The Election Commission of India (ECI) today hosted the fourth executive board meeting of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) in New Delhi.
The ECI is currently serving its second term as a member of the executive board of the world body.
The meeting was chaired by Roberto Rosario Marquez, President of the Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic.
Romania participated as the current vice-chair of the organisation. Secretary General, Mr. Yong-Hi Kim from Republic of Korea and his team of A-WEB Secretariat helped conduct the proceedings.
Besides India, other Executive Board members from Albania, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic and South Africa took part. Delegates from Bosnia and Herzegovina and El Salvador also participated in the meeting as members of the A-WEB's Oversight and Audit Committee.
In his welcome address, Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner, recalled that the A-WEB is a comparatively young organisation, launched in October 2013. He stated that while the membership of the association is growing (currently 102 democratic countries and four International organisations), the organisation has also expanded its activities under the very able guidance of the first Chair, Korea and the current Chair, Dominican Republic.
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The executive board approved the proceedings of previous meeting. It also considered and approved the progress report, financial and audit reports for 2015 and adopted the Budget and Work Plans for 2016.
Dr. Nasim Zaidi, offered to collaborate with A-WEB in hosting some of its capacity building programmes at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
The board also conducted elections of New Members of the Oversight and Audit Committee. Cameroon, Ecuador and Kosovo were elected as new members of the Committee w.e.f. October 2016.
The executive board meets annually to discuss important issues and report to the General Assembly of the association which meets every two years.
On Tuesday, ECI will also host a seminar for the delegates on "Leveraging Technology for Transparent and Credible Elections".
At the seminar, the lead presentation will be made by India, showcasing the use of technology in various electoral processes. Country presentations will also be made by Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania.
Association of World Election Bodies was established in 2013 and has 106 members from 102 countries.
The members comprise national Election Management Bodies and some regional associations and international electoral organisations. A-WEB's vision is to foster efficiency and effectiveness in conducting free, fair, transparent and participative elections worldwide.
Its activities are guided by its mission to identify latest trends, challenges and developments in democratic electoral management and electoral processes and to facilitate appropriate exchange of experience and expertise among members with the objective of strengthening electoral democracy worldwide.