This question is posed on behalf of Vasil Vashchanka, International IDEA.

Dear colleagues,

I am looking for information about regional EMB networks for a publication update. The regional networks mentioned so far are: 

• Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (UNIORE)
• Association of Central and Eastern European Electoral Officials (ACEEEO)
• Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA)
• Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA)
• Association of Caribbean Electoral Organizations (ACEO)
• Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand Electoral Administrators Network (PIANZEA)
• Electoral Commissions’ Forum (ECF) of the SADC

Do you know of any other regional organizations/associations - either existing or proposed?

Many thanks in advance,
Vasil

Summary of Responses 

PN members suggested regional networks of elections bodies around the world.

In the context of Latin America and the Caribbean, members suggested several organizations:

• The Electoral Council of UNASUR (Union of South American Nations)
• The Association of Electoral Bodies of Central America and the Caribbean
• Andean Electoral Council of the Andean Community
• Federal Provincial Electoral Organizations Forum of Argentina
• Associacion de Organismos Electorales de America del Sur 

In South Asia, a member from the Bhutan election commission mentioned the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA), consisting of the member countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The same member added that the fourth annual meeting had been held in Thimpu Bhutan in October 2013, and in 2014 the meeting will be held in Nepal. Another member mentioned the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA), established in 1998 with 17 member states.

In the context of African countries, one member shared that COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) was finalizing a plan to create an exchange network for electoral commissions in the COMESA region.  Specifically pertaining to Francophone countries, a member suggested Réseau des competénces électorales francophones (RECEF).  Another member suggested that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had established a network for election commissions called ECONEC (ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions). For the East African Community (EAC), a member suggested the EAC Electoral Forum, and in the context of Central Africa a member suggested the Electoral Knowledge Network of Central Africa (RESEAC), which held its first General Assembly in Libreville, Gabon, in 2011.  Finally, a member suggested a network for all Commonwealth nations called the Commonwealth Electoral Network (CEN).

Contributing Members

• Katiuska Valencia Segovia

• Kisimba Lumbwe Albert

• Tshering Dorji

• José María Pérez Corti

• Rafael López Pintor

• Peter Wolf

• Abdul Alim

• Jesús Antonio Castellanos Vásquez

• Liberata Irambona

• Evelyne Ogandaga

• Frank Adarkwah-Yiadom

• Lea Hounkpe

Hola Vasil,

Tienes el Consejo Electoral de la UNASUR (Unión de Naciones Suramericanas):

http://www.unasursg.org/inicio/organizacion/consejos/consejo-electoral-de-unasur

Tienes la Asociación de Organismos Electorales de Centro América y del Caribe (Protocolo de Tikal): link

Tienes el Consejo Electoral Andino de la Comunidad Andina: link

Espero que la información sea de ayuda.

Saludos

Katiuska Valencia Segovia

Subgerente de Procesamiento del Registro Electoral del Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil (RENIEC)

Je sais que le COMESA est entrain de finaliser son plan d’action pour la création d’un réseau d’échange des commissions électorale de la région du COMESA, qui englobe en son sein deux autres structures déjà existante l’ECF/SADC et les commissions des pays de l’EST Africain Community.  

Plusieurs réunions ont déjà étaient initiées à ce sujets et des recommandations envoyées  pour approbation au conseil des ministres avant la validation par les chefs d’Etats.

www.comesa.int

Hi,

There is one for the 8 south asian nations of bangladesh, bhutan, india, nepal, the maldives, pakistan, sri lanka and afghanistan. it is called the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA). The 4th annual meeting was held in Thimphu, Bhutan in October 2013, and the next one is slated to be held in Nepal in 2014. 

Vasil:

En Argentina, desde el año 1996 se encuentra conformado el Foro Federal de Organismos Electorales Provinciales (subestaduales) de la República Argentina.

En el mismo se encuentran agrupados y representados todos los organismos electorales de cada una de las 23 provincias y de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA), por tratarse de un país federal en el cual la regla constitucional de distribución de competencias electorales reconoce a cada una de dichas provincias y a la CABA la competencia y jurisdicción plenas para administrar, gestionar y juzgar los procesos electorales locales de designación, renovación o destitución de sus autoridades locales, tanto provinciales como municipales.

Mayor información podrás encontrar entrando en http://www.forofederal.org.ar/paginas/resenia.html 

Y en caso de necesitar un contacto, puedes escribirme a mi cuenta personal, puesto que actualmente me desempeño como Secretario de dicho organismo (http://www.forofederal.org.ar/paginas/autoridades.html).

Cordialmente

José M. Pérez Corti

To my knowledge, there are no other regional organisations that those mentioned in your message. Yet as a most event phenomenon, a world organisation has just been established at the sixth meeting of the GEO group (Global Electoral Organizations) in Seoul in October 2013. This is a the Association of World Electoral Management Bodies (A-WEB) whose Secretariat has been settled with the Korean Electoral Commission. On its turn, the GEO was created in 1999 in Ottawa as an informal group (Club approach) of electoral officers and experts from around the world.

Both The Commonwealth and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie have networks for member state EMBs:

The Commonwealth Electoral Network (CEN) and Le Réseau des compétences électorales francophones (RECEF - http://recef.org/)

1. FORUM OF THE HEADS OF ELECTION MANAGEMENT BODIES OF
SAARC COUNTRIES

2. Commonwealth Electoral Network

3. Association of Asian Election Authorities

Buenas tardes Vasil

El organismo electoral de Venezuela, Consejo Nacional Electoral, forma parte también de la Asociación de organismos electorales de América del Sur (Protocolo de Quito) http://iidh-webserver.iidh.ed.cr/multic/UserFiles/Biblioteca/CAPEL/2_2011/6516.pdf

Los organismos electorales de países de Centroamerica y del Caribe conforman la Asociación de organismos electorales de Centroamerica y del Caribe (Protocolo de Tikal) http://iidh-webserver.iidh.ed.cr/multic/UserFiles/Biblioteca/CAPEL/2_2010/0ea3fe6a-636b-4df8-be6c-aca9b981e17c.pdf

He aqui más información sobre ambos Protocolos http://www.iidh.ed.cr/capel/ 

Saludos

Jesús Castellanos Vásquez

In Eastern African Community( Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi). We have a such association which is a forum. The Electoral Commission's Forum (ECF)  of the EAC.

Thank you very much for these informative replies - they will certainly be helpful to enrich our publication!  Warmest regards and best holiday wishes, Vasil

Je sais qu'il existe un Réseau du savoir électoral de l'Afrique Centrale (RESEAC) dont la première  l'Assemblée Générale s'est tenue à Libreville, au Gabon le 11 mai 2011.

de plus, il existe également le Réseau des compétences Electorales francophones (RECEF). une assemblée générale s'est tenue à Libreville au Gabon le 5 décembre 2012.

Evelyne OGANDAGA

The Center for African Democratic Affairs (CADA) based in Accra, Ghana has just formed one known as AFRICAN NATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS NETWORK (ANEON). You can contact Mr. Frank Adarkwah-Yiadom, who is the Executive Director of CADA and the Initiator of this network through [email protected] or [email protected]

See the attachment for more information on ANEON 

You don't have the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) on your list