The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), and the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy (NIMD), have signed a US$15,000 sub-grant Agreement.
The Agreement is to advance electoral reform advocacy, strengthen legislative oversight, and promote a more inclusive, and accountable democracy, an ECC press release said.
ECC Chairperson, Malcolm Joseph, and NIMD Country Director, Oscar Bloh, signed the Agreement to support collaborative initiatives under the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP).
The Agreement further seeks to promote inclusive, and accountable democratic governance, with a particular focus on increasing state accountability through effective legislative oversight.
As of the Agreement significance, Mr. Joseph said, the partnership presents an important opportunity to strengthen civil society engagement in electoral reform process, and ensure that reform initiatives receive the attention, and support they deserve from policymakers and other stakeholders.
“Electoral reform is fundamental to strengthen public confidence in our democratic institutions. This partnership will enable ECC, and the Liberia Elections Observation Network to engage the Legislature, political parties, the National Elections Commission, civil society organizations, and the media in constructive dialogue to advance reforms that promote transparency, accountability, inclusion, and credible elections.”
Under the Agreement, ECC will collaborate with the Liberia Elections Observation Network (LEON) to mobilize stakeholders around priority electoral reform initiatives.
The planned activities include multi-stakeholder dialogues involving NEC, political parties, civil society organizations, and members of the Legislature, as well as targeted advocacy engagements with relevant legislative committees, and the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The two networks will also pursue coordinated media engagements to increase public awareness of electoral reform issues, encourage informed public debate, and build support for proposed reforms.
The initiative will further explore opportunities to collaborate with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women on ongoing electoral reform efforts.
The Agreement, which runs from October 15 to December 18, provides for NIMD to offer strategic oversight, technical guidance, and financial accountability support, while ECC leads implementation in collaboration with LEON.
The partnership underscores the importance of coordinated action among civil society, democratic institutions, political actors, and the media in strengthening democratic governance.
ECC believes that meaningful electoral reform requires sustained dialogue, effective legislative engagement, and active citizen participation.
Through this initiative, the organization intends to contribute to a reform process that strengthens democratic institutions, improves accountability, and promotes greater public confidence in the electoral system.
The activities are funded under LESP by the European Union, and the embassies of Ireland and Sweden, and directly managed by UNDP, and implemented by NIMD and UN Women.
