ECES is delighted to announce that its InnovElections project, implemented in collaboration with the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa (SSSA) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) , was officially launched today, as part of the high level launch event "The Partnership with Africa" unveiled by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The event introduced a key strategic policy document identifying Italy's main foreign policy priorities on the African continent, the first project to embody these priorities being InnovElections .
Presented in the strategic document as "a key capacity building programme in the electoral field for several African countries", Innov-Elections was highlighted as the first concrete action taken in the governance and human rights field.
"This programme aims at strengthening capacities and improving the operations and effectiveness of policy / decision makers (for example, Electoral Commissions) with regards to elections, administration, access to vote, regulatory standards and increase in voter participation" (p.24)