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AUSTRALIA’S LEAD IN THE TRAINING OF ELECTION OFFICIALS IN THE COMMONWEALTH


AUSTRALIA’S LEAD IN THE TRAINING OF ELECTION OFFICIALS IN THE COMMONWEALTH


Hon. Alexander Downer, AC is the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Mr Downer has had a long and distinguished political career in Australia and is a former Parliamentarian. He was until recently the United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus. Elected to the Federal Parliament in 1984 (Liberal member for Mayo in South Australia), he served as Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs (1996-2007), making him Australia’s longest-serving Foreign Minister.


The establishment of a ‘Commonwealth Electoral Network’ (CEN) bears testimony to the recognition by Commonwealth member states that no election could be held - and no Parliamentarian elected - were it not for the dedication and commitment of hundreds, if not thousands, of election officials. These men and women work to ensure that voters are registered, ballots are printed, and results are tallied and declared. It is on this premise that CEN was created in 2010 to act as a practical, accessible and engaging network for election management professionals across the Commonwealth. Following its formation, CEN’s Steering Committee very soon identified the need for continuous training to raise cadres of young election professionals as key to the Commonwealth Electoral Network’s future success. Encouraged by Canberra’s commitment to the advancement of democratic governance across the globe, CEN’s Steering Committee and the Commonwealth Secretariat jointly approached Australia in 2010 requesting support for a program aimed at training junior Commonwealth election professionals. The result of these consultations was the creation of the Commonwealth Junior Election Professionals


64 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One


(JEP) Initiative, announced at the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth. The Australian government committed a grant of


A$900,000 to the initiative for the staging of comprehensive training programmes for an initial three year pilot phase. Since the official launch of its training programmes in June 2013, the JEP initiative has drawn on the Commonwealth’s strengths in terms of both its world class expertise in elections issues as well as its ability to connect and bring together the experience and diversity of the family of Commonwealth election management bodies (EMBs).


Results based management, sustainability and a strong gender focus were built into the initiative’s design from the outset, ensuring that its impact would be measurable and lasting. The JEP methodology and training programmes have proven to be particularly effective in addressing the principle-based aspects of electoral management – i.e. issues relating to public participation, incumbency and international standards. These are identified by participants as the areas in which they are least confident prior to training. Pre- and post-training responses submitted by participants clearly demonstrate


the impact of the intervention. When canvassed, 100% of the trainees agreed that they have learned and benefited from the training programme, 85% stated that participation had increased their skills, knowledge and effectiveness as electoral administrators, 77% indicated that they have stayed in touch with their fellow trainees, and 43% of participants reported that their EMBs were doing things differently as a result of their recommendations. Training programmes undertaken with Australia’s financial support during the initial phase of the initiative have also played a significant role in helping to strengthen the culture and institutions of democracy in Commonwealth member countries. To date five regional training workshops have been


“Since its inception the initiative recognised the importance which Commonwealth member states collectively and individually attach to free and fair elections as a cornerstone of democracy.”


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