The Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (former Electoral Institute of Southern Africa), or EISA, is an organization founded in 1996 in Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 to "promote credible elections, participatory democracy, human rights culture and the strengthening of governance institutions for the consolidation of democracy in Africa."

Program Areas

According to their website programme areas that they participate in include:

• Democracy, conflict management and electoral education
• Elections and political processes
• Balloting and electoral services
• Governance
  Governance
  Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes...
  
   (political parties, APRM, institutions of governance and local governance)
• Online Democracy Encyclopedia
• Research and information (including a specialised library and in house publications)

Funding

EISA lists the following organizations as donors:

• Belgian Government
• Canadian High Commission
  Canadian International Development Agency
  The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
  
   (CIDA)
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a charitable foundation founded in 1926 by Charles Stewart Mott of Flint, Michigan. Mott was the leading industrialist in Flint through his association with General Motors....
  
  
• Conferences, Workshops and Cultural Initiatives (EU-CWCI)
• Department for International Development
  Department for International Development
  The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
  
   (DIFD)
• European Union
  European Union
  The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
  
   (EU)
• Finish Embassy, Pretoria
• German Development Cooperation (GTZ)
• InWEnt (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung/Capacity Building International, Germany)
• Irish Embassy
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation
  Konrad Adenauer Foundation
  The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union . The foundation's headquarters are located in Saint Augustine and Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries...
  
   (KAF)
• New Zealand Embassy
• Royal Danish Embassy
• Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
  Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
  The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its task is to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. NORAD both finances NGOs, and does its own research and projects. The current director general is...
  
   (NORAD)
• Norwegian Centre for Human Rights
  University of Oslo
  The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
  
   (NCHR)
• Norwegian Institute for Human Rights (NIHR)
• Open Society Foundation South Africa (OSF-SA)
• Open Society Initiative
  Open Society Institute
  The Open Society Institute , renamed in 2011 to Open Society Foundations, is a private operating and grantmaking foundation started by George Soros, aimed to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform...
  
   (OSI)
• Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA)
• Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
  Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
  Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa is a Southern African organization which "collaborates with other organizations on issues surrounding the rule of law, democracy building, human rights, economic development, education, the media, and access to technology and information...
  
   (OSISA)
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
  Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
  The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs...
  
   (SDC)
• Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
• USAID RCSA

Activities

In 2004 EISA deployed an observation mission to Malawi for the presidential and legislative elections.

EISA works with the African Union

African Union

The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

 Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU). Support in 2008 was done in conjunction with the Carter Center and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems

International Foundation for Electoral Systems

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987. This Washington, D. C.-based development organization provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies...

 (IFES).

Kadal Asmal

When Kadal Asmal, a member of the ANC, accused the Parliament of South Africa

Parliament of South Africa

The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa's legislature and under the country's current Constitution is composed of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces....

 of wasting money in not monitoring institutions such as the South African Human Rights Commission

South African Human Rights Commission

The South African Human Rights Commission was inaugurated in October 1995 as an independent national institution. It draws its mandate from the South African Constitution by way of the South African Human Rights Commission Act of 1994....

 and the Commission for Gender Equality, a chapter nine institution

Chapter nine institutions

Chapter nine institutions refer to a group of organisations established in terms of Chapter 9 of the South African Constitution to guard democracy...

, EISA hosted the conference.