by Elite Shehadeh

10 June 2010

Beirut, Lebanon: “Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, Good morning. How may I help you?!”

This is how Christianne Abou Zeid answers the phone when she receives a call on the Ministry’s free hotline '1790'.

She is one of the 13 UNV volunteers who received daily inquiries about the electoral process in Lebanon. In the operations room based at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities in Hamra, the UNV volunteers worked nonstop, six days per week.

Their objective was to provide fast, efficient and accurate information on the 2010 Municipal Elections, answer routine questions and manage the influx of calls and requests for information on the four election days in May 2010.

The UNV volunteers were also trained to respond as neutrally as possible to citizens' queries. People feel that under the umbrella of the UN, these UNV volunteers can provide them with sound and realistic answers that others may not be able to provide.

“Voters, candidates, polling officials, journalists and people from across the country and from different backgrounds contact us to provide them with the needed information about the electoral process,” says UNV volunteer Nora Mourad. She adds that the team receives more than 100 calls a day during the week and around 1,000 calls at weekends.

Serouj Apikian, a UNV volunteer who also participated in the 2009 parliamentary elections as a Hotline Operator, believes that this is an important step towards democracy. “People now refer to us, and not to politicians, to get information,” he remarks.

Sami Shatila shares the same opinion. “The idea of establishing a hotline was initiated by H.E Me Ziad Baroud for better integration and interaction with civil society and information providers,” explains Sami. “Callers appreciate the follow up we do on their complaints and concerns."

Since 2005, UNDP has played a major role in raising citizen’s awareness on democratic issues and empowering Lebanese citizens to actively participate in electoral processes. The UNDP 'Strengthening Electoral Processes in Lebanon Project' (SEPIL) supports the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities in its efforts to strengthen the electoral process and good governance practices during the 2009 legislative elections and the 2010 municipal elections.

The assistance includes technical support to enhance the voter identification process, voter awareness campaigns, the training of polling officials, establishment of an election hotline and a series of electoral coverage training sessions for journalists.  

In addition to these activities, UNDP promoted the participation of women in the 2010 local elections and worked on increasing their representation in Parliament.