European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES)

I'm hosting Europe's Strategic Future with José Manuel Barroso. Make sure to attend it on October 20. linkedin.com/events/europe-…

On the 10 of October 2024, Fabio Bargiacchi was interviewed by Jeff Fischer, Senior Fellow for the Center for Democracy and Civil Society at @Georgetown University and electoral expert with more than 40 years of experience. The interview took place in the farmwork of the project “Stories of Democracy” implemented jointly by @Int_IDEA and @Georgetown University’s Democracy and Governance Program. In the interview Fabio reflected on his personal experience and insights on the 2004-2006 biometric voter registration process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These elections were the first democratic multi-party election in the DRC and served as a foundation for this narrative and gives further details on the voter registration process and elections. The DRC electoral processes between 2003 and 2006 marked an important milestone to introduce biometric voter registration in Africa showing the possibilities to implement such kind of voter registration. Fabio detailed the operational, technical, and political challenges during the first democratic multi-party electionin the DRC back then, serves as a foundation for this narrative and gives further details on the voter registration process and election. The lessons learned of that period and of the European Commission & UNDP Partnership on electoral assistance contributed heavily to the establishment of the European Centre for Electoral Support whose founders are Fabio himself and late Abbot Apollinaire Muhlongu Malu Malu who has been the Chairman of the SADC Electoral Commissions’ Forum and President of the Independent National Electoral Commission of DRC from 2003 till 2010, before to become the first President of ECES. @ItalyMFA, @G7, @francediplo, @Palazzo_Chigi, @AFD_EN, @BMZ_BUND, @MFA_Austria, @dfatirl, @EU_Commission, @Europarl_EN, @EUCouncil, @eu_eeas, @KfW, @gouv_lu, @DanishMFA, @commission_coi

In January 2018, ECES and the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Since then, ECES has provided within the framework of its project’s different modules of the Master's Degree in Electoral Politics and Administration. Through the Innov-Elections project financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ECES has provided in total: •⁠ Different training courses for a total of 967 people from 21 different countries. •⁠ ⁠437 different modules and 47 full master's degrees offered to 169 people from 32 different African countries. •⁠ ⁠213 different modules and 30 full master's degrees were given to a total of 96 people from 5 African continental and regional organisations (AU, CEN-SAD, EAC, ECF-SADC, ECOWAS/ECONEC). In the framework of the projects funded by the European Union and implemented by ECES in Ethiopia (A European Response to Electoral Cycle Support in Ethiopia - EURECS Ethiopia, Prevention and Mitigation and Managment of Electoral Conflicts and Potential Violence in Ethiopia - PEV Ethiopia, and the support to the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Election - CECOE), the collaboration with the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) led to the following results: 101 people participated in the full master's course or completed some of its modules. 147 modules were attended by members of the Ethiopian Electoral Commission and civil society, 22 full master's degrees were delivered within the framework of these projects. Within the framework of the EU-funded projects implemented by ECES in Jordan (EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions & Development), a total of 43 people participated in 58 different modules of the MEPA Master's Course. We are proud of the work that has been done and that some of the students who started within the framework of the InnovElection project have gone on to finalise their studies. @ItalyMFA, @G7, @francediplo, @Palazzo_Chigi, @AFD_EN, @BMZ_BUND, @MFA_Austria, @dfatirl, @EU_Commission, @Europarl_EN, @EUCouncil, @eu_eeas, @KfW, @gouv_lu, @DanishMFA, @commission_coi #eces #eces4electoralsupport #electoralsupport

