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Development finance is at a turning point, as the macroeconomic environment has changed profoundly and the financing gap for low- and middle-income countries has widened. The events that led to this new situation are the multiple crises that the global economy is facing, such as the climate crisis, the COVID-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine. As a result, interest rates have risen sharply over the past year and are not expected to decline anytime soon. High interest rates further restrict low- and middle-income countries’ access to international financial markets by making borrowing more expensive. At the same time, debt levels in several countries are rising to levels that are almost impossible to repay. Poorer countries find themselves in a trap where financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes a distant goal for them.
To “get back on track” in financing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, a number of reform proposals have been put forward within several processes and initiatives, including the Financing for Development (FfD) process, the Bridgetown Initiative and the Macron-led Paris Summit. Despite being initiated by different actors, these proposals all highlight the importance of reforming the international financial architecture in view of the changed macroeconomic environment. The Hamburg Sustainability Conference in June 2024, the United Nation’s Summit of the Future in 2024 and the next FfD Conference in 2025 should be used to strengthen and accelerate ongoing reform processes and come up with new, innovative and bold proposals to reshape development finance in these challenging times. Against the background of the multiple crises and its effects, our key recommendations for the reform of development finance are as follows.
First, new initiatives and frameworks are needed to provide urgent debt relief and restructuring for highly indebted countries. The international community should promote a reformed G20 Common Framework for debt restructuring and discuss a green Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)-like initiative for debt relief for low-income countries as a solution on a case-by-case basis, integrating short-term shock remedies with long-term sustainable development finance. Debt and climate risks should be addressed simultaneously by better incorporating climate risks in debt sustainability analyses conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and by considering the volume of investments in climate adaptation because these investments reduce the risks associated with climate change.
Second, tax revenues – the most important source of development finance – need to increase and countries need to expand their fiscal space by reforming their tax administrations and policies. Building fiscal buffers can help countries to become more resilient to future crises. In the short run, eliminating unnecessary tax expenditures such as fossil fuel subsidies is the lowest-hanging fruit to increase tax revenues, while in the long run, more green fiscal reforms (e.g. carbon pricing and environmental taxes) are needed, as well as more effective international tax cooperation. In addition, donor funds should be increased to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to tax and customs administrations.
Third, the Development Assistance Committee member countries should at least halve the gap between their current contributions and the official development assistance (ODA) contribution target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2026, and reach the full attainment of the target by 2030. In particular, donors need to provide ODA in addition to (not as a substitute for) climate finance and channel more ODA to the poorest countries. In this regard, donors should report climate and development finance separately to mitigate the risk of over-reporting.
Fourth, we recall the need to reform multilateral development banks (MDBs). The multiple crises have made the role of MDBs in closing the development financing gap even more important than before. As attracting private capital is becoming more difficult for low- and middle-income countries, MDBs should harness their proven ability to leverage private finance for financing the SDGs. MDBs should substantially increase their lending capacity, for example by lowering their equity to loan thresholds and raising additional capital from shareholders or private investors. MDBs should be reformed to include in their vision the provision of global public goods, such as tackling the climate crisis and preparing for pandemics. Development banks and private creditors should include clauses on natural disasters and pandemics in their financing instruments.

