The Government of Japan has announced a US$2.8 million contribution to the 2007 Elections in Sierra Leone. This contribution from the people of Japan will support the National Elections Commission (NEC) in their organisation of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, scheduled to take place on 28 July, 2007.
The purchase of vital materials for the smooth operation of voting on polling day and the construction of a warehouse at the new NEC headquarters, are just two areas the Japanese contribution will fund.
The donation by the Government of Japan complements a larger ‘basket fund’ of contributions from the international donor community, which comprises of the European Union, United Kingdom (DFID), Ireland (Irish Aid) and the Danish Government. Together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resources, this basket of donors is supporting the electoral institutions of NEC, the Political Parties Registration Commission and the Electoral Offences Court, to ensure credible elections. The assistance of these donors has paid off already in a number of ways, including providing timely cargo flights to provide NEC district offices with voter registration training kits and the delivery of essential equipment to all voter registration centers. The international community contributions have been coordinated by the UNDP, in close association with the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone, UNIOSIL.
Preparations for the elections are well underway with registration running from now until 18 March, at 2740 Registration Centres around the country. According to Victor Angelo, head of the UN system in Sierra Leone, ‘the contribution from the people of Japan arrives at a crucial time in the electoral process, and creates the conditions for better planning of the next phases of the electoral process.’
Photo: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.
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