TRAINING REPORT

ELECTIONS OBSERVATION TRAINING

ORGANISED FOR

MEMBERS OF WEST AFRICAN WOMEN'S ELECTIONS OBSERVATION TEAM (WAWEO)

8 - 9 OCTOBER, 2011.

Palm Spring Hotel, Monrovia, Liberia

Table of Contents Acronyms Introduction .. Opening Speeches . Training Objectives .. Training Methodologies Recommendation .. Training Evaluation .. 3 3 5 5 11 14

Appendix Training Agenda . List of Participants . About Partners .

18 19 20

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Acronyms ECOWAS ELBC EMBs INEC LIWOMAC NEC ODHR OSCE Economic Community of West African States Liberia Broadcasting System Electoral Management Bodies Independent National Electoral Commission Liberia Women Media Action Committee National Elections Commission of Liberia Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

OSIWA
SFCG WACSI WANEP WAWEO WIPNET WIPSEN-A

Open Society Initiative for West Africa

Search For Common Ground West Africa Civil Society Institute West Africa Network for Peace-building West Africa Women Elections Observation Team Women in Peacebuilding Network Women In Peace and Security- Africa

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1.0 INTRODUCTION Women in Africa are increasingly making their presence felt in the political arena. Despite this progress, the number of women actively and visibly engaged in politics remains low in most African countries mainly due to the prevailing societal belief that politics is a male domain. However, the year 2011 and 2012 present new opportunities for women in West Africa to engage in a democratic competition with their male counterpart in order to ascend unto various political leadership positions and decision making echelon in their various countries. With eight countries1 scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections between 2011 2012, in West Africa, women delegates attending the 2nd Annual West African Women Policy Forum conveyed by Women in Peace and Security Network- Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) and West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in November 2009 in Abidjan, Cote DIvoire under the theme: Our Politics is NOW: Moving Beyond the Rhetoric of Womens Political Participation called for the formation of a West African Women Elections Observation Team (WAWEO) consisting of two representatives from each of the fifteen ECOWAS member States to serve as a strategic tool to protect and promote the interest of women (candidates, politicians and voters) in forthcoming elections across the sub-region through regular observation mission/deployment. In 2010, WACSI and WIPSEN-Africa through the contributions and support of forum delegates furthered the recommended initiative by establishing requisite criteria to guide the nomination of thirty (30) experienced women from the civil Society (including non-governmental organizations, women's network and coalitions) and active politicians. The establishment of the team in 2011 culminated the birth of the first women-oriented, women-focused and women-driven Elections Observation Mission with the overall goal to observe, serve, protect and promote the broader interest of women in forthcoming elections in West Africa. It is envisioned that WAWEO members will be deployed to complement the work of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Elections Observer Mission in all general elections across the sub-region. The two-day training covered amongst themes Introduction to Elections, Elections Observation versus Elections Monitoring, What to observe, Code of Conducts, Observing local and international rules and procedures, debriefing and reporting the mission etc. 1.1 OPENING CEREMONY The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in partnership with the Women, Peace and Security Network (WIPSEN-Africa) and support from IBIS-Liberia organized a 2-day Elections Observation training from 8-9 October 2011, in Monrovia-Liberia for the newly constituted members of the West African Women Elections Observation Team (WAWEO). The training, which aimed at equipping the WAWEO team with requisite skills, techniques and procedures in observing electoral processes across the sub-region, indeed will offer women the unique platform to actively participate in the democratization process through effective elections observation. The training also focused on strengthening the knowledge of WAWEO members in general electoral processes and strategies to advocate for more gender sensitive policies in election administrations in West Africa. It seeks to document and disseminate lessons from various observation missions to relevant policy makers and responsible institutions at both national and regional levels. Though scheduled for 30 members of WAWEO representing civil society and politicians from the 15 West African States, the training was eventually held for only 7 members due to resource constraints. Trained participants represented six (6) countries - Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
1

Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Senegal, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cape Verde

