On 23 May 2024, The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a resolution recognizing international and citizen election monitors as human rights defenders due to their critical role in protecting human rights and defending democracy.

The Commission explicitly recognizes the “important role of election monitors for the defense of democracy and the rule of law”, emphasizing that “the actions of electoral observers ultimately seek to ensure the integrity of election processes.”

Acknowledging the importance of electoral observation missions and national election monitoring as “a form of political participation”, the IACHR calls on States to “enable suitable conditions for independent and impartial election monitoring and to ensure that election monitors can do their work freely, without retaliation of any kind, and enjoy protection from any risks they may face as a result of their efforts.”

This resolution follows the October 2022 statement issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders and on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, which for the first time explicitly recognized citizen and international election observers as human rights defenders.

GNDEM and the wider election observer community are encouraged by this explicit recognition of the importance of the work of election observers and their role in safeguarding human rights and democracy. This statement provides observers timely support and avenues for redress amid efforts to curtail their rights in countries in Latin America and around the world.