The Commission on Presidential Debates is often approached by organizations in other countries seeking to make debates a central part of their elections. For more than 30 years, the CPD has teamed with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to share debates best practices with groups from across the globe. Based on the principle that there is no single best way to organize debates, the CPD and NDI respond to requests for assistance with a menu of ideas and experiences from around the world so that debate sponsors can choose approaches that match their countries’ politics and cultures.
To date, the CPD and NDI have collectively helped partner groups organize nearly 450 debates in 50 countries for candidates ranging from mayors and legislators to prime ministers and presidents. This support includes exchanges via global and regional symposiums, in-country visits by debate practitioners and long-distance consultations on all aspects of debates.
As a result of these exchanges, Debates International, a network of debate organizers from more than 40 countries, has been formed to provide peer-to-peer support. The Debates International resource website offers information on network members, debate news, videos and practical comparative materials on holding debates.
Current member countries of the international debates network include: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Korea, Timor Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, The United States of America.
For more information, please contact the CPD at (202) 872-1020, visit www.debatesinternational.org or follow us @DebatesIntl on twitter.