We are pleased and honoured to announce that the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation @italymfa to the PRO ELECTORAL INTEGRITY project will continue for a third phase to support the @africanunion_official Commission for Political Affairs Peace and Security. The project, which started in 2021 and is currently in its third phase, will support the activities of the AFrican Union’s elections, constitutionalism and transitional justice units. Through this project, we have been able to support via our personnel and experts important activities, such as: 🗳️ The 7th and 8th Continental Forum of Electoral Management Bodies held in Mozambique and Benin 🤝 Various peers experts missions of the members the Association of African Election Authorities whose secretariat is in Ghana and missions were deployed in Kenya, Liberia and Comores ⚖️ The 6th and 7th African Transitional Justice Forum in Togo and Morocco 🎓 The creation of the school curriculum for the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance As well as multiple activities in support of the African Union Commission on the topics of elections, governance, constitutionalism and transitional justice. We are very grateful to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for their support and trust and the African Union for the effective partnership we are carrying out after we signed an MoU with Commissioner Bankole and for all valuable activities we have implemented and will implement always together. @europeancommission @europeanparliament @eucouncil @eudiplomacy @eu_partnerships @palazzo_chigi @g7 @francediplo @afd_france @udenrigsministeriet @kfw.de @mfa_austria @irish.aid @cooperation_lu #eces #eces4electoralsupport #electoralsupport

📰 🇰🇪 The Vice President of our Strategic & Advisory Committee, Filiberto C. Sebregondi (@SebregondiF), and our Communication and Media experts, Amirouche Needjai and Laura Makokha published an article and a chronology on the "Generation-Z" protest movement that took place in June and July last Year in Kenya. The article, published in the magazine @TheContrapuntal, analyses Kenya’s youth's growing disillusionment with the country’s governance system. Shifting the focus away from the traditional narrative of inter-ethnic tensions, it highlights systemic issues, economic inequality, and a lack of political accountability as key drivers of their dissatisfaction. The unrest was triggered by the controversial financial bill 2024. Still, it was rooted in widespread grievances against the general rise of prices, reduced or dysfunctional social services, and rampant corruption in all spheres of government institutions. The modality of the protest, based mainly on the creative use of the internet and social media, its communication ability, the informality and coordination of the leadership groups, the refusal of traditional forms of negotiation and co-optation, and the repeated appeals to the justice sector to prosecute human right abuses and bad governance, have all represented a total novelty in the societal and political dynamics of the country. The article is available on our website (eces.eu/en/posts/the-g…) and on The Contrapuntal page (thecontrapuntal.com/kenyas-gen-z-r…). Based on the experience with supporting the 2022 electoral process, and particularly of preventing electoral violence through engagement with civil society, local leaders, the youth, and other marginalized groups, the European Centre for Electoral Support has proposed a “Pro-Dialogue Kenya” initiative that aims at mobilizing information, communication, education and dialogue platforms to allow the proper participation of youth and community actors to the rebuilding of Kenya democratic institutions. @EU_Commission, @Europarl_EN, @EUCouncil, @eu_eeas, @EU_Partnerships, @ItalyMFA, @G7, @francediplo, @Palazzo_Chigi, @AFD_EN, @BMZ_BUND, @MFA_Austria, @dfatirl, @KfW, @gouv_lu, @DanishMFA, @commission_coi #eces #eces4electoralsupport #electoralsupport

We are participating in the 10th edition of the International Day of Democracy in Brussels. Our team composed of Fabio Bargiacchi, Julia Onnasch, Alessio Beltrami, and Jacopo Ardito participated in this year’s event titled “A Year of Elections”. The event brings together the democratic community and stakeholders within Brussels, including members of the EU institutions, representatives from Member States, and members of organizations working with elections and democratic institutions The two-day event will see a series of panels to discuss the global state of democracy in such an important electoral year, including an overview of the EU institution on how the incoming European Commission and newly elected European Parliament will translate their priorities into concrete actions that strengthen democracy. The event saw the participation of: 👉 Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President for Democracy and Demography at the European Commission; 👉 Kevin Casas Zamora, Secretary-General of International Idea; 👉Patrick Molinoz Chair of Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) at the Committee of the Regions; 👉Chiara Adamo, Deputy to the Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace directorate in DG INTPA; 👉Leopoldo López, Venezuelan opposition leader We are happy to participate in this event and to exchange with colleagues and EU institutions about the democratic landscape changes in this important electoral year. @ItalyMFA, @G7, @francediplo, @Palazzo_Chigi, @AFD_EN, @BMZ_BUND, @MFA_Austria, @dfatirl, @EU_Commission, @Europarl_EN, @EUCouncil, @eu_eeas, @KfW, @gouv_lu, @DanishMFA, @commission_coi @UEenguinee, @UE_Madagascar, @EUinKenya, @commission_coi, @BartOuvryEU, @EUinEthiopia, @UEauTchad, @UE_BURKINA, @EU_Partnerships

