II. Project Partners
EPIC will be financed and implemented under a cost-sharing arrangement which includes the United Nations (UN Electoral Assistance Division, UNDP-Management Development and Governance Division), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). Background on their past participation in electoral activities follows.
A.
UN System Involvement in Electoral Activities
Within the space of a few years the United Nations has made support for
democratization and good governance one of the main instruments it uses
in the service of peace and of development. The value placed on this support
by members of the United Nations is reflected in the number of requests
for electoral assistance from sovereign states. Between 1989 and 1992,
Member States requested assistance seven times from the United Nations.
By October 1997, that number increased to 144.
The United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD): In light of this growing number of requests for electoral assistance, the General Assembly, in 1991, requested that the Secretary-General designate an individual to act as the "focal point" in assisting him to evaluate and coordinate requests for electoral assistance. The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs was designated.
Following this, in April 1992, the UNEAD was established
under General Assembly resolution A/RES/46/137 to assist the "United Nations
Focal Point" in carrying out his/her functions.
Major activities this division include:
- evaluating government requests for electoral assistance;
- conducting needs assessment missions;
- designing electoral assistance project activities;
- advising government officials on alternative election administration approaches and policy issues; and
- developing operational strategies for the electoral components of peace-keeping operations.
In addition, UNEAD:
- · provides frequent support to international observer groups;
- facilitates the co-ordination of assistance among donor countries and United Nations system agencies;
- maintains a roster of electoral experts;
- organizes conferences and training courses;
- and serves as the United Nations institutional memory in all aspects of electoral assistance.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Since 1990, UNDP has incorporated the concept of good governance as an
important objective in its development philosophy and assistance strategy.
With this new emphasis, UNDP involvement in providing both technical and
advisory electoral assistance has multiplied. UNDP funded 42 of approximately
52 election related activities undertaken by the United Nations during
1992-93 (often several activities are initiated based on a single request),
using funds from UNDP country programme accounts and donor cost-sharing
arrangements.
UNDP regularly provides technical assistance in all stages of an electoral process, from the reform of electoral legislation to the organization of voter registration and the design of electoral procedures. In addition, it often assumes leadership in facilitating the co-ordination of electoral assistance among donor governments and agencies. Technical assistance is generally provided through one or more long-term projects in the relevant UNDP country programme and supervised by a Resident Representative. While most UNDP electoral assistance projects are executed by either the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) or the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS), Resident Coordinators also invest a significant amount of their staff time, equipment and country programme resources.
At UNDP headquarters in New York, the Management Development and Governance Division has principal responsibility for facilitating UNDP support for election related work of the United Nations. On a regular basis, this division liaises closely with the UNEAD on major policy and operational matters. The two divisions will work to facilitate the EPIC Project efforts.
B.
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
International IDEA was founded in February 1995 by fourteen governments
- Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India,
The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. The
Institute includes as members, on a basis of equality, governments, intergovernmental
and international non-governmental organizations. The Institute's overall
objective is to work for the promotion and advancement of sustainable
democracy worldwide and within this context to improve and consolidate
electoral processes. It is global in effort, international in ownership,
strictly non-partisan, does not advocate or promote any specific form
of government, and recognizes the importance of a long-term perspective
in promoting the growth of a democratic culture and supporting electoral
processes. The Institute provides a forum for the exchange of information,
ideas and experiences among a global network of actors in the democratization
field.
At its November 1995 meeting, the Institute's Council endorsed the overall direction of the work programme of International IDEA. The programme comprises four main areas of activity:
- · Information Services
- Rules and Guidelines;
- Capacity-Building; and
- Applied Research.
The Institute's programme is the product of multiple focus group meetings and consultations with governments, organizations and individuals working in the electoral assistance and democratization fields.
One of the primary aims of International IDEA is to make information on democratic election processes more user-friendly and accessible in order to facilitate the work of practitioners in the electoral and democratization field. Networking and co-ordination of information activities with other organizations and resource centers is also a central task for the Institute. By encouraging co-operation among organizations in the development of a comprehensive electoral information network and resource center, the Institute intends to avoid duplication of work in the construction of databases and instead encourage co-operation through the sharing of information resources.
C.
International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)
For over a decade, IFES has offered assistance in democratic initiatives
around the globe as an international, non-partisan, NGO. The Foundation
has worked in over 90 countries in every region of the globe, assisting
election authorities in implementing and professionalizing the electoral
process.
Since its inception, IFES has also pursued the objective of making materials accessible to national and international organizations working in the electoral field. Through the F. Clifton White Resource Center, it provides a variety of programs and publications which provide election professionals with the information they need to complete and sustain an electoral process. IFES has spent more than two million dollars to assemble a physical resource center containing hard copies of election materials, to organize and maintain the collection according to library science standards, and to facilitate research for election professionals around the world. The process has involved developing an information 'pipeline' to obtain election-related information and gaining the professional capacity necessary to organize and house the material, using specialists trained in library science.
Over the last two years, Resource Center staff have launched an initiative to 'virtualize' much of the Resource Center collection. Upon completion, users will have 24-hour, worldwide access to resources via the World Wide Web. Using a team of library science, information technology, and copyright specialists, IFES is working to complete this project.
Based on a growing demand for basic election-related data among election professionals, donor agencies, and the media, the Resource Center has developed a data-verification system known as the Election Information System. The system offers accurate, non-partisan data in a wide range of categories on upcoming and past elections (including election dates, participating candidates, and election results) to various election-related publications and media projects. The system minimizes the dissemination of incorrect information in an often-changing field.
For some time, the Resource Center has also collected non-partisan election-related data through numerous survey efforts. The data gathered through these surveys have been published in various publications which are widely available in the election field. Information on Election Authorities was first published in the 1996 International Directory of Election Offices. The following year, information on the procurement process was released through the 1997 Buyers Guide for Election Service, Supplies, and Equipment. Both these publications are being updated in 1998. The Resource Center has also completed surveys on Internet access and approaches to overseas voting.
The Resource Center is currently assembling a network of election-related Resource Centers around the world. The International Network of Election Resource Centers/Reseau Internationale de Centres d'Information Electorale (INERC/RICIE) will serve as a professional network of public and private organizations that seek to maintain Election Resource Centers.
