UNAMI officials reaffirm commitment to supporting IHEC
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) concluded a four-day workshop in Sulaimani on Wednesday.
The IHEC Board of Commissioners and senior officials from the UNAMI's Office of Electoral Assistance brainstormed and evaluated the challenges and lessons from the October 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections.
They agreed on recommendations that aim to improve Iraq's electoral process.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (@IHECOfficial ) and the United Nations Assistance Mission for #Iraq (UNAMI) conclude a four-day general lessons learned workshop.
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) March 31, 2022
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"After successfully implementing the 2021 Council of Representatives elections, IHEC has made itself ready to systematically assess its performance and identify areas for improvement in all the institution's different sections," IHEC Chairman Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf told UNAMI. "The outcomes of this workshop will set the ground for developing a comprehensive capacity building plan with the support of UNAMI."
"I extend my gratitude to UNAMI for its continued support," he added.
According to a statement issued by UNAMI on Thursday, the workshop covered vital thematic areas, including legal and operational planning, public outreach and media, voter registration, training and procedures, procurement and logistics, field coordination, security coordination, election information and management of results.
"The 2021 Council of Representatives election was a big achievement for Iraq, which was successfully conducted under the leadership of IHEC and with the technical assistance of UNAMI," said Jawed Habibi, UNAMI's Senior Election Operations Adviser. "Despite this success, this enormous and complex process requires continuous improvement."
Habibi reaffirmed "UNAMI's full commitment to supporting IHEC in the execution of the recommendations of the lessons learned workshop starting with a comprehensive capacity building needs assessment to move forward in enhancing the institution's technical preparedness under the lines of UNAMI's mandate."
At the workshop's closing ceremony, UNAMI's Senior Legal Adviser Hugo Kacic stated that UNAMI "documented and highlighted those aspects that worked well."
"At the same time, we honestly looked at areas and activities where IHEC could have performed better," he said. "The challenge remains, and this challenge is how to apply the lessons learned that we have identified here to improve in the future."
"I would like to use this opportunity to re-confirm that under the leadership of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, UNAMI will continue to support IHEC as it is stipulated in its mandate."