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1.2 WELCOME MESSAGES FROM PARTNERS AND FACILITATOR The opening ceremony was chaired by Ms. Eunice Roberts, Facilitator of the training. She welcomed participants to the training and appreciated those who have traveled from far and wide to be a part of the regional initiative. Representing WACSI, Ms. Pearl Atsou-Dzini, the Executive Assistant of the Institute welcomed participants and expressed the best wishes of the Executive Director (Ms. Nana Afadzinu). Ms. Rosalind Alp-Hanson, Country Director of IBIS-Liberia welcomed participants and expressed her excitement over the initiative. In her message, Ms. Alp-Hanson reiterated IBIS-Liberias growing interest to partner and support women in all facets ranging from capacity building to general leadership empowerment. In particular, she congratulated WACSI and WIPSEN for organizing forum that culminated such a brilliant initiative to women advancement and active participation in political participation. Finally, Ms. Alp-Hanson re-echoed IBISs commitment to support WAWEOs development and activities not only in Liberia, but in all West African countries where IBIS is present. Ms. Derex-Briggs, Country Representative of UN WOMEN who attended the opening session of the training in solidarity with the women closed the messages with words of encouragement and finally wishing the participants a fruitful training session. 1.3 BRIEFING FOR ELECTIONS OBSERVERS WAWEO team joined the briefing session organised and held by the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC) for all international observers. The briefing aimed at providing international observers with detailed information about the overall preparations towards the 2011 Liberia general elections. The Executive Director of NEC, Hon. John Langley, welcomed the presence of all observers and provided an overview of the different phases of the 2011 elections including - the registration of voters, a referendum agreement on the disputed number of years stay in Liberia that qualifies presidential candidates, status of voting material, security preparedness amongst others. This was followed by a thorough update from the Field Coordinator, Mr. Lamin Lighe, who provided in-depth details on issues such as - the arrival of elections materials, the logistics and security put in place to ensure transparency and fairness of the entire process. Mr. Lamin informed observers on the number of magistrates, districts, polling stations and number of NEC staff that will be deployed throughout the country to cover every polling station. He instructed that observers introduce themselves upon arrival to the Presiding Officer of each polling station for recognition. His advice was followed by the IT specialist of NEC who highlighted the new technology which will be used to tally and count votes. He assured observers of the maximum safety, steadiness of the internet link and made some demonstration to observers. The IT session was followed by questions and answers session from participants. While representatives and officers present were able to provide convincing answers to all question raised, it was rather challenging for the electoral officers to respond to questions on the level of preparation made for differently-abled voters to access the polling centers, manage the long queues amongst other shortcomings. Voters with visual impairment were advised to get assistance from their relatives; this hinders the secrecy of ones vote.

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Picture 1: WAWEO members at the briefing session at NEC

1.4 TRAINING OBJECTIVES The specific objectives of the two-day training focused on six (6) major topics, namely: Meaning and types of election observation The purpose and importance of elections observation What to observe during elections observation Code of conduct for election observation Election observation procedure Election Day observation and report writing 2.0 TRAINING METHODOLGY The methodology used by the facilitator throughout the training was interactive and participatory based on Information, Communication Technology (ICT), PowerPoint presentations and some explanations were written on flip charts to help participants follow on the discussions. Practical exercises were carried out to deepen participants knowledge and understanding of elections observation. They were also encouraged to give their views on questions and share what is done in their respective countries. 2-1: MEANING AND TYPES OF ELECTION OBSERVATION Participants were taken through a series of definitions of key words in elections observation. What is election? Why do we say that an election is a process? The facilitator defined Elections as celebration of fundamental human rights and more specifically civil and political rights. A genuine election is a political competition that takes place in an environment characterized by confidence, transparency and accountability that provides voters with an informed choice between distinct political alternatives. Election observation therefore contributes to the overall promotion and protection of these rights. The training covered - demarcation of electoral boundaries, registration of voters, nomination of candidates, campaigning, conduct of the election, counting of votes, declaration of results and resolution of conflicts that arise before, during and after the conduct of the election. WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 5|

