A WEB

contributed by IFES 

Climate change poses a significant threat globally, impacting livelihoods and human security. IFES has launched a multi-pronged effort to address this topic and its intersection with electoral and political rights. IFES is engaging in targeted work on the effects of extreme weather events caused by climate change and resulting human displacement, as well as supporting Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) mainstream environmental consciousness in their operations and policies.

IFES has also partnered with UNDP to launch a project, Promoting Environmentally Conscious Elections, which will support key electoral stakeholders in identifying and minimizing the negative environmental impacts of electoral processes, tracking positive impacts from implemented actions, and suggesting climate-conscious actions. This project will also adapt UNDP’s existing carbon footprint calculator to help electoral stakeholders make responsible, data-informed decisions regarding the sustainability of various elections-related activities.

Climate-Proofing Elections Toolkit

1.  The Impact of Climate and Environment on Elections (ICEE) tool is aimed at helping EMB partners identify challenges and be better prepared to deal with the impact of climate disasters on elections. It provides a set of guiding questions for EMBs to assess preparedness and respond effectively to climate disasters and environmental displacement. The assessment covers both sudden onset and slow-moving climate events and considers the impact of these events on elections. This tool provides EMBs guiding questions in nine categories, including Risk Mitigation & Contingency Planning, Security, Legal & Political Considerations, and a broad range of Electoral Cycle Considerations. Results from this diagnostic tool will allow EMBs to identify strength and growth areas as well as provide a baseline for best practices in emergency preparedness and ongoing climate challenges. This engagement can be followed by targeted IFES Technical Assistance to EMBs.

2. The Reducing Environmental Footprint of Elections (REFE) Tool is a first-of-its-kind mechanism to evaluate the environmental footprint of electoral processes. The REFE scorecard is designed for members of EMBs to gather any existing environmentally conscious policies, plans, or practices in use by their offices. Scorecard questions are divided into distinct categories and touch on a range of subjects, including: transport of people/materials; sustainable procurement; waste handling; information technology; office space and warehousing; life cycle considerations and more. Final scores will be used to identify model practices that could serve as a broader recommendation for EMBs, as well as targeted growth areas that could be addressed in future electoral cycles. The REFE Scorecard has already been piloted by EMBs on three continents and counting. Practices, policies and experiences of these participants will be featured in a forthcoming IFES white paper

3.  IFES’ Climate Leadership Training Module is aimed at building the capacity of elections officials and civil society leaders/organizations working with marginalized groups (women, persons with disabilities, displaced people, indigenous groups, LGBTQ, ethnic and religious minorities and young people) to understand the intersection of climate and elections as well as participate in climate rights advocacy. The Climate Leadership Training provides an opportunity for participants to plan for increased climate risks by building climate resilience and climate adaptation, including how to hold to account key decision makers at the local, the national and the international level. Participants will learn essential introductory knowledge about climate change and international policy frameworks, climate justice, how to advocate for climate action at the local level, and how all of this interacts with political and electoral rights.

4.   IFES’ Displaced not Disenfranchised Workshop aims to engage electoral authorities, public officials and civil society in targeted interactive sessions to identify and plan necessary interventions for improving the participation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in elections and ensure their electoral rights are protected. It also aims to build a common understanding of the key drivers, concepts, barriers and potential solutions that can facilitate IDPs’ electoral rights and participation before IFES experts lead a detailed planning exercise in partnership with senior national experts from the EMB or CSOs. The program includes 10 or 11 modules over 2-days with the potential for planning sessions to continue beyond that time if national partners wish to do so.

5.   IFES is currently developing an iEXCEL Climate-Crisis Simulation aimed at electoral stakeholders to prepare them for climate and environmental challenges. The simulation provides participants with experience identifying and exhibiting the main skills and behaviors needed to exercise effective electoral leadership in the face of a climate crisis; analyzing threats to electoral integrity posed by climate change and developing plans to mitigate them; and identifying, prioritizing, and planning for risks or potential crisis triggers in the electoral process due to climate change.

Additional Tools & Events

Climate, Displacement and Democracy. An event hosted with the Government of Sweden and the USAID Assistant Administrator participating.

IFES paper on Electoral Rights of Environmentally Displaced Persons

If you are interested in learning more about these tools or participating in the pilots, please contact IFES Senior Global Advisor for Conflict, Displacement and Minority Rights Vasu Mohan vmohan@ifes.org.   

You can refer to the document in the attachment as well.