Women NIC and Voter Registration Project (WNVRC)

Project

Heading
Women NIC and Voter Registration Project (WNVRC)
Description
According to the Electoral Rolls finalized and publicly released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on August 31, 2018, a total of 106 million citizens are registered as voters, including 59.24 million men (55.89%) and 46.76 million women (44.11%). Although 9.12 million women were added to the Rolls between May 2013 and August 2018, the gap between male and female voters in Pakistan widened from 10.97 million in March 2013 to 12.49 million in August 2018, and is likely to increase in the coming years, risking the disenfranchisement of scores of women. Similarly, significant numbers of persons with disabilities (PWDs), individuals belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, and transgender persons are also at risk of disenfranchisement. Deficiencies in the political participation of each of these traditionally excluded groups impedes the pace and quality of democratic consolidation in Pakistan, warranting sustained efforts for securing their basic rights associated with citizenship in order to enable their increased participation in social, electoral and political spheres. Since November 2017, the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA) has been implementing WNVRC across Pakistan in two phases through the support of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Strengthening Electoral and Legislative Processes (SELP) project in Pakistan. The campaign was implemented in 80 districts during Phase-I and in 54 districts in Phase-II of the project. Building upon its unique multiphased approach, WNVRC has yielded significant results by identifying more than 1,050,000 unregistered women in more than 21,500 census blocks across districts, and subsequently facilitating more than 530,000 of these women in acquiring National Identity Cards (NICs) at National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) service points. While the ECP's campaign has successfully keeping NADRA Registration Centers (NRCs) open on Saturdays during Phase-I of the project. Similarly, NADRA assigned focal persons at its regional and district offices to collaborate with Ips. In order to address the gender-gap on electoral rolls, and to maximize the registration of women prior to the Local Government (LG) elections anticipated in ICT and the four provinces during 2019 and 2020, the ECP intends to continue the campaign. The ECP also recognizes the important role of NADRA in the registration process, and intends to continue to ensure partnership and coordination with the institution at all levels in the implementation of its campaign. In addition, subsection (3) of section 47 of the Elections Act, 2017 requires NADRA to expedite the issuance of NICs for women in National and Provincial Assembly contributed to facilitating the registration of more than four million women between the last two election cycles, the gender-gap in registered voters has not diminished primarily due to difficulties in maintaining the registration of eligible women for NICs and as voters at par with their rate of growth in the overall national population. Keeping in view the gains made during Phases I and II of the project and continuing interest of the ECP, civil society support to complement the ECP's unparalleled 'Women's NIC and Voter Registration Campaign Strategy' needs to be sustained. The strategy has significantly contributed to not only increasing women's acquisition of NICs and registration as voters but also in mobilizing the interest of communities in securing the civil and political rights of women. As part of the ECP's strategy and in view of the complexity of the issue, the ECP utilized TDEA's efforts for identifying unregistered eligible women, and shared the lists of these women with NADRA. Under the ECP's strategy, TDEA's initiative has strengthened citizens' voice through sensitization and education for increasing women's registration as voters, enabling them to exercise their right to vote in General Elections (GE) 2018. In addition to enabling women to exercise their right to vote, SELP activities have had a multiplier effect in districts by opening up other opportunities and benefits tied to the acquisition of NIC, including access to the government's cashtransfer programs, acquisition of land and opening of bank accounts. The ECP also formed a centralized coordination mechanism comprising TDEA, UNDP and NADRA to harmonize efforts and to promptly redress registration issues faced by the campaign's Implementing Partners (IPs). NADRA remained forthcoming in addressing the issues faced by IPs, and took prompt measures such as issuing notifications for extra working-hours and constituencies where the difference between male and female registered voters exceeds 10 percent. During the implementation phase, IPs will continue to work in 69 districts across four provinces where the difference between male and female registered voters in one or more National Assembly constituencies exceeds10 percent. The proposed activities in the implementation period will focus on mobilization, listing and facilitation of women's registration and voter education. All IPs will run voter education/information campaign in districts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (ex-FATA) with the support of local level District Voter Education Committees (DVECs). During the implementation phase, through coordinated efforts, TDEA IPs will focus on the registration of fresh and already listed women.
StartDate
11/07/2017
EndDate
04/30/2020
WorkingArea
District Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram and Torghar, KP Pakistan
DonarName
TDEA-UNDP
Image1
Image2
Image3
Active
Women NIC and Voter Registration Project (WNVRC)

