Chapter 4: Case Studies Related to Training of Arbiters in Election Complaints Training by the Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary Over the years, the Federal Electoral Court of Mexico has developed a strong institutional capacity and has quickly acquired great expertise in training international election professionals. Mexico’s unique and successful electoral complaints adjudication mechanism has raised curiosity and interest from other electoral institutions and has led the Court to share its experience, train foreign judges and election officials and advocate for its model abroad. The Court also uses its expertise and resources to strengthen the knowledge and skills of its national judges and the election staff on election complaints adjudication matters. A. International Training of Electoral Bodies i. International training in electoral complaints adjudication matters In 2008, the Federal Electoral Institute of Mexico (IFE), the Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) created a Mexican-based joint initiative for international training activities for foreign electoral commissions. Training began with a pilot program that was coordinated between IFE and the Electoral Court and held in Mexico City. The project was designed for the Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the success of the pilot program, it was formalized in 2009 with the creation of the International Training and Electoral Research Project. Since the pilot program, the Court, IFE and the United Nations Development Program UNDP have trained electoral bodies from a range of countries in a series of electoral subjects, including electoral complaints adjudication. This international training project is part of a plan that considers the electoral cycle approach of the UNDP, which focuses broadly on all phases of the electoral process, not just on Election Day. The program is funded by the UNDP’s Global Program for Electoral Cycle Support, TEPJF, and IFE, and takes a “south-south” perspective to cooperation for development. The training takes place in Mexico City and sessions are taught by international experts, as well as high ranking officers of the Court and IFE. The aim of 165