The National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea hosted the 1^st working group meeting for the establishment of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) on May 11, 2012 at the NEC.

The NEC has well recognized the importance of independent election bodies’ role in realizing free and fair elections and developing democracy in the world, so it proposed the establishment of the A-WEB at the General Assembly of AAEA (the Association of Asian Election Authorities) in October, 2011. All the participants from 23 election bodies and international organizations reached an agreement on the establishment of the A-WEB and adopted a resolution on it. As a result, the working group has been composed and the First Working Group Meeting has been held in Seoul.

A total of 15 participants from regional associations and international organizations engaged in a heated discussion on the establishment of the A-WEB: there were 4 regional associations including AAEA, the European Association of Election Officials (ACEEEO), the Association of Caribbean Electoral Organizations (ACEO), and the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (la Unión Internacional de Organismos Electorales : UNIORE); and 4 international organizations including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The first Working Group Meeting has found an echo in the participants’ hearts in the need for the establishment of the A-WEB once again. The participants have reached an agreement on the vision and mission of the A-WEB. The second Working Group Meeting will be held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 13 in 2012 and various issues including A-WEB’s roles, membership, organization and budget will be discussed.

Prior to the meeting, the participants attended the ceremony for the 1^st National Voters’ Day on May 10 at the COEX Auditorium in Seoul. The National Voters’ Day of the Republic of Korea has been established after 64 years since the elections for the constitutional assembly on May 10 in 1948. A total of 800 people joined this event: including ordinary voters and distinguished persons such as Chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), Justice Nung-Hwan KIM; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; President of the Constitutional Court; Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly; National Assembly members; and representatives of political parties.

Working Group Meeting

(Welcome Speech of Secretary-General)

Working Group Meeting

(hosted by Executive Secretary of AAEA/Chief Planning & Coordination Officer of NEC)

 

 

Working Group Meeting

(hosted by Executive Secretary of AAEA/Chief Planning & Coordination Officer of NEC)

 

Commemorative Photo at NEC  

Working Group Meeting

(hosted by Executive Secretary of AAEA/Chief Planning & Coordination Officer of NEC)

Working Group Meeting

(Director of NEC)

 

 

Working Group Meeting

(President/CEO of IFES)

 

 

Working Group Meeting

(Asia-Pacific Electoral Advisor of UNDP)

 

  Working Group Meeting (Chairperson of ACEO)
    Working Group Meeting (President of ACEEEO)
    Working Group Meeting (Director for Asia-Pacific of IIDEA)
    Working Group Meeting (Chief of Staff of UNIORE)
    Working Group Meeting (Secretary-General of ACEEEO)
    Working Group Meeting (Operations Director of EISA)
    Working Group Meeting (Senior Programme Manager of IIDEA)
    Working Group Meeting (Director of CAPEL/UNIORE)
    Working Group Meeting (Secretary of ACEO)
 
  Working Group Meeting (Director General of ECI)
   

Working Group Meeting

(Director General of ECI)