Senior election officials from across the Pacific this week underscored their commitment to “enhance inclusion and access for all”, as they agreed that the participation of women and disabled people in elections and protecting the independence of electoral management bodies were shared priorities.
Senior election officials from across the Pacific this week underscored their commitment to “enhance inclusion and access for all”, as they agreed that the participation of women and disabled people in elections and protecting the independence of electoral management bodies were shared priorities.
The representatives of national electoral management bodies were meeting in Fiji at a conference hosted by the Fijian Elections Office and convened by the Commonwealth Electoral Network, and the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators (PIANZEA) Network.
In a joint statement released today, the election management bodies acknowledge that women's participation is one of the issues in the Pacific - alongside concerns about independence and capacity constraints - which can have an impact on “electoral integrity”.
The election officials also affirmed the “political rights of people with disabilities” and their role in supporting those rights.
“We reiterated our commitment to promoting electoral integrity in the Pacific region,” they say in their statement. “This important goal includes organising elections based on the democratic principles of universal suffrage and political equality, as reflected in international standards and agreements, and that are professional, impartial and transparent in their preparation and administration throughout the electoral cycle.”
The officials agreed that local elections could be strengthened if observed on the basis of recognised international principles, if managed by independent and impartial and adequately resourced management bodies, and if these bodies can collaborate through networks.
Simon Gimson, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Political Director, said he welcomed the attention given by the conference to understanding the barriers which exist to the participation of women in elections.
“It cannot be right in any Commonwealth community that half the population is not represented in the Parliament or perhaps, more accurately, is excluded from being represented on the grounds of gender,” Mr Gimson said.
“We cannot turn our backs - if we are responsible for an election in any way, we share in the responsibility for its quality and relevance to the people served by its outcome including women.”
International partners participating in the meeting included the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, International IDEA, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, United Nations Electoral Assistance Division, United Nations Development Programme and UN Women.
Election officials represented hailed from Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The outcomes reached at this Pacific Electoral Networks Meeting will be presented at the forthcoming Commonwealth Electoral Network Biennial Conference due to be held from 22-24 June 2016 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
