International IDEA contributes to A-WEB Election Management Capacity-Building Programme for Election Officials in Incheon, South Korea

Relations between the media and electoral authorities can be strained or uneasy, and the result of such strained relations can be misinformation or missed opportunities. Since public confidence (and ultimately acceptance of the electoral results) is at stake, there can be no doubt of the importance for electoral management bodies (EMBs) to building solid working relations with the media to ensure that the electorate is well-informed  about the electoral processes and developments. 

To address this topic, the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) organized a -building programme for electoral officials on the ’Roles of the Media in Electoral Processes’ for the period between 16 and 27 October 2018 in Incheon, South Korea. International IDEA supported A-WEB by conducting a whole day lecture and activity based training on ’strategies for the effective use of the media in electoral management’.

The aims and objectives of this capacity-building programme were:

•  To identify various effects of the media to electoral stakeholders and election management;
•  To share initiatives and best practices on media utilization as a means of election management;
•  To identify challenges and opportunities for electoral management bodies (EMBs) posed by the new media; and
•  To establish a network of election officials to gain knowledge on better and more effective way of policy making.

During the session, electoral officials from Bulgaria, Ecuador, Madagascar, the Philippines and Timor-Leste had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences as well as to learn from other experiences from around the world. Using activities and key understandings drawn from the BRIDGE module on Media and Elections, participants explored a range of tools and techniques that EMBs can use to better communicate with the media during electoral processes.

The BRIDGE Media and Elections curriculum was recently upated by BRIDGE partners, in particular International IDEA. For more information about the version 3 Media and Elections curriculum, please visit the following article available on International IDEA's website: BRIDGE releases updated Media and Elections Module or visit the BRIDGE website. Alternatively, contact Erik Asplund, Programme Offcier, International IDEA via <e.asplund@idea.int>.

For more information about A-WEB, please visit their website.