SLI President, Mark Phillips participated as an invited delegate to the International Seminar on Democratic Governance in Mexico City this September. Mark was one of about 50 delegates from many countries from Central and South America, as well as Canada, Kenya, India and others. The conference was hosted by Leonardo Valdes, President of the Instituto Federal Electoral of Mexico (IFE), an independent, cabinet-level organization that is responsible for the Mexican electoral process. Presenters from the IFE, the UN and electoral commissioners from other countries shared observations about electoral process integrity, transparency and public accountability. The need for third party testing and certification of electronic voting systems was also discussed with examples from the US and Philippines. The seminar concluded with a celebration of the United Nations Day of Democracy with a reception at the Presidents Residence with Mexican President Calderon, UN Representatives, and other government officials who addressed the delegates to mark the occasion