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US Under Secretary of State Dobriansky Praises Democracy-building Work of UN Electoral Assistance Division, UNDP and UN Democracy Fund

The fourth Global Electoral Organization Conference (GEO) was held last week in Washington D.C., bringing together more than 200 of the world's top election officials and democracy advocates. IFES President Richard Soudriette began the conference, calling it a "celebration of transparency in the election process." IFES, an eminent partner of the UN democracy Fund, hosted the conference centered on the theme, "Every Vote Counts." Paula J. Dobriansky, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, gave the keynote address at this year's opening ceremony. Dobriansky told the delegates from five continents that their work and partnerships were "instrumental in making democracy work" around the world.

Dobriansky discussed the various democracy initiatives that the United States has supported in recent years, including successful elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as initiatives to register more women to vote and to support the United Nations Democracy Fund. "We are committed to standing with those who yet do not have a voice in the direction of their own country and assisting those people in nations where democracy is not yet firmly rooted," she said. "I want to emphasize the important work done by the UN Electoral Assistance Division and the UN Development Programme in support of free and fair elections worldwide. The Electoral Assistance Division, which was founded only 15 years ago and has a small budget and staff, has worked in over 100 countries, and has had considerable success, including through cooperation with the AU, OAS, and OSCE. And the UNDP has played a significant role in strengthening democracy, through technical assistance, long-term capacity building of electoral bodies, and support for the Electoral Assistance Division. We very much look forward to continuing our backing of these UN organizations. And we anticipate that new international structures will make a positive impact as well. One is the UN Democracy Fund. Supported by contributions from nearly 30 countries representing every region of the world, the Fund in its first year awarded grants to a number of projects to support the election process. Because the funding is directed at civil society organizations, it fills a gap in traditional UN institutional funding."