Development finance is at a turning point, as the macroeconomic environment has changed profoundly and the financing gap for low- and middle-income countries has widened. The events that led to this new situation are the multiple crises that the global economy is facing, such as the climate crisis, the COVID-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine. As a result, interest rates have risen sharply over the past year and are not expected to decline anytime soon. High interest rates further restrict low- and middle-income countries’ access to international financial markets by making borrowing more expensive. At the same time, debt levels in several countries are rising to levels that are almost impossible to repay. Poorer countries find themselves in a trap where financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes a distant goal for them.
To “get back on track” in financing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, a number of reform proposals have been put forward within several processes and initiatives, including the Financing for Development (FfD) process, the Bridgetown Initiative and the Macron-led Paris Summit. Despite being initiated by different actors, these proposals all highlight the importance of reforming the international financial architecture in view of the changed macroeconomic environment. The Hamburg Sustainability Conference in June 2024, the United Nation’s Summit of the Future in 2024 and the next FfD Conference in 2025 should be used to strengthen and accelerate ongoing reform processes and come up with new, innovative and bold proposals to reshape development finance in these challenging times. Against the background of the multiple crises and its effects, our key recommendations for the reform of development finance are as follows.
First, new initiatives and frameworks are needed to provide urgent debt relief and restructuring for highly indebted countries. The international community should promote a reformed G20 Common Framework for debt restructuring and discuss a green Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)-like initiative for debt relief for low-income countries as a solution on a case-by-case basis, integrating short-term shock remedies with long-term sustainable development finance. Debt and climate risks should be addressed simultaneously by better incorporating climate risks in debt sustainability analyses conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and by considering the volume of investments in climate adaptation because these investments reduce the risks associated with climate change.
Second, tax revenues – the most important source of development finance – need to increase and countries need to expand their fiscal space by reforming their tax administrations and policies. Building fiscal buffers can help countries to become more resilient to future crises. In the short run, eliminating unnecessary tax expenditures such as fossil fuel subsidies is the lowest-hanging fruit to increase tax revenues, while in the long run, more green fiscal reforms (e.g. carbon pricing and environmental taxes) are needed, as well as more effective international tax cooperation. In addition, donor funds should be increased to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to tax and customs administrations.
Third, the Development Assistance Committee member countries should at least halve the gap between their current contributions and the official development assistance (ODA) contribution target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2026, and reach the full attainment of the target by 2030. In particular, donors need to provide ODA in addition to (not as a substitute for) climate finance and channel more ODA to the poorest countries. In this regard, donors should report climate and development finance separately to mitigate the risk of over-reporting.
Fourth, we recall the need to reform multilateral development banks (MDBs). The multiple crises have made the role of MDBs in closing the development financing gap even more important than before. As attracting private capital is becoming more difficult for low- and middle-income countries, MDBs should harness their proven ability to leverage private finance for financing the SDGs. MDBs should substantially increase their lending capacity, for example by lowering their equity to loan thresholds and raising additional capital from shareholders or private investors. MDBs should be reformed to include in their vision the provision of global public goods, such as tackling the climate crisis and preparing for pandemics. Development banks and private creditors should include clauses on natural disasters and pandemics in their financing instruments.

561149 Communication and Media Relations Section David Dadge

On 18 December 2023, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) participated in an event to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Moldovan Police at the invitation of the General Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the event, the police underscored the need for an integrated approach to tackle the hybrid threats Moldova is facing.

On 19 December 2023, TNTD officials handed over technical equipment to strengthen the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate’s data and crime analysis capabilities.

“This project has empowered the Inspectorate with the necessary computer equipment and software to support our ability to develop analysis and act. As we combat transnational organized crime, this technology is critical to our operational capacities,” said Viorel Cernăuteanu, Head of the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate upon receiving the equipment.

The OSCE will continue supporting Moldovan law enforcement in enhancing their abilities to investigate criminal activities related to transnational organized crime, including the trafficking of small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition, thus contributing to security and stability in the country and the wider region.

The technical equipment was provided as part of the extra-budgetary project “Support to the Law Enforcement Agencies in Moldova in Response to the Security Challenges in the Region”, which is funded by Germany, the United States and Poland. This project is jointly implemented by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Forum for Security Co-operation Support Unit.

Alors que l’attention se concentre sur les importations de véhicules touristiques, certaines entreprises spécialisées dans les véhicules utilitaires légers et lourds se préparent à pénétrer […]

L’article FOTON entrera en Algérie avec de nombreux modèles et types de véhicules utilitaires est apparu en premier sur .

A woman is advised by a BLAST counsellor. The organization offers legal support, including providing information, advice, and free legal representation. Credit: BLAST

By Ranjit Devraj
NEW DELHI, Dec 21 2023 (IPS)

Criminal justice systems in South Asia are failing women, despite stark statistics on the prevalence of violence. WHO estimates translate to one in every two women and girls in the region experiencing violence daily.

Nawmi Naz Chowdhury, a Global Legal Advisor at Equality Now, told a webinar titled ‘Future of Legal Aid in South Asia for Sexual Violence Offenses Against Women and Girls: Lessons from the Past Five Years’ that women and girls experience indifference and neglect at all levels, and there are gaps in legal protections that leave them vulnerable to sexual violence. Where laws do exist, common failures in implementation effectively prevent survivors from accessing justice.

Research by Equality Now, Dignity Alliance International, and partners has revealed that sexual violence laws in South Asian countries are insufficient, inconsistent, and not systematically enforced, leading to extremely low conviction rates for rape.

Long delays in medical examinations, police investigations, prosecutions, and trials are widespread. Survivors often have difficulties filing cases with the police and face community pressure to withdraw criminal complaints and accept informal mediation. Other protection gaps in legal systems include overly burdensome or discriminatory evidence requirements in rape cases and the failure to fully criminalize marital or intimate partner rape.