2.2 ELECTORAL MANAGEMENT BODIES (EMBS) Facilitator took participants through the different mode of handling electoral process in various counties. According to her, electoral processes are handled by special institutions or organizations known as the Elections Management Body (EMB). However, EMBs have different names in different countries. For example, in Sierra Leone, elections are handled by National Electoral Commission; in Liberia known as National Elections Commission; in Ghana, it is the Electoral Commission of Ghana; in the Gambia and in Benin, it is the Independent Electoral Commission and in Nigeria, it is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). EMBs may have different names, different composition and their members may not all be appointed by the Government but they perform the same task as to ensuring the good conduct of elections. The most important point to note here is the need for observers to make informed judgments about elections. Any pronouncements made about the election must be borne out by facts and not mere assumptions. There is also the need to use Election language correctly in interpreting the facts (free and fair, irregularity, fraud, rigging, etc.). Knowing that Election is a process and Election observation enhances accountability and transparency thereby boosting both domestic and international confidence in the process. What are the types of elections observation? 2.3 TYPES OF ELECTIONS OBSERVATIONS The two types of elections observation, i.e. Long-term observation and the short-term observation are the major types of observations often used. Facilitator submitted that a long-term observation refers to Election observation that covers the entire process or the major activities of an election whereas the short-term election observation covers only aspects of the election, usually towards the tail end of the process. Short Vs Long Term Observation Short term observers arrive late and leave early. Long term observation helps to track the overall election process, the adequacy and timeliness of electoral preparations. It helps to detect fraudulent activities at early stages that could affect the eventual outcome of the election, abuse of incumbency and monitors the behavior of electoral actors. It watches the nature of the campaign and any electionrelated human rights violations and the media coverage of elections. Due to the fact that long-term observation requires huge funding, more experienced observers and most observers are working people who cannot be away from their jobs for a long time and also the fact that long-term observation has not been adopted as a policy, most organization do not patronize it. Only few organizations like the European Union and the OSCE have adopted long-term election observation as a policy. (WAWEO training manual, 2011) The training also introduced participants to universal principles, and encouraged observers to read and avoid clashing with electoral laws of the host country. Observers are encouraged to mandatorily participate in all briefing organized by the host EMB and seek clarification on issues, while in country. Observers must take into due consideration both the electoral laws of the respective country and universals principles of democratic elections. The universal principles include Independence of the EMB; Freedom of expression assembly movement choice WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 6|

Respect for electoral rights Competitiveness Transparency Fairness Impartiality

Inclusiveness Accessibility Accountability No corruption No rigging

Picture 2: Participants working on strategies to increase womens participation in politics

3.0 SECURITY IN ELECTORAL PROCESS Further to the scrutiny of electoral laws, participants reflected on how these laws promote women in politics and how easy it is for women to contest in their respective countries. In Liberia, women do not build constituencies; they dont connect with other women in their communities. This becomes a handicap. Though it is difficult to get funding for their campaign, if women are able to build the confidence of other women, they will receive funding for their activities as mostly male candidates are supported by women. In Nigeria, political parties do not support female candidatures, no matter how competent they may be. The family status of women in politics is always threatened and this discourages women from engaging into politics. In Gambia, women are given a place in politics. The vice-president is a woman. There are about 2 women elected and 3 appointed in the National Assembly of Gambia. In Ghana, political parties do not support women. They rather use politics as a sex game. They accuse women in politics of lesbian, divorced and rogue. The negative ideas about women in politics shy women off though nothing in legislations prevent women from politics. Sharing on their past experiences, participants concluded that indeed women are legally free to participate in political activities across the sub-region. However, they reiterated that are many socioWAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 7|