he European Centre for Electoral Support is looking for new committed colleagues to strengthen our Project and Communication team for our current and upcoming projects in Africa, with missions to our HQ in Brussels. For ECES, we are looking for the following: 👉 Project and Communication Officers– 📷 French speaker, 📷eces.eu/en/posts/we-ar……). To join our team in the ECES team as soon as possible. 📷 Send us a motivation letter and your CV to recruitment@eces.eu. Closing date for applications: 25th September 2024 @EUCouncil @eu_eeas @ItalyMFA @G7 @francediplo @Palazzo_Chigi @AFD_EN @BMZ_BUN @MFA_Austri @dfatirl @eu_eeas @KfW @gouv_lu @DanishMFA @commission_coi @EPLO_

🇹🇩 The Projet d’Appui au Parlement et aux Processus Électoraux (PAPPE) Chad, founded by the European Union, aims to promote democratic governance in Chad and to support those working to extend the scope of freedoms and ensure that they are applied in practice. In this context we supported the mission of the Commission Nationale des Droits de l’Homme [National Human Rights Commission] (CNDH) to check the conditions of detention and their compliance with international standards. The mission carried out from the 14 to the 23 of August visited different prisons in Chad: Massakory, Bol, Mao, Moussoro, Bokoro and Massaguet. 🏛️ This task is part of the mandate given to the CNDH by law no. 28/PR/18, which provides, among other things, for the organisation of missions to prisons to prevent torture and human rights violations and to make recommendations to the competent authorities. @europeancommission @europeanparliament @eucouncil @eudiplomacy @eu_partnerships @italymfa @palazzo_chigi @g7 @francediplo @afd_france @udenrigsministeriet @kfw @mfa_austria @irishaid @cooperation_lu #eces #eces4electoralsupport #electoralsupport

🇬🇳 In the framework of our project Projet d’Appui au Renforcement de la Démocratie en Guinée, funded by the European Union🇪🇺, we launched the workshop on strengthening the capacity of the members of the National Transition Council and the parliamentary administration to evaluate public policies on Thursday, 05 September 2024. Four experts, including trainers from the National Assembly of Ivory Coast and the Vice-President of the Strategic and Advisory Council of ECES, Filiberto Sebregondi, led this three-day training session on evaluating public policies. 🤝 The training was designed to be highly practical, focusing on the implementation of the assessment process of public policies evaluation. Over the three days, the trainers guided the participants through the entire process, from data collection and analysis to report writing. The session also included practical and comparative case studies from the Ivory Coast, enhancing the participant’s understanding of the subject. 🎯 This is the second training that ECES has organized for the members of the National Transition Council. The first one, organized in December 2023, focused on the topic "Overseeing the actions of the government and its administration.”

🇸🇩ECES technical support mission to South Sudan 🇸🇩 We are proud to support via the Pro Electoral Integrity Project, funded by the @ItalyMFA, a technical mission in South Sudan. The mission composed of our Vice President of the Strategic & Advisory Committee, @SebregondiF and the Senior Electoral Expert Vania Angelova arrived in Juba and started working with the Ambassador of South Sudan to Rome and and to Mission to the United Nations Rome Based Agencies, Ambassador Dhano Obongo. 🎯 The objective of this mission is to identify and support the National Election Commission and other electoral stakeholders in the road to the Presidential elections of December 2024. #eces #electoralassistance #eces4electoralsupport #eu4democracy @EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @eu_eeas @EU_Partnerships