To bring about change, more needs to be done by governments, and this requires an increase in budgeting and strategizing on a national level, taking lessons derived from best practices in the region and elsewhere.

Training and raising awareness must go hand in hand with giving the police the tools to operate and upgrade their role to better meet society’s needs. This could include being trained in sign language interpretation, using technology to offer services and information, understanding communities and their intersectionality, and including women and girls from various backgrounds and diversities within the police force.

Chowdhury spoke about how women from excluded groups are frequently targeted. “Women and girls from socially excluded communities are often at higher risk of being subjected to sexual violence as compared to other communities due to the use of rape as a weapon of suppression.

“This is accompanied by a general culture of impunity for sexual violence and particular impunity for those from dominant classes, castes, or religions, which often leads to a denial of justice,” she said, with Dalit women and girls and those from indigenous communities encountering even greater obstacles to accessing justice.

Legal weak spots also make young and adolescent girls more vulnerable to sexual violence and, in some circumstances, enable perpetrators of rape to avoid punishment, typically by marrying the victim or obtaining ‘forgiveness’ from the victim, says Choudhury. “Victims of crime have a right to free legal aid, but in countries where these protection gaps exist, access to legal aid for women and girls seeking justice for sexual violence is hindered.”

Choudhury pointed to the high levels of stigma attached to rape in South Asian societies that often lead to the non-reporting or withdrawal of cases or settlements outside the court. Other factors that impede the reporting of sexual violence include fear of repercussions, such as violence, threats to life, or social ostracization.

“How much support are women and girls in South Asia getting?” she asked. “While accessing the criminal justice system, they are met with indifference and neglect at all levels, and this often results in the withdrawal of cases or long delays in adjudication—despite the pervasiveness of sexual violence in the region.”

Governments in the area rarely provide psychosocial care. While India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have schemes for the payment of compensation to rape survivors, practical barriers often make compensation inaccessible for survivors, Choudhury explained.

Participants in the webinar from various countries in the region offered insights into how access to justice rights functions on a practical level and shared methods by which civil society organizations nudge criminal justice systems to bring about progressive change.

Sushama Gautam, at the Forum for Women, Law, and Development (FWLD) in Nepal, said that legal aid provided by her organization went beyond assisting individuals and included advocacy with key players and institutions like the police and the courts through public interest litigation.

A significant achievement of FWLD was filing public interest litigation in 2001 to get the Supreme Court of Nepal to declare in 2002 that marital sex without the wife’s consent should be considered rape. Nepal’s parliament adopted in 2018 a new criminal code that increased punishment for marital rape but made it a lesser offense than non-marital rape.

Nepal’s constitution guarantees legal aid as a fundamental right, said Gautam, explaining, “The national policy on legal aid and the policy on unified legal aid have also been formulated. These policies promote victim-centered legal aid, and there are digital mechanisms to ensure that legal aid has been established.”

FWLD has an app that provides people with legal information on various violations and helps them contact legal aid providers. The organization also runs a Legal Clinic and Information Center that extends services to survivors of sexual violence, such as legal counseling, and helps take care of their immediate needs.

Manisha Biswas, senior advocacy officer at the Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust (BLAST), says that while Bangladesh has made progress in ensuring access to justice for rape victims, estimates show that only one in 90 cases of sexual violence reaches the stage where the victim gets compensation.

Leading the Rape Law Reform Coalition, comprising 17 rights organizations, BLAST was instrumental in getting the Bangladesh Parliament to amend evidence laws to disallow ‘character assassination’ of rape victims by questioning during prosecution.

BLAST offers a range of legal support, including providing information, advice, and free legal representation, underpinned by a network of paralegal workers, many of whom are recruited from different law colleges. Other activities include public interest litigation and advocacy campaigns to increase awareness and understanding of legal rights, remedies, and services.

“BLAST enjoys a good reputation that helps us to act as a guiding force and use our expertise in providing services such as training paralegal volunteers in police and court procedures and in proactively rehabilitating rape victims,” she said.

Biswas reflected that much remains to be done. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with more than half of women marrying before reaching the minimum legal marriage age of 18. Bangladeshi laws also permit marital rape.

Overall, says Choudhury, the reality in South Asia is that “the burden of supporting survivors of sexual violence falls on underfunded NGOs, predominantly legal aid organizations that may not have adequate resources.”

