The National Elections Commission (NEC) of South Sudan has embarked on an essential journey toward enhancing its institutional capacity. The first BRIDGE workshop—part of a comprehensive series—has commenced, focusing on Building Institutional Excellence in Elections. This workshop marks the beginning of a sequence of up to 25 workshops planned across South Sudan in the coming weeks.
What Is BRIDGE?
BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections) is a collaborative project involving five leading organizations dedicated to democracy, governance, and elections:
- UN DPPA/EAD
- UNDP
- IDEA
- IFES
- Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
For over two decades, BRIDGE has stood as the most comprehensive democracy and election curriculum and workshop package available globally.
Workshop Details
- Module: Building Institutional Excellence in Elections
- Participants: Exclusively for NEC Commissioners and staff
- Facilitators:
- Ms. Natia Kashakashvilli
- Mr. Shalva Tskhakaia
- Support Team:
- Mr. Aiah Mattia (Former Commissioner for NEC, Sierra Leone)
- Joyce “Titi” Pitso (Strategic Planning Consultant, Former Chief Technical Advisor for UNDP in African countries)
Upcoming Modules
The journey doesn’t end here. Other BRIDGE modules with mixed participants are on the horizon:
- Introduction to Election Administration: April 29 – May 3
- Operational Planning: May 7 – 10
- Train the Facilitators: June 10 – 21
- Voter and Civic Education – Strategic Planning (for NEC only): June 18 – 21
- Inclusion in Elections: June 27 – 29
Additionally, from May 13 to June 13, the UN Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (IEAT) will conduct the Introduction to Election Administration module in all ten states and Pibor.