📢We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with the Med-Or Foundation.🇮🇹 🤝On the 19th of July, our Founder & Executive Director, @fabiobargiacchi, signed with Med-Or President, Marco Minniti, an MoU between the two organizations in Rome. Marco Minniti is a former member of the Italian Parliament and Minister of the Interior under the Gentiloni administration (2016–2018). Med-Or is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote cultural initiatives🏛️, research 🔎, and education📘, with the objective of strengthening ties, exchanges and international relations between Italy and the countries of the Mediterranean area, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea, as well as the Near and Far East. At ECES, with our extensive electoral experience dating back to 2010, we are well-positioned to depart from our respective experience and aim to maximize the impact of the actions that lie in the organisations’ joint interests in the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.📍 🎯 Under the agreement reached, both parties strengthened their commitment to collaborate in fostering sustainable good governance, peace and stability, specifically in the prevention of violent extremism towards the promotion of democracy. #eces #electoralassistance #eces4electoralsupport #eu4democracy @EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @eu_eeas @EU_Partnerships

📢 ECES HQ is hiring! We are currently looking for a new committed colleague to strengthen our teams in our HQ in Brussels. The position will be in Brussels, where we manage and oversee the projects that we are currently implementing. For ECES HQ we are looking for: 👉 Project and Communication Officer - French speaker. 👉 Accountant and Finance Officer – French speaker You can find all the information about the position on our website: lnkd.in/eE9hfSzn To join our team in the ECES HQ in Brussels as soon as possible: ✉ Send us a motivation letter and your CV to recruitment@eces.eu. Closing date for applications: 25th of July 2023. The position may be filled before the deadline has been reached, so early applications are encouraged

🇲🇱🙌 Last Activity of Pro Observation Mali Project 🙌 Today we are holding in Bamako the final activity of Pro Observation Mali: a one-day workshop, dedicated to the capitalization of the work accomplished during the past 25 months. 📚 The “Projet d’Appui à l’Observation Citoyenne du Cycle électoral de la Transition 2020-2022 au Mali - PRO Observation Mali” is funded by the European Union 🇪🇺 and implemented by us in partnership with MODELE-Mali, a consortium of civil society organisations for profound reforms in the country. ✨ This workshop, organized in collaboration with MODELE Mali, marks a crucial moment for all project stakeholders to reflect on the project's strengths and lessons learned for the future, share their experiences and identify strategies to strengthen future electoral initiatives. Throughout its journey, the project has strived to promote transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in Mali's electoral processes. 🙏🙏We would like to express gratitude to all participants, partners, and stakeholders who have been an integral part of this transformative journey. 🗳️As we conclude this chapter, we remain committed to upholding democratic values and continuing our efforts to strengthen electoral processes in Mali and beyond. #eu4democracy #eces #electoralassistance #eces4electoralsupport @europeancommission @europeanparliament @eucouncil @eudiplomacy @eu_partnerships

🤝We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries! 🌍 ✒️On the 5th of July we signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ECF-SADC solidifying our commitment to working together to provide support to elections in the Southern African region and relevant electoral stakeholders, in the following areas: ✅Promotion of electoral integrity ✅Prevention, management and mitigation of electoral violence ✅Strengthening of institutional capacity 🌍ECF-SADC is an organization comprising electoral commissions from the following 15 SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, Zanzibar, DRC, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania and Zambia, actively participating in the collaborative efforts of ECF-SADC to strengthen electoral processes and promote democracy. ECES will support ECF-SADC in various ways, including: 🔹 Providing technical assistance to ECF-SADC for implementing collaborative activities 🔹 Offering training, consultation, and mentoring to achieve organizational development goals 👉With our extensive electoral experience dating back to 2010, is well-positioned to provide knowledge and support to ECF-SADC in their pursuit of strengthening democracy in Southern Africa. 🙏With this MoU, we want to acknowledge the pivotal role played by the late Abbot Apollinaire Malu Malu in introducing ECES to ECF-SADC. As the co-founder of ECES alongside @fabiobargiacchi, his leadership extended beyond ECES, as he also served as Vice President and President of ECF-SADC, laying the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration. To learn more about ECF-SADC we invite you to visit their website: ecfsadc.org #eces #eces4democracy #eces4electoralassistance @europeancomission @europeanparliament @counciloftheeuropean @eudiplomacy @eu_partnerships

