12.09.2024
Strengthening democracies and human rights around the globe
The Team Europe Democracy (TED) Initiative supports worldwide democracy. In Colombia, for instance, it promotes women’s participation in politics and elections.
On a global scale, autocracies now outnumber democracies. That is why, in 2021, the European Union established the Team Europe Democracy (TED) Initiative together with Germany and 13 other EU member states. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen democratic structures and human rights in the countries with which it works. To achieve this, it brings together EU institutions, EU member states, European civil society organisations, research centres and other partners.
The TED Network now includes over 100 organisations such as Oxfam, Free Press Unlimited and a number of German political foundations. In three working groups, democracy experts exchange information on the thematic areas Accountability and Rule of Law, Political and Civic Participation, and Media and Digital. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH coordinates the network on behalf of the EU, together with Enabel, the Belgian Development Agency. The EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) jointly finance the TED Initiative.
Targeted support and promotion
GIZ and Enabel facilitate the TED Network and bring it to life by providing the relevant input and expertise. The EU delegations and member states can draw on this combined wealth of knowledge in the countries where it is required. Many countries (such as Jordan, Uganda or Tanzania) that are endeavouring to further expand their democratic structures and processes with EU support already make use of this offer. The EU member states, in turn, benefit from the exchange of experience, which gives them precious insights into how democratic processes are implemented.
Colombia is one example of the support provided to individual countries. In 2022, the country hosted an EU Election Observation Mission that recommended further electoral reforms. A TED mission supported the ongoing reform process against the backdrop of local elections. One of the challenges was the drop in average voter turnout among women and marginalised groups, despite overall higher turnout rates.
TED brought together various actors in order to develop joint solutions. One specific outcome of this coordination is the awareness-raising campaign ‘La política no es para machos’ (Politics is not for machos) which the Colombian Election Observation Mission MOE expanded on site together with the EU. While focusing first and foremost on political participation by women, it also combats discrimination. The main aim is to enable access to election campaign financing and to ensure equitable media coverage.
Promoting the political participation of Colombian women is a further goal pursued by the EU. This includes ideas for setting up schools for local political leadership, where people involved in politics are given the tools to assume even more responsibility in their communities. Alexandra Nerisanu, programme manager in the EU delegation in Colombia, underlines the comprehensive nature of the TED approach: ‘The Initiative acts to promote democracy across the board and supports the implementation of the Colombian Peace Accord.’
