IDEA and the AU Partner in organising BRIDGE for African EMBs

The workshop was conducted by International IDEA in partnership with the African Union (AU), with funding from the Australian Government.

^{Participants at the BRIDGE 5-Day Professional Development Workshop in Pretoria South Africa 2-6 February 2009}

^{Photo: Rushdi Nackerdien}

The Pretoria training workshop is the first in a series of electoral training activities to be held as part of the partnership between International IDEA and the African Union which is outlined in the Joint Activity Plan developed by the two organisations. The Plan is an ambitious 5 year programme of activities designed to support democracy in the continent and is centred on the African Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance which was adopted by the African Union in 2007.

The workshop began Monday 2 February in Pretoria was opened by the Australian High Commissioner Anne Harrap, the Head of the African Union Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU) Shumbaba Karume and International IDEA BRIDGE Africa Project Manager Margot Gould.

^{Australian High Commissioner to Pretoria Anne Harrap addresses participants at the opening ceremony of the BRIDGE 5-Day Professional Development Workshop in Pretoria South Africa 2-6 February 2009}

^{Photo: Rushdi Nackerdien}

The 5-day workshop is funded by a grant from the Australian Government through its aid organ AusAID and is part of a two year programme to support professional development of election administrators in Africa.

The workshop sought to achieve the following five objectives with the participating EMB representatives:

1. Analyse global trends in election management practices and processes
2. Build professional networks amongst participants
3. Enhance leadership competencies in sustainable election management
4. Introduce BRIDGE as a capacity enhancing tool
5. Introduce the AU DEAU as an important aspect of continental elections work