Workshop participants discuss politcal party funding in Khartoum, Sudan, October 2007.
Photo: © Matthias Catón/IDEA
At the end of October 2007, International IDEA organized a three-day workshop on party funding in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Participants learnt about basic principles and different models of party funding, about what works and what doesn’t in other countries and what criteria to apply when choosing a suitable system. The interactive methodology of the workshop enabled participants to learn, but also to discuss with their peers what would be good options for their country. In highly conflicting settings like Sudan, these opportunities for exchange are crucial.
International IDEA aims to equip locals with the ability to choose for themselves, rather than presenting ready-made solutions. This approach was welcomed by participants of the workshop: “We need more spaces like this, where we can discuss issues with the other parties” said a representative of the SPLM, the former Southern Sudanese guerrilla movement now turned into a party.
The specially-developed course package was run for the first time in Khartoum. The content is based on International IDEA’s extensive comparative experience in the field of party funding. Methodologically, the workshop is built on International IDEA’s highly successful BRIDGE training programme for electoral administrators.
“We plan to run these workshops in different places in the future” said Matthias Catón, who works in the area of political party funding at International IDEA in Stockholm: “The basic content will remain the same, but we will adapt the package to local circumstances for every country.”
Workshop participants came from the six major Sudanese parties: National Congress Party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Umma Party, Communist Party, Popular National Congress and Democratic Unionist Party.
The workshop is part of a comprehensive programme in Sudan, launched in 2006 by International IDEA together with EISA from South Africa, the Canadian Parliamentary Centre and the Sudanese organization Partners in Development Services. The programme assists the development and strengthening of political parties in Sudan to enable them to perform effectively in the process of democratization and good governance. It is funded by the British Government.
Contact: Matthias Catón, Programme Officer for Political Parties
Discuss
Tell a friend