This is particularly true for NGOs and CSOs that operate at the grassroots level, which affects access to justice rights for women and girls who have disabilities, indigenous women and girls, and women and girls from minority groups.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Le Président de la République du Bénin a indiqué dans son message délivré, jeudi 21 décembre 2023, à la nation, les attentes du Bénin en particulier et de la communauté internationale vis-à-vis des nouvelles autorités des pays où sont intervenus des coups d'Etat.

Le Bénin tient à « un monde débarrassé des guerres et du terrorisme ». Le pays croit également en la « coexistence pacifique des nations et des peuples ». C'est ce qu'a fait savoir le chef de l'Etat Patrice Talon, jeudi 21 décembre 2023, à l'occasion du traditionnel message sur l'état de la nation.
« C'est cette même logique qui me pousse à exprimer aujourd'hui notre volonté de voir se rétablir rapidement les relations entre le Bénin et les pays où des coups d'Etat sont intervenus pour remettre en cause les processus démocratiques. La prise du pouvoir par les armes doit être condamnée par tout démocrate convaincu. Nous l'avons fait en exprimant notre réprobation, restant ainsi en phase avec les valeurs de notre pays, mais aussi en étant aligné avec les organisations régionales, sous-régionales et continentales, ainsi qu'avec la communauté internationale », a indiqué Patrice Talon.
En ce qui concerne la crise au Niger, le chef de l'Etat béninois explique que « le Bénin n'a jamais voulu ni souhaité que les sanctions imposées par les instances communautaires ou internationales aient pour effet de compliquer le quotidien des populations, de leur rendre la vie encore plus difficile ».
C'est pourquoi la diplomatie béninoise n'a pas manqué d'adresser, de manière discrète et répétée, des messages à ces pays frères, notamment le Niger. « Car, nous sommes convaincus qu'il y a un temps pour condamner, un temps pour exiger et un temps pour faire le point, voire prendre acte », ajouté le Chef de l'Etat béninois.
Il revient aux autorités de fait au Niger de jouer « leur partition en rassurant, en exprimant clairement leurs intentions, mais aussi leurs attentes vis-à-vis de la communauté internationale ».
La balle est dans le camp de ces autorités de fait qui doivent « donner des gages de leur volonté de discuter et d'entendre aussi les préoccupations légitimes de la communauté à laquelle leur pays appartient », selon le président Patrice Talon.
« Autrement, ce serait un blanc-seing donné à quiconque voudrait, par les armes, déstabiliser nos Etats et remettre en cause la démocratie. Or, nous avons plus que jamais besoin, au regard de la situation dans le monde, que dans nos pays, le pouvoir d'Etat soit de plus en plus stable pour mettre fin à la marginalisation du continent », a ajouté le Chef de l'Etat béninois.
M. M.

Le vote pour les élections présidentielle, législatives, provinciales et locales a connu des perturbations et des dysfonctionnements décriés par l'opposition et les observateurs, et reconnus par la commission électorale.

Le président Patrice Talon s'est réjoui de la nouvelle dynamique qui s'installe au Bénin grâce à la mise en œuvre des projets dans le secteur du Tourisme, de la Culture et des Arts. C'est lors de son discours sur l'état de la Nation, ce jeudi 21 décembre 2023 à l'Assemblée nationale.

Dans sa vision de faire du Bénin une destination de référence en Afrique de l'Ouest, le gouvernement de Patrice Talon mène plusieurs projets dans le secteur du Tourisme, de la Culture et des Arts. Selon le Chef de l'Etat, « chacun voit, qu'il soit sur le territoire national ou en dehors, qu'une dynamique nouvelle s'installe ». « Une effervescence réelle est perceptible parce que notre pays rayonne de plus en plus », s'est-il réjoui. A en croire le président Patrice Talon, il en sera davantage ainsi avec les réceptifs hôteliers de premier plan déjà réalisés ou en cours, les musées en construction, les infrastructures de toutes sortes dont les travaux ont démarré et qui vont définitivement donner une identité forte au secteur.

Au titre des projets, il cite le Quartier culturel et créatif de Cotonou. « Ecosystème de création et de services artistiques, il fera de Cotonou le hub de la scène artistique contemporaine africaine en la positionnant comme une ville créative, centre névralgique d'une économie de l'art incontournable sur la carte du circuit artistique international », a-t-il déclaré.

