Regional electoral risk management workshop – August 2024

This workshop is supported by the European Union through the Strengthening Pan-African Capacities for Electoral Observation and Assistance (SPEC) project.

The conduct of regular elections has become a norm across Africa. However, three decades after the third wave of democratisation, the focus has shifted from the regularity of elections to questions about the democratic quality of electoral processes. Over the past decade, there have been increased calls to reinforce the integrity of electoral processes on the continent. 

International IDEA has developed the Electoral Risk Management framework to support electoral management bodies (EMBs) who seek to adopt or improve their risk management processes. Implementing the ERM framework supports EMBs in working effectively within their organisational structures and with other public institutions and electoral stakeholders to deliver on their mandate of elections with integrity. Furthermore, the establishment of a risk management framework with relevant analysis tools supports EMBs in attaining an improved understanding of electoral risks, developing situational awareness, and making well-informed and conflict-sensitive electoral decisions. Over the past decade, International IDEA has partnered with EMBs in over 20 countries to provide ERM-related advisory and technical support.

The Workshop aims to provide a platform for comparative learning on electoral risk management, and to provide guidance to EMBs that are working towards elections in the coming years. More specifically, the workshop seeks to: 
•    Create awareness of risk management in electoral processes 
•    Guide EMBs on methodologies for establishing context-appropriate methodologies for risk identification and management 
•    Provide a platform for peer learning on electoral risk management among EMBs in Africa 

The workshop will focus on the Electoral Risk Management (ERM) framework, developed by International IDEA to enhance the integrity of electoral processes.

The expected outputs of this workshop are a roadmap to establishing risk management frameworks within participating EMBs and a community of practice around electoral risk management in electoral processes in Africa.  
Participants at the workshop are policy-level and technical staff from EMBs who are preparing for upcoming elections in countries such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Malawi. The EMBs in Botswana, Kenya and Sierra Leone will provide insights on their electoral risk management experiences. The workshop will be led by International IDEA's Principal Advisor on Risk Management, Sead Alihodzic.

Contact Person
Olufunto Akinduro
O.Akinduro@idea.int

This event is by invitation only.