cultural barriers that still limits the extent of their participation or contests in elections. Participants as part of their group work proposed strategies that will boost participation of women in politics as follows: Mentoring (grooming young women interested in politics) Help women build constituency (Meeting women in communities) Motivational speeches (need to go with providing economic abilities) Political parties must agree to cede some constituency (safe seats) to women Prepare the mindset of women to rise above socio-cultural barriers Build capacity on international principles to enable women know their rights Train young women to be enterprising and innovative and learn to do things by themselves (not be dependent on men) Customs and traditions must be changed Set up a west African women trust fund for all individual countries Politics being a career, employ these young graduates in political setups to enable them acquire political competences Start with a pilot program and groom women gradually Train girls and build their capacity towards politics Summarily, participants acknowledged that lots have been done to ensure women participation in politics but they remain insignificant. Older women in politics were encouraged to groom young and focused young women so they are exposed to the political arena and learn to be prepared for the tasks ahead. 3.1 CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ELECTION OBSERVATION Apart from the laws of the country and the electoral systems in the host country where one is to observe, observers have to familiar with codes of conduct for election observation. The most used codes are the code of conduct of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and ODHR (Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights) and that of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States). For example, both codes recommend that Observers maintain strict impartiality while carrying out their duties and at no time, publicly express or exhibit any bias or preference in relation to national authorities, political parties, candidates or with reference to any issues in contention in the election process. They both urge observers to undertake their duties in an unobtrusive manner and not interfere in the electoral process. Observers may raise questions with election officials and bring irregularities to their attention, but they must not give instruction or countermand their decisions, etc. But a thorough study of both codes reveal that the ECOWAS code of conduct looks more practical and down to earth, it brings out African realities and cautions are clearly illustrated. OSCE code is more professional and integrates the general international rules and expectation of elections. Both codes are not gender inclusive. Despite the similarities and differences, both codes complement each other. It is clear that observers need to be careful not to associate themselves with the colors or symbols of any political party in that country. For example, in Liberia, the green color is the dominant color of the ruling Unity Party and therefore an observer wearing such color on Election Day will be taken for a partisan of the ruling party. Observers must not intervene in the actual administration of an election but rather conduct themselves in a responsible manner by not showing any form of bias, but rather making judgments WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 9

based on facts. Observers must remember that they do not enjoy any special immunity from offences under the laws of a given country. They must therefore abstain from making personal statements about the election to the media as they might be premature; they may contradict or prejudice the eventual official statement; or dent the credibility of the group and increase tensions or lead to actual conflict. This explains why the need for observer groups to always identify a group leader who will be the person authorized to speak on their behalf.

Picture 4; WAWEO advance team at the NDC secretariat, Monrovia, Liberia

4.0

OBSERVATION LEADERHIP

Participants were informed during the session that the choice of the team leader or spokesperson of the group is part of the procedures usually applied in observing elections. Procedures may vary slightly from one organization to the other, but there is much common ground among reputable observer organizations. The first step is the pre-election assessment to make on the spot evaluation in the host country, of conditions within which the election is likely to take place and find out whether conditions exist for organizing democratic elections. The assessment team may also be charged with other tasks, including finding from the political parties whether they are willing to receive the observers and to permit them to do their work freely and gathering accommodation, transportation, security situation, and health facilities. It is interesting to note that a pre-election assessment team is different from an advance party of the observer group. 4.1 ELECTION OBSERVATION PROCEDURES It is also interesting to note that a pre-election assessment team is different from an advance party of the observer group. The advance team is usually sent to the country of observation ahead of the main mission to make contacts with various authorities and stakeholders to brief the observer mission, to make arrangements for accommodation and transportation in
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and outside the capital and to gather relevant political and electoral information for the benefit of the observer mission. However when the observers have arrived in the country of observation, they have to undertake some of the important activities that usually take place
including group meeting, arrival statement, accreditation, consultation, deployment, and field observation. To comply with these procedures, the WAWEO advance team issued upon their arrival in the country an arrival statement to inform the public of their arrival and mission. They also received accreditation from the National Elections Commission and held consultations with civil society organizations (WANEP-LIBERIA, OSIWA-Liberia, and SFCG), media organizations (Truth FM, ELBC) and Women organizations (LIWOMAC, WIPNET) in order to be abreast with the preelections situation in the country.

