ELECAM, UN present blueprint for inclusive, hitch free elections.

The meeting held Tuesday in Mbankomo, Mefou and Akono Division of the Centre Region. The project is coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.

Partners include UN Women, UNESCO, the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, High Commissioner for Human Rights, HCHR, and the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA.

It aims to provide targeted expertise and inclusive support for all electoral stakeholders from Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, to media practitioners as well as political parties.

The partnership, according to officials, is expected to last 30 months and it is worth some 5,918,014 USD estimated at over three billion FCFA. 

Officials disclosed that since the start of the programme, just 37 percent of the money has been paid by the partners while the rest is in the pipeline.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Africa, SRSG-UNOCA, His Excellency Abdou Abarry, has saluted ELECAM and the various UN bodies for engaging in such a project which he qualifies as the first of its kind.

Speaking during the meeting, the UN Resident Coordinator, Dr Issa Sanogo, noted that the meeting sought to bring out a rundown of activities from building the capacity of staff of ELECAM, to enhancing civic and voter participation with a focus on women, youth and vulnerable population, fostering dialogue among electoral stakeholders and reinforcing early warning mechanism as well as promoting information integrity and conveying good speech throughout the electoral process. 

The steering committee, he stated is the highest governance body of the project and plays a vital role.

He said the body ensures national ownership, policy coherence and strategy coordination among national institutions, the UN system and financial partners across the 2025-2027 electoral cycle. 

“The meeting has a clear objective to review and endorse the foundational documents of the project namely annual work plan, the project budget and other key foundational documents such as the standard operating procedures for coordination,” Dr Issa said.

Dr Issa has explained that some of the activities include, a dialogue among the stakeholders.

He said for two days, they will have a meeting with all the electoral stakeholders with the aim of finding, common areas where they can make progress.

“The ultimate objective being inclusive elections, peaceful elections and therefore all the stakeholders, be journalists or ELECAM members, political parties, civil society, community members, we are expecting that we will engage in a dialogue as part of some of the initial activities that we will be implementing as we go forward,” he added. 

Enter ELECAM Board Chair

The Board Chair of Electoral Board of ELECAM, Dr Enow Abrams Egbe, stated that even though this was the first steering committee meeting, marking the official start of the project, they have already laid important groundwork through two key activities, with the first which held in Ebolowa from May 26 to 30, 2025.

The programme, he said, was aimed at equipping staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively implement institution’s objectives.

The second activity, he went on, took place in Mbalmayo from June 12 to 14 with focus on the focal points of gender. 

The gathering was crucial in ensuring that their project is inclusive and addresses the specific needs of all community members.

The overall objective of the project, he explained is to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a peaceful climate of trust and serenity among the main electoral actors, while strengthening the capacities of staff and field agents for the proper preparation and management of the upcoming elections, in order to promote inclusive citizen participation and civic education before, during, and after the elections. 

He used the opportunity to express his gratitude to the UN partners for their constant support and continued promotion of institutional cooperation. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3484 of Wednesday June 25, 2025