A WEB

(2016.11.28._Bolivia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Uganda)

The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) recently held an Election ICT Capacity Building Program at the A-WEB Secretariat in Incheon directed towards member organizations. The program was held from 28th of November to 2nd of December 2016 with 21 participants from 10 countries. The program consisted of lectures, a demonstration of ICT machines, a field trip, and seminars.

(2016.11.28._Demonstration of electronic voting equipment in the Election ICT Experience Hall)

(2016.11.28._A participant from the General Election Commission of Mongolia experiencing the early voting process of Korea)

On the first day the participants were welcomed with a luncheon hosted by the Secretary General of A-WEB. Afterwards, the participants moved to the A-WEB Secretariat for a lecture introducing successful cases of using ICT voting equipment by Mr. Ken Cho, Director of Miru systems. Later they visited the A-WEB Election Experience Hall for a demonstration of registration, voting and counting equipment. 

(2016.11.29._Country Report presentations moderated by Prof. Kyong-Bae Park) 

(2016.11.29._Pablo Antezana from the Tribunal Supremo Electoral of Bolivia presenting) 

The second day started with the country report presentations. This session was led by Prof. Kyong-Bae Park, Emeritus Professor at the National HRD Institute. The participants gave a short presentation on when and how ICT was introduced in their country, where it is being used in the electoral cycle, what challenges related to the use and introduction of ICT they have experienced, and future prospects regarding the introduction and use of ICT. It was an opportunity for the participants as well as AWEB to learn more about the electoral environment of the 10 countries present.

(2016.11.30._Dr. Zuhair Abdel Qader Hussein Abu Faris from the Independent Election Commission of Jordan with Mr. Bong-seop Song, Director General of Planning and Coordination at the National Election Commission of Korea) 

(2016.11.30._Seoul Culture Tour at Gyeongbok Palace)

On day 3, the participants visited the National Election Commission (NEC) of South Korea where they had a roundtable discussion with the NEC’s Director General of Planning and Coordination, Mr. Bong-seop Song. The NEC showed a short video introducing the role of the organization in Korea’s electoral process and its future vision and mission. Participants then had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the work and responsibilities of the NEC. After lunch participants embarked on a culture tour of Seoul, visiting Gyeongbok Palace, Namsan tower, and Myeongdong. 

 (2016.12.1._Prof. Jordi Barrat, lecturing on E-voting)

On the penultimate day, Professor Jordi Barrat, E-Voting Expert for the Council of Europe and the OSCE, from the University of Rovira I Virgili, held a riveting seminar on the status quo and the future of e-voting. Both, advantages and disadvantages were explored and the participants discussed lively what factors contribute to the success of e-voting and what factors can cause it to fail. 

(2016.12.2._Changhyun Ahn (Director of Security, KT Telecom) speaking on how to design a data center)

(2016.12.2_Majid Abed Hussein and Adil Adan Hamza from the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq with the Director General of A-WEB, Dobin Yim) 

The program closed with a lecture on the design of a data center by the Director of Security of KT Telecom, Mr. Changhyun Ahn. He discussed aspects such as backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental control, and various security devices. It was the last official schedule for the participants and afterwards the training program was concluded with the awarding of the certificates by the Director General of A-WEB, Dobin Yim.

A-WEB is proud to have brought together such a diverse group of experts from various countries. The 

Secretariat wishes that all participants found the program fruitful and useful for the electoral process in their respective home countries. We hope that the lectures, seminars and demonstrations were stimulating and can serve as a guide towards a better integration of ICT in the electoral process. 

(Click the link below for more program pictures)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisaweb/albums/72157673673202003