By: Mohamed Massaquoi       

Information Attache Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations.     

Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and United Nations Focal Point for Electoral Assistance Matters has communicated the consent of the United Nations (UN) to provide technical and other assistance as requested by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Sierra Leone for the forthcoming Local Council, Parliamentary and Presidential elections. 

USG Rosemary DiCarlo said the UN is pleased to inform the Government of Sierra Leone of its readiness to provide technical assistance to NEC for the said elections. “I wish to inform you that I have approved the recommendations of the electoral needs assessment led by the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs”. 

The UN Resident Coordinator and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be in contact with NEC and the relevant authorities to discuss the next steps. In the letter addressed to the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the UN, USG DiCarlo requested the transmission of this information to the Government and NEC accordingly. 

It is important to recall that NEC is a body corporate, an independent Election Management Body (EMB) responsible for the organization, conduct and supervision of the essential elements of public elections and referenda in Sierra Leone.