comparative experience and examples provide useful guidance for the construction of democratic institutions, assistance strategies should ultimately be shaped by the particular needs and circumstances of the country seeking assistance, taken within the framework of international standards. United Nations activities in the field of electoral assistance are conducted in conformity with the basic principles of the sovereign equality of States and respect for their territorial integrity and political independence, as enunciated in the UN Charter. Assistance activities are carried out only where requested by national authorities of Member States and broadly supported by the people of the country concerned.