Radisson Blu Astoria Hotel

Council of Europe Handbook for Civil Society Organisations

Vilnius, 14 November 2013

Radisson Blu Astoria Hotel

National NGOs responsible for domestic observation of elections and representatives of Electoral Training Centers in EAP countries will meet in Vilnius, on 14 November 2013 to endorse the Council of Europe handbook on election reporting. The handbook, drafted in the framework of the Joint Programme Council of Europe Facility - thematic project on “Support free and fair elections in the EAP countries”, is a response to the request made by domestic election observers for a “tool-kit” on election reporting. The aim of the handbook is to give guidance to domestic observer groups on the drafting, structure and language of the observation report. The document also refers to different techniques for information’s gathering and for the assessment of compliance of elections with domestic legislation and international standards. The event will be preceded by the establishment of a network of Civil Society Organisations. The network, supported by the Council of Europe secretariat, will inter alia be a platform for peer-to-peer training and exchange of experiences at regional level among domestic observers. The activity is organised with the support of the European Humanities University.

AGENDA

Thursday, 14 November

9:00 – 9:20 Opening session

– Address by Mr Jonas Udrys, Member of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania (tbc)

– Address by Mr Darius Udrys, Vice-Rector, European Humanities University (tbc)

9:20 – 9:30 Presentation of the aims of the seminar within the framework of the overall thematic project “Support to free and fair elections in the Eastern Partnership” by Mr François Friederich, Head of Electoral Assistance and Census Division, DGII Council of Europe

9:30 – 11:00 First session: Reporting on elections: the Council of Europe Handbook for Civil Society Organisations

Moderated by Mr François Friederich, Head of Electoral Assistance and Census Division, DGII Council of Europe

– Introduction to the Handbook by Mr Igor Gaon, Programme Adviser, Council of Europe

– Writing reports - what to start with? By Mr Sinisa Bencun, Council of Europe expert

– Writing reports - be objective and accurate by Mr Igor Gaon, Programme Adviser, Council of Europe

– Writing reports - design your report! use plain language! by Mrs Marie-Carin von Gumppenberg, Council of Europe expert

– Q & A

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30 Second session: How to apply the Handbook in practice?

Moderated by Mrs Natalia Iuras, Director of the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training of the Republic Moldova

– Georgian first-hand experience in applying the Handbook by:

- Mr Levan Natroshvili, Transparency International Georgia (tbc)

- Leila Ms Lela Taliuri, Coordinator of Election Related Activities, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA)

- Ms Tamar Bartaia, Coordinator of Election Projects, International Society for fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

– The experience in election observation gathered through the project “Election Observation: Theory and Practice Project (EOTP)” by Mrs Tatsiana Chulitskaya, lecturer, European Humanities University, Vilnius (tbc)

– Q & A

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch break

14:00 – 15:00 Third session: Exchange of views on participants experience in election observation

Introduced and moderated by Mrs Marie-Carin von Gumppenberg, Council of Europe expert

– Experience in election observation by Mrs Stefanie Schiffer, Director of European Exchange gGmbH

– Q & A

Note-taker: Ana Rusu, Programme Manager, Electoral Assistance and Census Division, DGII Council of Europe

14:30 – 15:15 Closing session: strengthening regional cooperation for domestic election observation

Moderated by Mr François Friederich, Head of Electoral Assistance and Census Division, DGII Council of Europe

Introduction by Ana Rusu Programme Manager, Electoral Assistance and Census Division, DGII Council of Europe

Topics to be discussed:

– Creation of a EAP election observation network

– Setting-up of peer review mechanisms on election observation at regional level

– Selection of a core group of trainers

– Definition of a training methodology and a time table for its implementation in the EAP countries

– Q & A

16:00 End of the seminar followed by a coffee break

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner at the hotel

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