UNDP provides support to the Electoral Office in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

September 4, 2020

Team members from the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Electoral Office accepting the vehicle from UNDP team member.

Kingstown, September 4, 2020 - The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Electoral Office (EO) is now better equipped to provide quality service to the electorate of the nation and effectively prepare for the approaching elections, thanks to the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. The EO expressed an urgent need to strengthen its operations, with specific focus on improving polling offices in constituencies, boundary delimitation, encouragement of voter registration, extension of voter education in remote locations to promote universal participation, and administrative management of electoral operations, ahead of the elections this year. The office, however, was severely limited in its mobility and outreach capabilities by a lack of transportation capacity – restricted to one vehicle in a deteriorated condition; unreliable for field missions.

Against this background, UNDP provided procurement services and financial support in order to purchase one four-wheel drive vehicle to be used by the EO team. This support contributes to key national development outcomes in the area of democratic governance, the strengthening of public administration and the achievement of responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making.

Mrs. Dora James, Elections Supervisor from the Electoral Office expressed her gratitude “for such a warm and fruitful partnership. We are quite pleased and grateful for the vehicle especially at this time when we are preparing for elections. We are also grateful for all the other technical support and assistance we have received”. 

Ensuring EO staff can safely move around constituencies is necessary as this certifies that voters in every corner of the country can be reached, especially during the current COVID-19 landscape where vulnerable persons may now only have limited access to information. The handover ceremony took place at the Police Headquarters, New Montrose, St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 10:00 a.m, with representatives from the Electoral Office and UNDP.

UNDP is committed, through partnerships with governments, to the provision of necessary support to ensure the attainment of sustainable human development throughout the region.

For media queries, please contact Shani Leacock: shani.leacock@undp.org

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