Haitians, UN Volunteers ready for key elections
BONN, 06 February 2006 – When Haitians head to the polls tomorrow to vote in the country’s first round of presidential and congressional elections, they’ll be capping the year-long efforts of UN Volunteers in helping the country reach this vital stage.
As part of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, UN Volunteers working with the mission’s electoral division have been stationed in the country’s ten departments to coordinate the electoral process.
Together with the Organization of American States and the country’s Provisional Electoral Commission, they established and managed election registration bureaus—fixed locations and mobile—to register an estimated 3.5 million Haitians. In the capital city of Port-au-Prince, some 1.5 million voters were registered. Now on the eve of the elections, UN Volunteers in the capital are readying the ballot counting centres, as well as putting together all voting material, from ballots to voting boxes.
UN Volunteers also supported awareness raising activities to educate the population on the electoral process. This involved distributing pamphlets in Creole and French describing registration and holding presentations at schools and other public areas to introduce and discuss the elections.
By all accounts, the lead-up to tomorrow’s elections was difficult. Rampant violence and rioting postponed the vote on several occasions and at times threatened to derail the process. For UN Volunteers, working and living conditions posed many challenges, from the threat of violence to logistical obstacles.
A message sent earlier today by the UNV Executive Coordinator, Mr. Ad de Raad, to UN Volunteers in Haiti recognized the commitment and dedication of all involved in the elections. “You have played a vital role from the very beginning, establishing the Provincial electoral offices, organizing and supervising the registration, establishing polling centres, and the poll itself,” wrote Mr. de Raad. “Your role in making this happen, especially in the countryside, where people and the electoral messages are hardest to reach and deliver, is something to be proud of.”
Mr. de Raad equally acknowledged the efforts of UN Volunteers working outside of the elections. “For all of the UN Volunteers indirectly involved, your support in other areas of the mission's work cannot go unmentioned, as we know that the electoral countdown in recent months has intensified your own work… we know it has not been easy.”
Currently, 174 UN Volunteers are in Haiti involved in a range of activities to promote peace and cooperation, economic sustainability and the rule of law. Beyond the UN mission, they also support activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme.
UN Volunteers engaged in election activities are expected to continue their work in preparation of the second round of voting scheduled for mid-March.
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Based in Bonn, Germany, UNV is the UN organization that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilization of volunteers. In 2004, more than 7,000 skilled and experienced professionals, 70 percent coming from developing countries, supported peace, relief and development initiatives in some 150 countries. It also engages thousands of other individuals in the work of the United Nations through www.onlinevolunteering.org , and manages the WorldVolunteerWeb, a global volunteering portal that serves as a knowledge resource base for campaigning, advocacy, information dissemination and networking.
For more information, contact:
Edward Mishaud, Communications Officer, UNV HeadquartersTel: + 49 (0) 228 815 2223; Email: edward.mishaud@unvolunteers.org
BONN, 06 February 2006 – When Haitians head to the polls tomorrow to vote in the country’s first round of presidential and congressional elections, they’ll be capping the year-long efforts of UN Volunteers in helping the country reach this vital stage.
As part of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, UN Volunteers working with the mission’s electoral division have been stationed in the country’s ten departments to coordinate the electoral process.
Together with the Organization of American States and the country’s Provisional Electoral Commission, they established and managed election registration bureaus—fixed locations and mobile—to register an estimated 3.5 million Haitians. In the capital city of Port-au-Prince, some 1.5 million voters were registered. Now on the eve of the elections, UN Volunteers in the capital are readying the ballot counting centres, as well as putting together all voting material, from ballots to voting boxes.
UN Volunteers also supported awareness raising activities to educate the population on the electoral process. This involved distributing pamphlets in Creole and French describing registration and holding presentations at schools and other public areas to introduce and discuss the elections.
By all accounts, the lead-up to tomorrow’s elections was difficult. Rampant violence and rioting postponed the vote on several occasions and at times threatened to derail the process. For UN Volunteers, working and living conditions posed many challenges, from the threat of violence to logistical obstacles.
A message sent earlier today by the UNV Executive Coordinator, Mr. Ad de Raad, to UN Volunteers in Haiti recognized the commitment and dedication of all involved in the elections. “You have played a vital role from the very beginning, establishing the Provincial electoral offices, organizing and supervising the registration, establishing polling centres, and the poll itself,” wrote Mr. de Raad. “Your role in making this happen, especially in the countryside, where people and the electoral messages are hardest to reach and deliver, is something to be proud of.”
Mr. de Raad equally acknowledged the efforts of UN Volunteers working outside of the elections. “For all of the UN Volunteers indirectly involved, your support in other areas of the mission's work cannot go unmentioned, as we know that the electoral countdown in recent months has intensified your own work… we know it has not been easy.”
Currently, 174 UN Volunteers are in Haiti involved in a range of activities to promote peace and cooperation, economic sustainability and the rule of law. Beyond the UN mission, they also support activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme.
UN Volunteers engaged in election activities are expected to continue their work in preparation of the second round of voting scheduled for mid-March.
# # #
Based in Bonn, Germany, UNV is the UN organization that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilization of volunteers. In 2004, more than 7,000 skilled and experienced professionals, 70 percent coming from developing countries, supported peace, relief and development initiatives in some 150 countries. It also engages thousands of other individuals in the work of the United Nations through www.onlinevolunteering.org , and manages the WorldVolunteerWeb, a global volunteering portal that serves as a knowledge resource base for campaigning, advocacy, information dissemination and networking.
For more information, contact:
Edward Mishaud, Communications Officer, UNV HeadquartersTel: + 49 (0) 228 815 2223; Email: edward.mishaud@unvolunteers.org
