The 6th GEO Conference & A-WEB Inaugural Assembly
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The Sixth Global Elections Organization (GEO) Conference was held in Seoul from 15-17 October 2013, hosted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea (NEC).
The GEO Conference is the leading international forum for election professionals and aims to facilitate networking and information sharing. The Steering Committee Members for this Conference are ACEEEO, EISA, IEC Botswana, IFE Mexico, IFES, International IDEA, NEC Korea, UN Electoral Assistance Division and UNDP.
Participants at the event included over 300 election and democracy professionals representing national electoral management bodies from around the world, international electoral experts, regional election networks, academics, members of the diplomatic and donor communities, civil society networks and democracy assistance practitioners.
The theme of the 2013 conference was, "Sustainable Electoral Processes, Strengthened Democracy". Over the course of three days, delegates focused on various aspects of the election process, including sustaining electoral integrity, capacity building and professional development of election officials, and promoting cost-effectiveness in electoral processes.
As a side-event to the sixth GEO Conference the NEC also hosted an Inaugural Assembly for the Association of World Electoral Management Bodies (A-WEB). The proposal for A-WEB is to have a global platform for knowledge exchange and collective learning for national election bodies and central bodies in charge of nationwide elections of all countries. It will also aim to identify latest trends, challenges and developments in democratic electoral management and related processes and facilitate appropriate exchange of experience and expertise among members with the objective of strengthening electoral democracy worldwide.
What GEO 2013 tryed to achieve
The overarching theme of the GEO 2013 was "Sustainable Electoral Processes, Strengthened Democracy". Under this each day had a substantive theme to guide discussions. The themes guiding each day's discussions were: 'Sustaining Electoral Integrity'; 'Capacity Building and Professional Development of Election Officials'; and 'Promoting Cost-Effectiveness in Electoral Processes'.
The objectives of GEO-6 2013 were to:
- Share experiences, achievements and lessons learned between national and international election practitioners and assistance providers structured by relevant themes
- Showcase the latest in electoral knowledge, technology and initiatives
- Establish new (and strengthen existing) networks among and between practice communities
- Explore new opportunities for cooperation between election support and other areas of democracy support
- Promote practical debates around the current trends for electoral democracy around the world