Picture 5: Advance team meeting women and media organisation (LIWOMAC)

5.0 ELECTION DAY OBSERVATION AND REPORT WRITING Apart from activities undertaken prior to Election Day, a key aspect of election observation consists in gathering facts about the election on Election Day. These facts relate to whether or not the election is carried out in accordance with the particular countrys own laws, rules, regulations, processes and procedures and to which extent the stakeholders behave properly in accordance with the norms associated with democratic elections. There is therefore the need for a good election observation checklist which is mainly aimed at making possible uniform observation by all members of the observers group, providing a firm basis for common judgment and making the basis of report writing factual and not subjective. The normal checklist used by most organizations is the A, B, and C Forms. Participants realized gender aspects are not captured in these checklists. After working in group, they proposed gender focused questions that will enable to account for the gender aspects of the election and the most WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 11

gender sensitive questions were adopted and incorporated in the checklist to reflect the mandate of WAWEO observers team. The new checklist will be used for deployment and election observation. As part of documentations to be produced after Election Day observation, we have the preliminary statement, which is a general appraisal of how the election went, without much detail and the final and detailed elections observation report. The preliminary statement as the arrival statement is released to the press before the departure of the observers. Characteristics of a good election observation report include the following: Separation of performance lapses and genuine mistakes from deliberate wrongdoing; Display of a sense of proportion through careful assessment of the distribution and effect of any occurrences; Careful examination of irregularities to determine their probable overall effect on the electoral outcome; Allegations of wrongdoing is not treated as facts unless that could not be confirmed; Not an inventory of only things that went wrong: credit also must be given for things done well; Structured in a logical manner; Makes recommendations on institutional and procedural matters for improving future elections. The final report is a detailed account of all that happened based on responses provided in the various checklists used by observers on Election Day. The group works provided participants an opportunity to test their understanding of elections observation and make contributions to various topics according to experiences from their respective countries. Key recommendations arising from the elections observation training are summarized as follows: Follow-up on IBIS promise to support WAWEO to observe elections in countries where IBIS has a country office Produce the report of the election observations in Liberia with pictures of every stage Approach UN Women and other women organizations for more support to this initiative Lobby ECOWAS to support WAWEO Always include training aspect in election observation, especially on domestic context and experience sharing WAWEO observers trained should be encouraged and supported to train others (Domestic observers) on the ground in their respective countries Lobby countries to invite WAWEO to talk to political parties and women ahead of elections Design WAWEO Polo shirts, Jackets, bags, caps, etc. with the logo of WAWEO and other partners Design an Identity Card (ID) with the picture, name and country of the WAWEO member wearing it Advise countries to proceed with demarcation before voters registration. Encourage women in politics to groom young ladies who want to take up political positions Put in place institutions to groom ladies in politics. Participants recommended that though the idea of having a big WAWEO team is laudable, it is also prudent to start by sending a small number of trained observers on the ground and increase the WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 12

number gradually as the team grows to its initial number (30). Participants were reminded that the task of the WAWEO team is to observe the gender aspects of the organization and conduct of elections, whether conditions were in place for women to freely express their votes without any intimidation and violence. The closing ceremony comprises of the presentation of certificate of attendance to participants and the allocation of polling stations for the actual Election observation. They were congratulated for taking part in the training and for accepting to be members of the West African Women Elections Observers. The WAWEO team was assigned polling stations in the three districts in the neighborhood of the Capital Monrovia, namely Montserrado, Margibi and Bomi. They received their accreditation package including a map of the different regions of the country, the countrys laws and regulations, the map of the earmarked electoral districts, an observer badge from the National Elections Commission of Liberia.

