EC seeks Tk 2,186cr from UNDP to ensure transparent elections

The Election Commission (EC) is seeking $180 million (approximately Tk 2,186 crore) in funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement a project aimed at ensuring that upcoming national elections are transparent, participatory, and credible.

The three-year initiative, titled Bangladesh Advancement for Credible, Inclusive and Transparent Elections (BALLOT), will run from 2025 to 2027.

The funding request, based on an exchange rate of Tk 121.45 per dollar, has already been formally submitted to the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance by Ariful Islam, Assistant Head of the EC's Research and Publications Division.

To facilitate project management, the EC has also allocated a site office to UNDP at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon.

According to the project proposal, funding will be used for: Equipment for voter list updates (e.g., cameras, laptops, iris scanners, fingerprint scanners, signature pads, document scanners), server and cybersecurity enhancements, countering disinformation, rumors, and hate speech, promoting gender sensitivity in electoral laws, facilitating expatriate voting, voter education campaigns, capacity-building and training programmes, public awareness and media engagement, training media personnel in gender-sensitive election reporting, and preventing electoral violence against women.

The EC aims for the project to enhance trust in the electoral process and strengthen democratic institutions by addressing key technical and social challenges ahead of the next general election.