Second Annual Conference in Teslic

Page 2

Dear Colleagues and International Guests,

I will give a short presentation concerning the role of the International Foundation of Election Systems (IFES) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cooperation with AEOBiH which brings us all together today.

The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) is a US-based, private, non-profit organization established in 1987. IFES provides non-partisan technical assistance in the promotion of democracy worldwide and collects information about democratic development and elections. The primary subject area for IFES assistance is elections. Competitive elections reflecting the will of the people are essential to a functioning democracy. The importance of elections derives not solely from Election Day as an opportunity to choose new representatives and national leaders but also from the nature of the election process, in which many of the critical aspects of democracy are disputed and tested.

Developing democracies often lack the institutional capacity to support the management of elections, to organize political parties, or to expand citizens' knowledge about electoral and political processes. Since its inception, IFES has grown and worked in these areas in more than 100 countries around the world, earning an international reputation for the highest quality assistance and research in support of building and consolidating democratic institutions.

To provide a very brief background to IFES' involvement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in particular IFES' cooperation with AEOBiH, we need to go back about 18 months.

As most of you know, OSCE decided in mid-1999 that it would no longer be able to financially support the AEOBiH after its founding assembly in September of that year. OSCE financial support lasted through the end of 1999, which saw the AEOBiH's first annual conference and assembly meeting here in Teslic exactly one year ago. In the meantime, IFES saw an opportunity to become involved in assisting the AEOBiH with its development and requested funding support from USAID. In mid-January 2000, that funding was approved for a period of 18 months and the AEOBiH was able to continue its activities under the auspices of IFES, through financial support provided by USAID.

The next years will be ones of upheaval and transition for the BiH election system. The AEOBiH should stand ready to take up its leadership role in helping to achieve an election system for BiH that is workable, sustainable and ensures the fairness of the voting process to all citizens of BiH. Your valuable experience as election administrators should be utililzed to the utmost extent possible during this period, and the AEOBiH can provide a vehicle in order to make your voices heard to those making decisions about the future of the elections process in this country.

Please feel free to contact the IFES/AEOBiH Secretariat for more information.

Thank you.