EU and UNDP renew partnership on electoral assistance

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and European Union (EU) Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica met yesterday to reaffirm the long-standing partnership on electoral assistance. 

They signed the revised European Commission-UNDP Electoral Assistance Guidelines, which aim to enhance the EC-UNDP collaboration on electoral assistance on the ground.

“This new version of the Guidelines demonstrates the ability of the partnership to renew itself to respond to challenges faced by staff in the field when implementing joint electoral assistance projects. Today’s meeting also reflects our commitment to deliver on our shared vision of credible, inclusive and transparent electoral processes as a foundation for democratic governance,” said Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development.

The EU and UNDP are the largest electoral assistance providers globally, having worked together on more than 100 projects across all regions, out of which 74 were in Africa. This partnership helps strengthen national capacities to carry out free and fair elections, and promote women’s participation as both voters and candidates.  

“We share a common vision of the fundamental role that elections play in supporting the long-term democratic process,” said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. “I look forward to this continued strong partnership with the EU to support free and credible elections around the world.”

An Electoral Joint Task Force (JTF) based in Brussels has been active since 2006 to support the implementation of the EC-UNDP partnership on electoral assistance. The new Guidelines will help the Joint Task Force to ensure a more efficient implementation of the electoral assistance projects on the ground.

The UNDP and the EU are partnering in 140 countries to deepen democratic governance, prevent or help countries recover from conflict and natural disasters, build resilience, and adapt to climate change.