The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has started assessing the needs to provide assistance to the Election Commission to hold the next parliamentary elections.
The UNDP will complete the need assessment within 10 days following talks with the Commission and other stakeholders, including civil society, academicians and political parties.
“The Election Commission sent the United Nations a letter requesting assistance before the UN could provide technical assistances to the Bangladesh Election Commission. We need to do need assessment,” said United Nations Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis in Bangladesh after a meeting with the EC on Tuesday.
A UNDP delegation, accompanied by a need assessment mission came from New York, first met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and then four election commissioners and EC officials at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.
Based on the talks with stakeholders, there will be some recommendations made the election commission over what technical supports the UN could provide, said the UN resident coordinator.
She said the UNDP may extend assistance for a wide range of issues, including capacity development, technology support, help over misinformation and disinformation.
Replying to a question, she said, “We’re really on the first days and trying to understand what the needs of the Election Commission are and understand how the Election Commission like to run the elections and there are already works in terms of updating the electoral rolls.”
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Noting that the door-to-door works are going to start to update the electoral rolls, she said some technologies might be need there.
Gwyn Lewis said the EC has made a request for technical supports for different aspects of the works ranging from IT capacity development, help with misinformation and disinformation and wide range of issues.
“The (need assessment) mission will finish it within 10 days and will come back here to present it before the EC,” she said.
EC senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the commission sought assistance from the UNDP for the election process.
The assistance is related to technology --hardware and software—, training for capacity building, development of communication materials and other issues, he said adding that the delegation came here to review the needs.
“They have talked to us and will talk to other stakeholders. They will come back to us with a proposal over the needs within 10 days,” he said.
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Replying to a question about the timeframe of the next general election, the EC Secretary said the CEC and other election commissioners said that they were working in line with the window given by the Chief Adviser.
Citing an example, Akhtar Ahmed said the UNDP would not assist to collect data during the door-to-door campaign rather help to process data to update the electoral rolls.