Islamabad
10 May 2013
Gender Election Monitoring Mission launched for election

09 May, 2013

Pre-Election Statement Gender Election Monitoring Mission (GEM) Election 2013 Pakistan

Gender Concerns International (GCI) in partnership with Aurat Foundation has launched its Gender Election Monitoring Mission in Pakistan. GEM Mission is the only Observation mission organized by an international NGO that has been accredited by Election Commission of Pakistan. Prior to the press Conference a ‘Multi-stakeholders Round Table on Inclusive Democracy & Gender Concerns Election 2013 Pakistan was organized at Serena Hotel, Islamabad. 

The GEM Mission will monitor the General Election 2013 with reference to women’s participation in the election.   Both the organizations have already signed a MoU on March 1, 2013, under which 10 international and 50 national observers will monitor the coming elections form gender angle.

A team of women gender expert international observers (IOs) will be deployed to their respective observation stations to observe the electoral process from a gender perspective on May 11, 2013.  The IOs will be joined by fifty female observers from Pakistan, who have been recruited and appointed by the Aurat Foundation. 

The GEM Mission’s international observer team includes Ms. Sabra Bano, Head of the Mission, Ms. Magda De Meyer, the Deputy Head of the Mission who have monitored  previous elections in Libya (2012), Morocco (2011), Tunisia (2011), and Pakistan (2008).
Ms  Farkhanda Aurangzaib, Chief Coordinator, GEM Domestic Observers, Aurat Foundation, is coordinating the 50 domestic observers, from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhaw and Islamabad Capital Territory. 

The press conference was chaired by Ms Sabra Bano and moderated by Ms.Farkhanda Aurangzaib, , and they were joined by Ms Magda De Meyer and  Lucyna De Graaf. The team shared their objectives, monitoring strategies and findings of Multi-stakeholder Round Table with media and other stake-holders.

“If the general election process is not inclusive of women, it won’t bring true democracy”, said Ms Sabra Bano while sharing the objectives of the GEM Mission.

Earlier in the day, expert international trainers held training workshops for GEM domestic observers on ‘how to observe the general elections with gender lens’.
The trainers also laid down and discussed a comprehensive observation methodology developed through Gender Concerns International’s experience in election observation and promoting gender inclusive governance throughout the Middle East and North Africa Region and parts of Asia.

On Monday the 13th of May at 14:00, the GEM Mission will issue a preliminary report at Serena Hotel Islamabad. The final Report of the GEM Mission will be issued within the next two months.