AESF-I Bangkok, Thailand (2012)
Election Management Body (EMBs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working to promote free and fair elections across Asia gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on 10-11 December 2012 for the inaugural meeting of the Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF) to endorse the Bangkok Declaration on Free and Fair Elections. The Bangkok Declaration is the product of over a year of effort to craft a document which can serve as a beacon of electoral virtue in Asia.
AESF-II Dili, Timor Leste (2015)
Theme: “Democratic Electoral Processes: Reality & Challenges”
The second AESF brought together more than 120 representatives of Election Management Bodies and Civil Society Organizations from across Asia and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries in Dili, Timor Leste on 18-19 March 2015. Co-hosted by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the Asian Network for Free Elections(ANFREL), AESF-II came up with the Dili Indicators of Democratic Elections.
AESF-III Bali, Indonesia (2016)
Theme: “Transparency & Integrity for Quality Elections”
AESF-IV Colombo, Sri Lanka (2018)
Theme: “Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together”
AESF-IV, co-hosted by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka and the Asian Network for Free Elections took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 27-28 August 2018. AESF-IV provided the space and opportunity for electoral management bodies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to meet and gather, and discuss challenges and commit on ways on how to address them. It marked a historic milestone for South Asia, being the first AESF to be held in the sub-region.
Theme: “Lessons Learned: The Way Forward for Elections in Asia Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic”
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) co-hosted the fifth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF 5) on 20-21 October 2021. The forum was held virtually and brought together key electoral stakeholders in Asia and beyond to discuss current issues and devise solutions to address them.
Besides panel discussions and interventions from guest speakers, AESF 5 hosted three thematic working groups to which all participants were invited to contribute and help draft a joint document. The document titled “AESF 5 Memorandum: The Way Forward for Elections Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic” was adopted by all attendees on the second day of the forum (21 October 2021).
AESF-VI Kathmandu, Nepal (2023)
Theme: “Building Sustainable Democracies: Addressing Electoral Challenges and Opportunities”
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the Election Commission, Nepal (ECN) co-hosted the sixth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF-VI).
Around 300 electoral stakeholders converged in Kathmandu, Nepal on 6-7 December 2023 to discuss pressing electoral issues and challenges and draw out experiences, solutions and best practices. AESF-VI culminated with the adoption of the “Kathmandu Declaration to Strengthen Democracy and Promote Electoral Integrity through Electoral Reforms”.
AESF-VI was also organized in partnership with the General Election Observation Committee (GEOC) and the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC).