India contributes USD 2,50,000 to Election Assistance Division of UN

April 20, 2017

India has contributed USD 2,50,000 to the UN Election Assistance Division to help other countries to hold elections and develop their electoral systems. This is the second time that India has contributed USD 2,50,000 towards electoral assistance and capacity building. The first assistance was made in 2012.

UN Election Assistance Division

UN Election Assistance Division was set up in 1991 to help member states to build credible and sustainable national electoral systems. The UN electoral assistance is based on the principle established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to it, “the will of the people, as expressed through periodic and genuine elections, shall be the basis of government authority”.
Under this programme, UN has assisted over 100 countries with their elections. Though it principally provides technical assistance for conducting elections, it has also sent observers at the request of the General Assembly or the Security Council to ensure the integrity of elections conducted at different countries.
In the 1990s, UN under this programme has provided popular consultations in the countries like Timor-Leste, South Africa, Mozambique, El Salvador and Cambodia. Recently, it has provided technical and logistical assistance to conduct elections in countries like Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Sudan.