Election support to Somaliland Valstöd till somaliland UNOPS has applied to Sida for funding of 5 000 000 SEK to undertake the project "Joint Support to Somaliland National Electoral Commission" during the period  November 2020 to July 2021. The total budget for the joint support is $13 972 434, with the government of Somaliland providing $5 945 089, the European Union supporting with $836 459 and United Kingdom supporting with $870 111. 

The intervention aims to support the needs of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in the effective implementation of free and fair combined parliamentary and local council elections to be held by May 2021 in Somaliland. Through directly facilitating the support aimed by the donors to NEC thorough a multi-donor mechanism and leveraging on the ongoing support through the EU Partnerships Facility,  the intervention will contribute to strengthening the legitimacy of institutions and democratisation by targeted support to the election management. Specifically, the intervention will: 1) Preparatory activities that will focus on operational requirements including opening district and regional offices, staffing, procurement of necessary services and goods and voter education; 2) Voter registration and card distribution activities; 3) Election activities on the legal framework, candidate nomination, registation and vetting, election material procurement and conflict resolution. UNOPS har ansökt om finansiering på 5 000 000 SEK hos Sida för genomförandet av projektet "Joint Support to Somaliland National Electoral Commission" under perioden november 2020 till juli 2021. Den totala budgeten för det gemensamma stödet uppgår till $13 972 434, där Somalilands regering bidrar med $5 945 089, EU med $836 459 och Storbritannien med $870 000. Somalilands regering förväntas bidra med resterande finansiering.

Insatsen syftar till att stödja den nationella valkommissionen, National Electoral Commission (NEC), så att det kan genomföras fria och rättvisa parlamentsval och lokala val i Somaliland i maj 2021. Genom att insatsen direkt underlättar det stöd som riktas till givare till NEC via en multigivarmekanism, samt förstärker det pågående stöd som går via EU:s partnerskapsenhet, kommer insatsen att bidra till att stärka institutens legitimitet och demokratiseringen i och med att stödet syftar till att stärka valprocessen. Insatsen gäller specifikt: 1) Förberedande aktiviteter som fokuserar på operativa behov, inklusive etablering av kontor på distrikts- och regional nivå, bemanning, inköp av nödvändiga varor och tjänster samt utbildning av röstberättigade. 2) Röstregistrering och kortdistribution. 3) Aktiviteter som rör det juridiska ramverket, nominering av kandidater, registrering och granskning, inköp av valmaterial samt konfliktlösning. The main objective of the intervention is to contribute to the effective implementation of free and fair combined parliamentary and local council elections in Somaliland, to be held in May 2021, through the provision of targeted support to the needs of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), which is managing the electoral process.

Leveraging on the EU Partnerships Facility support to the NEC coordinated by UNOPS, Sida and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)  pooled resources,5MSEK and 2,037,976GBP respectively, totalling $3,357,865 through a multi-donor mechanism to provide grant-based electoral operations support to the NEC during the election preparation period. 

Desired outcomes

The immediate funding gaps preventing NEC from meeting its obligations under its mandate to hold combined elections in Somaliland are met through a joint international multi-donor mechanism;

The NEC's capacity is strengthened with the necessary equipment and personnel to support the preparatory and election activities, facilitated by a team of international experts;

The NEC and political parties work together to enable women and marginalised group candidates to get elected and increase their numbers at Parliament and Local Council level;

Democratisation through elections has advanced, with the electoral processes being successfully supported and facilitated.