by Edward Mishaud

27 July 2006

Kinshasa, DR Congo: With the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first elections in four decades just days away, UN Volunteers are steadfast in supporting the final preparations for Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary vote.

Almost 800 UN Volunteers—representing more than 80 nationalities—are part of the UN System’s presence in the country. The majority are attached to the UN Organization Mission (MONUC), some 600, with others supporting activities of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and other specialized UN organizations.

Of those with MONUC, 220 work for either the mission’s electoral arm and related divisions or UNDP’s Electoral Assistance Project (APEC). UN Volunteers through these two channels have since 2004 assisted the country’s Independent Election Commission (CEI) in all aspects of organizing for the elections. Main areas of engagement include civic and voter education, electoral field management and coordination as well as in logistics, finance and administration.

UN Volunteers have been at the frontline in voter sensitization and awareness raising initiatives across the country, from the capital of Kinshasa to remote villages and towns. They have been instrumental in setting up the facilities and systems necessary for voting and ballot counting to take place. Implementing these vital activities has proven to be no small feat in a country the size of Western Europe.

“The single most arduous challenge the UN Volunteers have had to deal with is the lack of infrastructure, specifically in terms of an accessible road network,” said Jan Snoeks, the UNV Programme Manager in DR Congo.

“This has proven to be an enormous logistical challenge in terms of distributing all electoral materials, which have all needed to be airlifted to an airstrip closest to where they needed to be delivered, to be transported from there on to their final destination by any other means available. Many of the volunteers have spent quite a few unforeseen nights in the bush and many others have been working in 24-hour shifts during the last few weeks to meet the tight deadlines imposed by the electoral calendar.”

Reaching out to voters

In the lead up to Sunday’s anticipated elections, one of the most important steps of the electoral process was voter registration, which took place in the second half of 2005. In that, UN Volunteers supported the UN System in DR Congo and the CEI in registering some 26 million at an estimated 9,000 registration centres. As virtually none of the registered voters have ever had the privilege to vote, UN Volunteers worked with international staff and Congolese counterparts to encourage full participation, ensuring women and the elderly were aware of their voter rights and responsibilities.

Students and youth were equally targeted to raise their awareness of the vote and to promote their inclusion. CEI together with the UN System and with the assistance of UN Volunteers held numerous workshops at universities and technical institutes to inform students.

In Sud-Kivu province in April and May, MONUC orchestrated a series of workshops with six universities to bring students together with officials of the CEI and the UN. The workshops introduced the students to voting procedures, from marking a ballot to placing it in the box. In many instances, the students took part in role-playing exercises to learn first-hand the steps involved.

To reach the broader public, the mission presented educational films. One important objective of the mass screenings was to discourage voting influence, as many candidates are accused of promising food and goods in exchange for votes. The film stressed the right of voters to cast their ballot in a free, independent and confident manner.

Preparing for Election Day

With voter sensitization activities largely completed, the emphasis now in the last days before the 30 July elections is to ensure a smooth and transparent voting day and that of crucial events thereafter.

In Bandundu province, UN Volunteer Yao Sronvie of Togo is setting up the Local Centre of Compilation where all ballot boxes from the polling stations in the electoral district will be accounted for and the ballot papers tabulated and then prepared for dispatch to Kinshasa.

On Election Day, Yao, together with other UN Volunteers, UN System staff and international electoral observers, will oversee the counting of the results coming from the province’s three electoral districts – he estimates 380,000 people will turn out at the province’s 674 polling stations.

“After months of intense campaigning and manifestations, people are ready to go and vote on Sunday,” said Yao.