Le visiteur, poursuit Patrice Talon, verra entre autres se côtoyer dans cet écrin, le Musée d'art contemporain de Cotonou, l'institut franco-béninois, le nouveau village artisanal, des ateliers et résidences d'artistes, des salles de cinéma, de bowling et de jeux vidéo, l'Aréna plateforme multifonctionnelle de 7000 places, de classe mondiale, pouvant accueillir différents types d'événements sportifs, des concerts, des congrès, des événements de divertissement et des festivals, etc. « Au-delà de la satisfaction de nos besoins propres, ces installations amélioreront considérablement l'attractivité de la destination Bénin », a-t-il ajouté.

Akpédjé Ayosso

S'adressant à la Nation béninoise ce jeudi 21 décembre 2023, le chef de l'Etat a rappelé quelques progrès réalisés par le Bénin, et qui ont valu au pays, des distinctions à l'international. L'un des domaines dans lesquels le Bénin aura connu un succès fulgurant, est celui de l'industrialisation, dont la Zone industrielle de Glo-Djigbé (GDIZ) est le fleuron. Patrice TALON dans son message à la nation ce jeudi a exprimé sa satisfaction de ce projet d'envergure, annoncé lors de sa tournée de reddition de compte en 2020.

« Il est un domaine dans lequel nos efforts étonnent et suscitent admiration, c'est notre politique d'industrialisation dont le fleuron aujourd'hui, est la Zone économique spéciale de Glo-Djigbé. J'en parle avec fierté car je suis convaincu qu'il y a 03 ans, quand j'annonçais ce chantier lors de ma tournée de reddition de compte, très peu y croyait, y compris dans nos propres rangs. Aujourd'hui, nous y voilà. J'ose l'affirmer », c'est le sentiment exprimé par le chef de l'Etat à propos de la GDIZ, jeudi 21 décembre 2023 dans son message à la Nation. Pour Patrice TALON, ce qui est déjà fait à la Zone industrielle de Glo-Djigbé, n'est « rien par rapport à ce qui vient devant ». Avec l'engouement des grandes entreprises qui s'y installent déjà, dans quelques temps, ce ne seront plus seulement 10.000 jeunes béninois qui vont y travailler, mais des centaines de milliers de béninois », a rassuré le chef de l'Etat. Et cela, selon lui, relève de la plus-value générée par un climat incitatif pour les affaires et la transformation des matières premières.
Patrice TALON a réitéré dans son adresse à la nation, sa « volonté farouche » de maintenir au Bénin, les matières premières produites par les vaillantes populations. Ce qui d'après lui, relève également de la volonté de son gouvernement, à créer de la richesse et de l'emploi dans le pays par l'effort des uns et des autres, de sorte que les enfants, les uns après les autres ne soient de la détresse, et soient contraints à l'exil. « Les règles dans le monde nous appellent à prendre conscience de ce que le bonheur, c'est pas dehors, c'est au Bénin », a fait savoir le chef de l'Etat réitérant son engagement à ne ménager aucun effort. « Nous ferons de notre politique, une foi, une véritable détermination pour que les efforts ne soient pas faits au gré des uns et des autres. Si l'intérêt du Bénin s'observe et doit se construire, doit être réel par nos efforts, les dirigeants que nous sommes en feront donc le serment et feront en sorte que chaque béninois n'ait pas le choix », a laissé entendre le chef de l'Etat.
Cette dynamique poursuit-il, va s'amplifier sur les années à venir avec un effet d'entrainement sur les industries locales qu'elles soient implantées à Glo-Djigbé ou partout dans le Bénin. « Mon engagement est de faire avec vous, un Bénin de développement, un pays qui doit être dans les années à venir, n'aura plus rien à envier aux grands pays, un pays qui va se distinguer dans cet océan de difficultés, de pauvreté, de misère. Le Bénin fera son chemin tout seul s'il le faut », a souhaité le président de la République.
La Zone industrielle de Glo-Djigbé, fruit de la Joint-venture entre le Groupe ARISE et le gouvernement béninois, a enregistré l'installation de 36 investisseurs au terme de la 1ère phase d'exploitation de 400 ha. Selon les responsables de la Société d'investissement et de promotion de l'industrie (SIPI-BENIN) et de l'Agence de promotion des investissements et des exportations (APIEx), structures en charge de l'aménagement, de la promotion et du développement de la zone industrielle en pleine expansion, 12 unités de transformation (cajou, soja, coton, etc), sont déjà opérationnelles et emploient à la date d'aujourd'hui, environ 10.000 jeunes béninois.

F. A. A.

Des travaux gigantesques sont en cours au Bénin pour une amélioration dans la fourniture et la qualité de l'énergie d'ici à 2025. C'est ce qu'a déclaré le président Patrice Talon lors de son message sur l'état de la Nation, ce jeudi 21 décembre 2023, face aux députés.