Picture 6: Participants with 2011 Peace Nobel Prize, Leymah Gbowee

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TRAINING EVALUATION The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in partnership with the Women, Peace and Security Network (WIPSEN Africa) and IBIS-Liberia organized a two-day Elections Observation training from 8-9 October 2011 at Palm Spring Hotel in Monrovia-Liberia. The training was organized for the West African Women Elections Observation Team (WAWEO) and was attended by 7 participants all female from Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. At the end of the two-day training, participants assessed the overall delivery of the training by answering a questionnaire, on the three main sessions- overall course delivery, course content and course duration. Below is a compilation of participants answers to questions: Session A: Overall Course Delivery Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction of the overall delivery of the training and give reasons to support their ratings. They were asked to rate 3, 2 or 1 indicating respectively: Very Satisfied, Satisfied and Not Satisfied. Below is a tabular presentation of the ratings in percentages by participants. Participants were mostly satisfied with the overall delivery of the training as indicated the tabular.
Percentage Rating of Participants outcomes Areas of Assessment 1. What is your overall impression of the workshop? 2. Were your objectives for this workshop met? 3. Rate your satisfaction with the Course training materials 4. Taking into account your knowledge on Elections observation before the training, did the workshop help to enhance your knowledge and skills in this area? 5. How effective was the methodology used in the workshop? The Discussions The Practical Sessions Very Satisfied 60% 20% 40% 60% Satisfied 40% 80% 40% 20% 20% 20% Not Satisfied

60% 60%

40% 20% 20%

Overall impression Participants provided their opinions on the overall training and the following answers were given to explain their ratings: The workshop was rewarding. The contents, methods of presentation and all sessions were participatory, though the time was short; The WAWEO training should be well documented and very clear with the gender focus to serve as an example for future training; It is an important for all women observers; The sessions were interactive and facilitator was on top of the issues; Extremely practical with more participations, though was insufficient. WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 14

Were your objectives for this workshop met? Yes, this has been part of things that I want to be doing from time to time; Yes, the instructions were clear and my memory refreshed on election observation issues; My objective was to share my own experience with WAWEO members. It was met; Yes, partially; Most definitely; Because the time was too short, my objectives were not fully met. Course training materials They were very resourceful; Training materials were relevant and useful; Yes, Im satisfied with the manual; It is good, but needs to be enhanced and reviewed in the future; Im satisfied with the clarity and contents of the manual; It provided a good and deep insight into elections observation processes. Knowledge and skills acquisition Participants acknowledged the usefulness of the training compared to their level of understanding on elections observation. The training has given me a refresher to the things I studied before Yes, it was like a refresher course to me Before participating to this training, I was a domestic observer. Now my capacity in observation is strengthened and I will help me in this area Very much, as I learnt very important things which I didnt know before Yes, the training enhanced my skills, knowledge and gave me a sense of appreciation towards this area of election observation Training methodology: Discussions They were very effective for my learning purpose; It provided us the opportunity to discuss our various country situations and apply our learning to the Liberia context; Very good; Too many points raised were left hanging; Excellent; Involving. Practical methodology: Discussions It was very interactive; Group work was interesting and educative; Very interactive; Great; Relevant to practical life situation, ie those that occur worldwide most especially to Africa.

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SESSION B: Course Content

How effective were the training components (listed in the box below) in strengthening your Elections observation skills. Please tick in the box which represents your opinion: Percentage Rating Outcomes of Participants Very useful, May be useful May not be useful 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Women Elections Observation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Principles on Democratic Elections

Role of WAWEO in elections in the West 100% African sub-region The meaning of Election Observation 100% Election Observation and Election Monitoring Long-term and short term observation What to observe How to Observe WAWEO Code of Conduct for Observers Observation Procedure 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Write one or two sentences to describe what you learned from the workshop - What I learnt from the workshop was very educative and it will boost my capability in elections observation - The workshop served as a refresher of previous training programs I have received in the past on elections observation - I learnt new things which can help me as a foreign observer - The universal principles and code of conduct were enlightening - Qualities of a good observer, importance of country context including laws - I was motivated, sensitized, informed and educated about Elections observation which I did not know and understand Advice to the trainer in adapting and delivering this workshop - Trainer should keep it up. She did a good job and she is worth to be commended - PowerPoint presentations should be prepared on topics before the workshop and should be sent to participants email addresses or given as hand-outs - Continue her methodology because it is very good and relaxed - She should use more engaging lecture materials, use of reference materials, and control of participants. There were too many lists, therefore visual aids are necessary - She needs more time - Allocate more time because the theme is too much to be covered in a workshop of this nature WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 16

