Context:
Chief Election Commissioner of India and current Chairman of Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South-Asia (FEMBoSA) inaugurated the 11th Annual meeting of the FEMBoSA for the year 2021.
Relevance:
GS-II: International Relations (Foreign Policies affecting India’s Interests, Important International Groupings, India and its neighbors)
Dimensions of the Article:
- What is FEMBoSA?
- Objectives and Activities of FEMBoSA
- Key Points of the FEMBoSA inauguration 2021
What is FEMBoSA?
- Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of SAARC Countries in 2012.
- The forum aims to increase mutual cooperation in respect to the common interests of the SAARC’s EMBs.
- The Forum has eight Member Election Management Bodies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
- The Election Commission of India was the latest Chair of the Forum (now Bhutan).
Objectives and Activities of FEMBoSA
Objectives of FEMBOSA
- Promote contact among the Election Management Bodies of SAARC countries.
- Facilitate appropriate exchange of experience and expertise among members.
- Share experiences with a view to learning from each other
- Foster efficiency and effectiveness in conducting free, fair, transparent and participative election.
Significant activities under FEMBoSA
- Member organizations celebrate National Voter’s Day in a calendar year in their respective countries.
- Initiative of establishing South Asia Institute for Democracy and Electoral Studies (SAIDES) in Nepal.
- In order to increase knowledge related to elections, take initiatives to include voter education in the school-level textbooks of their respective countries.
- Implementation of recommendations of South Asian Disabilities Organizations for the inclusion of disabled people in the electoral system and the creation of suitable election environment.
Key Points of the FEMBoSA inauguration 2021
- FEMBoSA meeting was held under the theme of ‘Use of Technology in Elections’.
- During the meeting it was noted that, FEMBoSA represents a very large part of democratic world. it is an active regional cooperation association of Election Management Bodies.
- India highlighted the importance of technological advancements and its impact on election management. Technology is extensively used to make elections more participative, accessible and transparent.
- It was also highlighted that ECI looks forward to strengthen its interaction with FEMBoSA member EMBs in order to promote activities of Forum in accordance with its objectives.
-Source: PIB
