The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) joined endorsing organizations in the Convening Committee and Annual Implementation Meetings of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (DoP) in Geneva, Switzerland, 10-12 December 2025.

This year’s implementation meeting marked 20 years since the launch of the DoP at the United Nations Secretariat. The meeting brought together intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations from all regions to reaffirm their commitment to credible, impartial, independent, and professional international election observation. 

ANFREL executive director Brizza Rosales served as a panelist during “Session 2: Election Integrity in the Digital Age” where she emphasized the need to clearly delineate and strengthen the complementary roles of citizen and international election observers, particularly in responding to digital risks to elections.

Drawing from ANFREL’s experience in Asia, Rosales underscored that citizen and domestic observers are irreplaceable, given their embeddedness in local information ecosystems and their ability to detect early disinformation narratives and coordinated behavior.

At the same time, she highlighted that international observers contribute independence, comparative perspective, and the capacity to elevate systemic concerns to the international level. She further stressed that effective observation of online campaigns and digital threats requires appropriate tools, sound and transparent methodologies, and systematic legal and regulatory framework analysis, including assessments of platform availability, reporting mechanisms, and responsiveness during electoral periods.

ANFREL joined fellow endorsing organizations in reaffirming its commitment to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, as the community reflected on two decades of practice and the future of election observation in a rapidly evolving digital environment.