Project Background
UNDP provides
support to the electoral systems and processes as critical
contribution to the consolidation of peace in the country.
UNDP, as an independent and neutral body, manages the
multi-donor Basket Fund Project on the Electoral Reform,
which is aimed at developing the institutional capacity of
the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Political
Party Registration Commission (PPRC) to ensure the
delivery of free, fair and transparent elections in 2007.
The Electoral Reform Project supports the seven step
reform process of NEC namely: Restructuring of the
Existing NEC; Staff Capacity Development; Infrastructure
Development; Setting up of IT System; Reviewing Electoral
Laws and Regulations; Boundary Delimitation; and Voter and
Civic Registration for democratic rights and
responsibilities. In doing so, UNDP ensures that youth and
women's participation in elections as voters and
candidates be increased and sustained. The project also
supports development of Conflict Management and Resolution
skills among political parties and candidates with a view
to prevent possible electoral violence.
Project Objectives
Build the
capacity (technical, logistics and administrative) of the
National Electoral Commission to perform its electoral
mandate.
Project
Outcome
A
transparent and credible national and local elections
conducted.
Links
with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
UNDP support
to Electoral Systems and Processes are linked to MDGs in
the following ways: 1. Civic education expands democratic
participation, particularly for women and other
under-represented segment of society; 2. Establishment of
Basket funding mechanism helped reduced cost of electoral
processes on national budget, hence more government
resources freed up for direct poverty reduction programmes;
3. Strengthened capacity of Electoral Management Bodies for effective and
transparent conduct of elections, hence less rejection
of the elections outcomes and peaceful transition of power
was experienced.
Sierra Leone