Page 9 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

MESSAGE ix

Message from Secretary General

of A-WEB

It is an immense pleasure to see the India A-WEB Centre’s
document ‘International Experiences of Conducting Elections
during COVID-19’ being released on the eve of the International
Webinar on that subject.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed substantive multidimensional
challenges in the field of election management. More than 78
elections have been postponed the world over. However, around
40 countries including India, the Republic of Korea, Australia and
the Dominican Republic have successfully conducted elections
despite the spread of the pandemic. In this regard, A-WEB’s
Partner Organizations such as IFES and the International IDEA
have provided ideas and support for EMBs in the world. I wish to
pay respect to those EMBs and Partner Organizations of A-WEB for their common efforts to address
the challenges of COVID-19.

The document ‘International Experiences of Conducting Elections during COVID-19’ is a valuable
contribution of the India A-WEB Centre at these difficult times. The document provides a useful ‘One
Stop’ Knowledge resource in learning from the experiences of EMBs who have successfully managed
elections. The document is a meaningful initiative in fulfilling A-WEB’s vision and mission.

I take this opportunity to congratulate Siri Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner of India and
Chairperson, A-WEB on his achievements during the first year of his term as Chairperson of A-WEB.
And I would like to thank Mr Umesh Sinha, Secretary General, ECI and Senior Advisor, the India A-WEB
Center and his entire team for their sincere efforts to help other members of A-WEB.

Jonghyun Choe
Secretary General