Assessment of facilitator - She did wonderful and the training was educative and interactive - She made the workshop very interactive enabling participants who have observed elections in the past to share experiences and learn from each other - She delivered to my satisfaction - Her performance was satisfactory - Obviously, she knows the topic. She is very patient in imparting her knowledge - The facilitators methods of presentation were participatory, hence superb Session C. Course Duration

Percentage rating outcome of participants Course duration Too short 28% About Right 43% Not assessed 29%

CONCLUSION Elections observation is a very important aspect of the electoral process. It boosts confidence of all stakeholders in the election and also enhances credibility of the new government at the international level. Elections observation is necessary in any country whether it is emerging from a prolonged civil war, has experienced many years of military rule or has held two successive credible elections. Having paid due attention to the laws of the country and the particularity of each country, observers must conduct themselves blamelessly and make informed judgment based on facts as their pronouncement may tear up a country or unify it. The government, EMB, political parties, the electorate and sponsoring organizations all benefit from the election observation to ensure that elections are well conducted and that the democratic process is on course. Observer are to observe the election process, not to supervise or monitor it, to consider all the factors that impinge on the credibility of the election process as a whole and find fact, not to find faults. Above all, election observation calls for a display of integrity and non-partisanship of all times.

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Appendix 1: Training Agenda Workshop Agenda

TIME 09:00 10:00 10:00 11:30 11:30 13:00 13:00 14:30 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:30 16:30 16:45 17:00 17:30 Comments and Questions END OF DAY 1 ACTIVITY Opening Ceremony/ Introduction of the course Briefing by the National Elections Commission (NEC) Meaning and types of Election Observation LUNCH BREAK The purpose of Election Observation What to observe SNACKS Eunice Roberts RESOURCE PERSON Eunice Roberts Eunice Roberts Eunice Roberts Eunice Roberts

DAY 2 Sunday 09/10/2011

TIME 09:00 10:00 10:00 12:20 12:20 14:00 09:00 09:30 14:00 15:45 15:45 16:00 13:00 14:30 16:00 17:00 11:00 13:00 17:00 17:30 09:30 10:30 13:30 15:30 ACTIVITY Code Of Conduct For Election Observation Election Observation Procedures Opening Ceremony LUNCH BREAK Eunice Roberts Eunice Roberts Pearl Atsou-Dzini RESOURCE PERSON Eunice Roberts Eunice Roberts

Election Day of the course Introduction Observation And Report Writing SNACKS Group Work Meaning and types of Election Observation Presentation of certificates/Closing Ceremony END OF The purpose of Election Observation DAY 2

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Appendix 2: List of participants

No Full Names 1 AZANHOUE Corine 2 Lucy PAGE 3 Derex-Briggs 4 Oby Nwankwo 5 Afia Appiah 6 Eunice Roberts 7 Rosalind Hanson-Alp 8 Rikke Bruntse Dahl 9 Kadja H. Christensen 10 Sarjo M. Camara 11 Etweda A. Cooper 12 Pearl Atsou-Dzini 13 Barbara Bangura Organization Centre Houefa pour la promotion du Genre CEP UN-WOMEN CIRDDOC Hedge- Ghana WAWEO IBIS IBIS IBIS WAWEO WAWEO WACSI GEMS Position Jurist Executive Director Country Representative Executive Director Executive Director Consultant Country Director Communications Advisor Program Dev. Advisor Observer Observer Executive Assistant National Coordinator Country Benin Liberia Liberia Nigeria Ghana Ghana Liberia Liberia Liberia Gambia Liberia Ghana Sierra Leone Contact Number 00229 95 11 12 13 00231 0655206 00 231 511 00 88 00 234 803 313 24 94 00 233 260 439 0375 00 233 208 193 900 00 231 77 636 353 00 231 77 673 97 50 00 231 77 693 44 54 00 220 99 14 602 00 231 651 86 66 00 233 302 54 10 20 00 232 76 60 41 58 Email corineazanhoue@hotmail.com cep_liberia@yahoo.com izechuwa.derexbriggs@unwomen.org nwankwooby@yahoo.com afia.appiah@gmail.com amanua2005@yahoo.com rosalind@ibiswestafrica.com rikke@ibiswestafrica.com kadja@ibiswestafrica.com camarasarjo@yahoo.com etwedac@yahoo.com padzini@wacsi.org barbarabangura@gmail.com

