10 October 2005

Monrovia, Liberia: More than 180 United Nations Volunteers (UNV), together with Liberian and international UN staff, are finalizing preparations for tomorrow’s national elections.

With 1.35 million registered voters, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) anticipates a massive turnout, as Liberians will cast ballots for President and Vice-President, as well for members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Since October 2004, teams of UN Volunteers have been engaged in all aspects of the electoral preparation process. In addition to playing a vital role in registering voters in Liberia’s main towns, remote villages and camps for the internally displaced, they have carried out civic education campaigns, identified registration and polling stations, and advised on legal matters. UN Volunteers have also designed ballot papers and public information material and trained some 18,500 election officials including presiding officers and polling staff.

One such UN Volunteer is Ms. Yukimi Ogaki, an electoral support officer from Japan, who is based in the capital city of Monrovia. "It is a great honour to be engaged in a part of the election in Liberia,” she said. “Although it is often challenging at times, being a witness to the future of Liberia throughout this electoral process has been and continues to be a stimulating experience."

The director of the UNMIL Electoral Division, Mr. Ray Kennedy, acknowledges the determination and commitment of UN Volunteers in ensuring preparations are in place for the elections. "The 11 October elections represent a critical point in Liberia's efforts to emerge from years of conflict,” he said. “And, with nearly 90 per cent of the UNMIL Electoral Division staff being UN Volunteers, this is clearly an instance of UN Volunteers helping make history.”

Tomorrow’s elections are a result of the Accra peace agreement signed in 2003, which ended more than two decades of political instability and 14 years of brutal armed conflict. These elections are the first since 1997.