🇹🇩We are delighted to announce the launch of our new 48-months project in Chad, entitled "Projet d'appui au processus parlementaire et électoral (PAPPE)", with the full financial support of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). 👉Therefore, today we are opening the recruitment process for various positions required for the implementation of the project. Check out our website's "Work with us" page for all available positions!💼 📌If you are interested in working with us and believe your skills align with the project objectives, send your application and CV by the 13th of July 2023 to the e-mail address recruitment@eces.eu. The overall objective of the PAPPE project is to promote democratic governance in Chad through inclusive governance and transparent electoral processes. We aim to strengthen the post-transition parliament to make the country’s governance more transparent and inclusive and to enable effective oversight of the executive. 🗳️To achieve this, the project will focus on developing the capacities of key actors in democratic development. During its implementation period, we will work towards enhancing institutional and technical capacities related to electoral processes, raising awareness among chiefdoms about their obligations, and strengthening Civil Society's active participation in the democratic process. 💪Join us in our mission to promote democratic governance in Chad! For more details click on the link in our BIO. #ECES #eces4democracy #eces4electoralassistance @EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @EU_Partnerships

Wishing all our friends, colleagues and the Muslim world a blissful Eid-Al-Adha! ☪️ #eces #electoralassistance #eces4electoralsupport #eces4democracy @EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @EU_Partnerships

🤗Introducing Alessio Beltrami, serving as the right-hand to our visionary Founder and Executive Director, @fabiobargiacchi . With an unwavering commitment, Alessio has graced our organization since the month of October 2020, enchanting us with his exceptional skills and unparalleled dedication. 🌍🗺A true globetrotter of purpose, Alessio has journeyed alongside us on missions to the farthest corners of the Earth, weaving our dreams into reality across diverse lands. His passport filled with stamps from countless countries bears witness to his role as our emissary of excellence. But it is not merely the stamps that define Alessio’s extraordinary experience at ECES; it is the kaleidoscope of cultures he encounters every day. Within our vibrant organization, he interacts with colleagues hailing from different corners of the globe, his mind illuminated by the richness of their diversity. #eces #electoralassistance #eces4electoralsupport #eces4democracy @EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @EU_Partnerships

🎨 Transforming Weapons into Arts: Celebrating the Partnership between ECES and Gonçalo Mabunda 🌍 At ECES, we're thrilled to continue our collaboration with the talented world-known Mozambican artist Gonçalo Mabunda, whose work resonates deeply with our mission of promoting peace, conflict mitigation, and democracy. This collaboration blossomed from a 22-year-long collaboration and friendship between @fabiobargiacchi , ECES' Founder and Executive Director, and Gonçalo, dating back to 2001, when our founder was working in the EU Delegation to Mozambique, Maputo. 🇲🇿 Mabunda draws inspiration from his country's collective memory, particularly the aftermath of the civil war. His artistic vision involves the remarkable transformation of deactivated weapons into thought-provoking sculptures, breathing new life and meaning into these objects of destruction. His artistic journey began in 1995 as part of the "Transforming Guns into Hopes" project by the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), which has collected 800,000 weapons since its launch. Some weapons were destroyed, while others were deactivated and given to artists like Mabunda to sculpt into art. 🌍Mabunda has exhibited in renowned museums worldwide, including the Center Pompidou in Paris, the Venice Biennale, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, in South Korea, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and many more. Recognizing the power of Mabunda's art to convey a powerful message, ECES invited him to exhibit his renowned "Transforming Weapons into Arts" collection at the prestigious European Parliament in 2017. This exhibition coincided with the launch of our comprehensive handbook on election conflict prevention, underscoring the significance of peace in electoral processes within the framework of our "Preventing Electoral Violence in the Southern African Development Community" (PEV-SADC) project. Therefore, we are excited to announce that Mabunda's extraordinary artwork will be integrated into our future training programs for awareness raising in voter and civic education sessions. By incorporating his captivating sculptures, we aim to enhance the learning experience and foster a deeper understanding of the importance of active citizenship and democratic participation. 💪By joining forces with Mabunda, ECES continues to embrace the transformative potential of art in promoting positive change and resilience in societies affected by electoral violence. 📌Click the link in our BIO to learn more about this extraordinary collaboration! #eces #eces4electoralsupport #electoralassistance #eces4democracy @EU_Commission @EU_Commission @EUCouncil @EU_Partnerships