Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (DoP)

The Declaration of Principles for International Observation (DoP) provides international standards for the conduct of international election observation. Drafting of the DoP was led by The Carter Center, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD).

The DoP was formally launched at the United Nations (UN) in 2005 by Secretary General Kofi Annan (United Nations); former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State and NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright. Since the launch of the DoP, the number of endorsing organizations has grown from 21 to 54 as of 2025 - with endorsing organizations in every region of the world.

According to the DoP, international observation:

• expresses the interest of the international community in the achievement of democratic elections;
• is conducted for the benefit of the citizens of the country holding the election as it is the people of a country who ultimately determine credibility and legitimacy of an election process;
• has become widely accepted around the world and plays an important role in providing accurate and impartial assessments about the nature of electoral processes;
• can promote public confidence, as warranted, promote electoral participation and mitigate the potential for election-related conflict”; and
• has the potential to enhance the integrity of election processes, by deterring and exposing irregularities and fraud and by providing recommendations for improving electoral processes.

The DoP is also a community comprising the 54 endorsing organizations who hold an annual Implementation Meeting for members. The DoP is guided by a Convening Committee comprising: the African Union (AU); Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL); The Carter Center; The Commonwealth Secretariat; European Union; the National Democratic Institute (NDI); Organization for American States (OAS), Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights (ODIHR); and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD).

For the 20th anniversary in 2025, the DoP community issued a joint press statement publicly reaffirming their commitment to supporting genuine democratic elections and to the principles for international election observation as set forth in the DoP.