LocationsEmpowering Electoral Excellence in the North Pacific: Insights and Inspiration
March 18, 2024
Electoral Management Bodies in the North Pacific region and facilitators together with UNDP Pacific Office Resident Representative Tuya Altangerel, Australian Ambassador to FSM Jo Cowley, and UNDP Pacific Office in the FSM Deputy Resident Representative Kevin Petrini at the BRIDGE Workshop in Pohnpei.
In both the global arena and here in the Pacific, democracies are under pressure from changing national, regional, and global factors – such as heightened citizen expectations, geopolitical competition, climate change, economic hardship, advances in digital media, and other challenges. Election Management Bodies (EMBs) are at the face of these challenges as they work to ensure representative, participative, transparent, non-corrupt, civil, inclusive, and tolerant electoral processes. Their role and their success are essential for stability, conflict prevention, democracy, and peace.
Strong Pacific EMBs are vital for democratic resilience, but they also face extra difficulties given the Pacific’s geography of small, remote communities; exacerbating challenges for when it comes to the take-up of new ideas and systems. This, ultimately, slows down the progress of democratic advancement.
FSM's Acting Electoral Commissioner Gregorio Ioanis sharing a lighter moment with a UNDP staff member.
Building Capacity Through BRIDGE
Creating opportunities for electoral professionals to come together at a subregional level fosters a space where they can share common experiences; this ongoing mutual support creating a sense of purpose, a space where electoral staff can share in the benefits of collective action. This approach is also crucial for promoting their independence and enhancing their capacity to conduct robust electoral processes.
Providing such an opportunity for EMBs to exchange experiences and support was a key reason for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji and the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators Network (PIANZEA) – with the support of the Australian Electoral Commission – to conduct an introduction to electoral administration workshop for North Pacific EMBs. Representatives from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati and this year’s host country, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), attended from 28 February to 1 March 2024.
BRIDGE, short for Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections, is a training program aimed at enhancing the skills of electoral administrators and other stakeholders involved in elections. The Introduction to Electoral Administration module aims to equip EMB staff with standards, principles and management techniques required for effective electoral practice.
In her welcome remarks at the workshop’s opening session, Australian Ambassador to the FSM, Her Excellency Jo Cowley, highlighted the importance of BRIDGE in enhancing electoral processes in the Pacific and around the world. In its 25 years, BRIDGE has had over 17,500 electoral stakeholder participants from 120 countries. These BRIDGE workshops aim to create a platform for knowledge exchange of good election practices and assist in developing and strengthening networks among EMBs.
“It is important that we deepen the pool of electoral administrators and build peer-to-peer relationships among EMBs in the Pacific and consult each other on good practices and innovations that can be shared even after this workshop,” the Ambassador said.
UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel, noted in her message that this workshop is not only meant for EMBs to enhance their knowledge on good electoral practices, but also to become advocates of the right to vote to achieve better governance in their countries.
“Democracy is not the right to vote but it’s the right to live in dignity.
“As electoral commissioners, you are imparting the knowledge and understanding why voting is a fundamental human right,” she said.
Attendees from EMBs across the North Pacific.
Fostering Collaboration for a Stronger Democracy
In the Federated States of Micronesia, voter turnout remains a persistent challenge. In the country’s 2007 General Election 53 percent of the eligible population exercised their democratic right. In elections in 2017 that number dipped to just to just 33 percent. In response to these dwindling figures, Acting Commissioner Gregorio Ioanis emphasized the need for citizen awareness and education on the importance of elections and their right to vote.
"Empowering citizens through education is crucial in fostering a culture of active participation," he said.
Additionally, Ioanis believes that incentivizing voter engagement across all sectors of society could significantly improve turnout and enhance the overall productivity of the electoral process.
In the Republic of Marshall Islands, where a similar sentiment is evident amongst voters, Dewey Langue's newfound understanding of the electoral cycle has ignited a sincere commitment to ensuring its integrity.
"Elections do not begin and end in voting; they encompass a spectrum of responsibilities before and after the polls," Langue reflects.
He stresses the Commissioners' duty to safeguard the process at every stage.
"Integrity is paramount," He emphasized.
Langue also highlighted the ripple effect of well-conducted elections, anticipating that if conducted with integrity and professionalism this will inspire greater candidacy interest, and enrich the leadership pool available to the citizens of the RMI.
"A diverse array of candidates offers voters meaningful choices," he added.
As Kiribati prepares for its General Elections later this year, Principal Electoral Officer Takiakia Maatia said that a major challenge for the atoll nation was managing the distribution of election materials. She acknowledged the need for improved stakeholder engagement too on voter awareness and civic education.
Sharing similar sentiments, Nauruan Electoral Commissioner Cronisa Baguga emphasized the importance of tailored solutions; there is no ‘one-size-fits-all' approach that can be applied to the management of EMBs across the Pacific.
"What works in one country may not necessarily work in the other," Baguga said.
She also highlighted the value of regional collaboration such as the support provided through PIANZEA, where EMBs and their staff can share best practices and navigate the complexities of electoral governance collectively.
UNDP Electoral Advisor Daniel Hinchcliff described how this foundation module is crucial for ongoing professional growth, as it helps to lay the groundwork for all participants to develop further as election experts and provides guidance on important themes for growth. He highlighted the importance of participants connecting and learning from each other, and how this collaboration and growing relationships was an equally important outcome. He sees the friendships formed during the workshop as being able to provide a genuine level of support for each election professional in their work back home in the years to come.
For more information please contact:
Asenaca Kolinivala | Democratic Governance Officer | asenaca.kolinivala@undp.org
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