De nouveaux ménages et entreprises sont désormais connectés aux réseaux électriques. Selon le président Patrice Talon, la consommation des ménages a explosé dans toutes les communes grâce aux infrastructures de production réalisées. Il en est ainsi aussi dans les entreprises. « Ceci traduit évidemment une belle dynamique dont nous devons nous féliciter même si nous connaissons encore beaucoup de désagréments », a affirmé le président Patrice Talon. A l'en croire, l'existant doit être renforcé par des équipements confortatifs. Il annonce que « des travaux gigantesques sont déjà en cours pour que d'ici à 2025, une amélioration notable puisse s'observer dans la fourniture et la qualité de l'énergie au Bénin ».

Akpédjé Ayosso

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Sarajevo, 21 December 2023 - The OSCE Mission to BiH deeply regrets the lack of progress in delivering crucial amendments to the BiH Election Law so far, despite years of negotiations and numerous rounds of discussions and calls the elected leaders of BiH to finally deliver on their democratic obligations.

As we approach the 2024 elections and beyond, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs an inclusive, comprehensive, and transparent review of its electoral legislation, primarily to improve election integrity, prevent electoral fraud and thus safeguard the democratic rights of its citizens. 

The necessary amendments have been clearly and repeatedly enumerated and recommended, including by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in its 2022 Election Observation Mission Final Report, by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).

While technical fixes are important, they are not enough if the system remains broken in many other ways. 

Due to systemic gaps in legislation, sub-legislation and existing practices that ODIHR has identified in their Reports, a number of irregularities do occur - before, during and after Election. These gaps might well call into question the overall validity of the elections and influence the outcome where the difference of votes is small.

Based on the recommendations from ODIHR’s country reports following the last election cycles, the following deficiencies must be addressed as a matter of uttermost urgency:

1. A comprehensive review of the legal framework should be undertaken to address all outstanding ODIHR recommendations, eliminate existing gaps and inconsistencies. In line with international good practice, the comprehensive review process should be open, inclusive and consultative and take place well before the next elections.
2. In order to ensure timely formation, impartiality and professionalism of Polling Station Commissions and increase stakeholders’ trust, the authorities should review the system of appointment of these commissions. This could be achieved by limiting eligibility to nominate their members only to the parties represented in the state parliament, or those drawn from a permanent roster of trained people maintained by the Central Election Commission.
3. The consistent application of procedural safeguards and all other measures aimed at preventing electoral corruption, fraud and irregularities, should be considered including creating legal pre-conditions for piloting and full application of new technologies in elections.  
4. Authorities should provide adequate and effective allocation of funds to ensure the functionality of the Central Election Commission as an institution, including in non-election years, and to cover all the costs associated with the organization of the elections. The Central Election Commission should be provided with the necessary resources to hire sufficient and qualified staff, including in its audit, legal and IT departments, and to develop its IT infrastructure. In this sense, we were disappointed to see that the Council of Ministers has so far failed to approve the 2024 BiH institutions budget, which includes the necessary financing for the 2024 local elections. We want to see this remedied as soon as possible. Therefore, we hope that the Council of Ministers will reconvene at their earliest convenience in order to adopt the necessary allocation of sufficient financial resources, allowing for timely elections.
5. Authorities should ensure that members of the election administration are not recalled for arbitrary reasons and that they are able to conduct their duties without fear of retribution or intimidation, including based on gender, and should promptly investigate and respond to such cases.
6. To ensure the equality of the vote, the boundaries of multi-member constituencies and their relevant number of mandates should be reviewed periodically and well in advance of the next elections, in line with the national legislation, international standards and good practice.
7. To increase the transparency of campaign finance and accountability for financial violations, the regulatory framework should prescribe proportionate and dissuasive sanctions for violations.

Once appropriately amended, the Election Law must then be implemented properly and equitably.

I urge, once again, the responsible authorities to ensure the integrity and transparency of the 2024 Local Elections, and take concrete steps to minimize electoral fraud.    

It is responsibility of the politicians to restore the trust in the integrity of elections in BiH and thus ultimately in democracy.

Citizens of BiH deserve this.

La compagnie maritime française a publié un nouveau communiqué dans lequel elle fait part de la modification de son programme de traversées vers l’Algérie. Corsica […]

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A young fighter attempts to forge a career in dambe, a Nigerian Hausa combat sport developed from spear and shield warfare.

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