Towards an Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections - A Global Expert Meeting

The Framework, tested and piloted from 2023 to 2025, will be launched in late November 2025. It consists of a set of gender-sensitive, practical resources that can help electoral stakeholders to protect electoral integrity with focus on strengthening risk management, resilience-building, and crisis management practices.

The event was opened by  the International IDEA’s Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora who highlighted the importance of electoral integrity as a cornerstone of democracy. In this respect, he expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada for funding the Protecting Elections project, and to France for supporting its continuation. He commended the collective effort behind the initiative, highlighting its achievements and global reach. Director of Global Programmes, Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, stressed that the project was born out of necessity amid growing pressures on elections from disinformation, cyber threats, and polarization, and called for a whole-of-society approach to strengthen trust in electoral processes. The representative of the Government of Canada, Diana Carlyle, reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to promoting democratic governance and electoral integrity worldwide and highlighted the value of International IDEA’s collaborative approach to addressing today’s complex electoral challenges.

Throughout the meeting, participants engaged in presentations, peer exchanges, and interactive discussions. Sessions featured an overview of the Protecting Elections project and reflections from Mauritius, Finland, Panama, and Benin on piloting the Framework in their national contexts. Working sessions explored issues such as electoral integrity challenges, inter-agency collaboration, critical infrastructure protection, gender sensitivity, and the role of peer networks in applying the Framework. Additionally, the event features a  dedicated session on Ukraine and demonstration of the new Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERMTool) software, forthcoming in early 2026. . Discussions and presentations underscored the Framework’s practical value and adaptability, while also revealing strong interest among countries and networks in applying  methodology in their own regional and country contexts.

As a next step, International IDEA will draw on the insights shared during the meeting to further refine the Framework and guide its broader implementation. Upcoming activities under the Protecting Elections project will continue to support partners in integrating gender-sensitive risk management, resilience-building and crisis management approaches into electoral processes — advancing the shared goal of safeguarding democracy for all, in an increasingly complex global environment.