As part of its program of support to the African Union’s Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU), IFES, together with its partners the Carter Center and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), organized an election observation training in Nairobi, Kenya that took place from September 17 - 18. The 38 training participants represented 14 countries in East Africa and included electoral commissioners, parliamentarians, and civil society leaders. The training focused on a variety of topics, from election standards and the electoral cycle to specific methodology and logistics for the AU's election observation missions. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many emphasized the need to hold further election observation trainings. The AU also expressed its desire to hold a second training in West Africa before the end of 2009. This first training, therefore, successfully initiated a series of similar trainings that will occur and, hopefully, recur in all of Africa's regions, ultimately developing a broad pool of election observation experts who will contribute to the AU's efforts to reinforce democracy on the continent.