Appendix 2b: WAWEO members

No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Name Eunice Roberts Afia Appiah Oby Nwankwo Sarjo Camara Corine Azanhoue Mahussi Lucy Page Etweda Cooper Barbara Bangura Organization Electoral Commission of Ghana (Retired) HEDGE, Ghana CIRDDOC Gambia Media Support (GPU) Centre Houefa pour la promotion du Genre Position Consultant Executive Director Executive Director Journalist Jurist and Executive Director Country GHANA Ghana Nigeria Gambia Benin Liberia Liberia Sierra Leone Email/Phone

amanua2005@yahoo.com afia.appiah@gmail.com nwankwooby@yahoo.com camarasarjo@yahoo.com corineazanhoue@hotmail.com cep_liberia@yahoo.com etwedac@yahoo.com barbarabangura@gmail.com

CEP
Edina County Women Solidarity Support Group (WSSG)

Executive Director
Mayor Coordinator

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Appendix 3: About Partners About WACSI The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) was created by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to reinforce the capacities of civil society in the region. The Institute was established to bridge the institutional and operational gaps within civil society. Vision: To strengthen civil society organisations as strategic partners for the promotion of democracy, good governance and national development in the sub-region. Mission: The objective of the Institute is to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of CSOs in the formulation of policies, the implementation and promotion of democratic values and principles in West Africa. The role of WACSI is to serve as a resource centre for training, research, experience sharing and political dialogue for CSOs in West Africa. The Institute makes its plea through policy dialogue to discuss current issues affecting West African States. Reference documents are regularly published by the Institute and disseminated to political leaders/policy makers. Website: www.wacsi.org About WIPSEN-Africa The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) was established on 8th May, 2006 under the laws of the Republic of Ghana as a Pan-African Non-Governmental Peacebuilding Organisation with a focus on women, peace and security broadly defined. WIPSEN-Africa is women-focused, women-led organisation that seeks to promote womens strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance. Vision: WIPSEN-Africa envisions a violence free, non-discriminatory continent that fosters peaceful coexistence, equality, collective ownership and full participation of all, particularly women, in decision-making on peace and security. Mission: WIPSEN-Africas mission is to institutionalise and mainstream women, peace and security by enhancing womens leadership capacities and promoting constructive, innovative and collaborative approaches to non-violent transformation of conflicts, peace building and human security in Africa. Website: www.wipsen-africa.org About IBIS-Liberia IBIS is a non-profit, Danish non-governmental organization that works at global, national and local levels to support equal access to education, influence and resources for both men and women through advocacy in Africa and Latin America. IBIS is focusing its support on access to basic education, skills training, quality teachers training as well as accountability and good governance in education. IBIS also supports Civil Society Organizations and government at the local, county and national level to ensure that all poor and vulnerable children, youth and adults have their right to relevant, empowering and gender-sensitive quality education fulfilled. Vision: IBIS works for a just world, in which all people have equal access to education, influence and resources. WAWEO Election Observation Training Report Page 20

Mission: IBIS wishes to secure people equal access to education, influence and resources, through support for civil society in Africa and Latin America and to influence the political agenda, create greater understanding of the problems facing developing countries, and point to specific options for action through information and advocacy. Website: www.ibiswestafrica.com

About OSIWA The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) was created in December 2000 as part of the world network of 32 autonomous foundations founded and supported by George Soros. These nonprofit-making foundations share in the commitment to work for an open society. Based on the principle that no one has monopoly of the truth, an open society recognizes the different points of view and always remains open to improvements. In practice, open societies are characterized by the priority of law, democracy, respect of diversity and human rights, liberalization of markets, information to the people and the dynamism of civil society. Website: www.osiwa.org

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