According to the Electoral Rolls finalized and publicly released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on August 31, 2018, a total of 106 million citizens are registered as voters, including 59.24 million men (55.89%) and 46.76 million women (44.11%). Although 9.12 million women were added to the Rolls between May 2013 and August 2018, the gap between male and female voters in Pakistan widened from 10.97 million in March 2013 to 12.49 million in August 2018, and is likely to increase in the coming years, risking the disenfranchisement of scores of women. Similarly, significant numbers of persons with disabilities (PWDs), individuals belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, and transgender persons are also at risk of disenfranchisement. Deficiencies in the political participation of each of these traditionally excluded groups impedes the pace and quality of democratic consolidation in Pakistan, warranting sustained efforts for securing their basic rights associated with citizenship in order to enable their increased participation in social, electoral and political spheres. Since November 2017, the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA) has been implementing WNVRC across Pakistan in two phases through the support of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Strengthening Electoral and Legislative Processes (SELP) project in Pakistan. The campaign was implemented in 80 districts during Phase-I and in 54 districts in Phase-II of the project. Building upon its unique multiphased approach, WNVRC has yielded significant results by identifying more than 1,050,000 unregistered women in more than 21,500 census blocks across districts, and subsequently facilitating more than 530,000 of these women in acquiring National Identity Cards (NICs) at National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) service points. While the ECP's campaign has successfully keeping NADRA Registration Centers (NRCs) open on Saturdays during Phase-I of the project. Similarly, NADRA assigned focal persons at its regional and district offices to collaborate with Ips. In order to address the gender-gap on electoral rolls, and to maximize the registration of women prior to the Local Government (LG) elections anticipated in ICT and the four provinces during 2019 and 2020, the ECP intends to continue the campaign. The ECP also recognizes the important role of NADRA in the registration process, and intends to continue to ensure partnership and coordination with the institution at all levels in the implementation of its campaign. In addition, subsection (3) of section 47 of the Elections Act, 2017 requires NADRA to expedite the issuance of NICs for women in National and Provincial Assembly contributed to facilitating the registration of more than four million women between the last two election cycles, the gender-gap in registered voters has not diminished primarily due to difficulties in maintaining the registration of eligible women for NICs and as voters at par with their rate of growth in the overall national population. Keeping in view the gains made during Phases I and II of the project and continuing interest of the ECP, civil society support to complement the ECP's unparalleled 'Women's NIC and Voter Registration Campaign Strategy' needs to be sustained. The strategy has significantly contributed to not only increasing women's acquisition of NICs and registration as voters but also in mobilizing the interest of communities in securing the civil and political rights of women. As part of the ECP's strategy and in view of the complexity of the issue, the ECP utilized TDEA's efforts for identifying unregistered eligible women, and shared the lists of these women with NADRA. Under the ECP's strategy, TDEA's initiative has strengthened citizens' voice through sensitization and education for increasing women's registration as voters, enabling them to exercise their right to vote in General Elections (GE) 2018. In addition to enabling women to exercise their right to vote, SELP activities have had a multiplier effect in districts by opening up other opportunities and benefits tied to the acquisition of NIC, including access to the government's cashtransfer programs, acquisition of land and opening of bank accounts. The ECP also formed a centralized coordination mechanism comprising TDEA, UNDP and NADRA to harmonize efforts and to promptly redress registration issues faced by the campaign's Implementing Partners (IPs). NADRA remained forthcoming in addressing the issues faced by IPs, and took prompt measures such as issuing notifications for extra working-hours and constituencies where the difference between male and female registered voters exceeds 10 percent. During the implementation phase, IPs will continue to work in 69 districts across four provinces where the difference between male and female registered voters in one or more National Assembly constituencies exceeds10 percent. The proposed activities in the implementation period will focus on mobilization, listing and facilitation of women's registration and voter education. All IPs will run voter education/information campaign in districts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (ex-FATA) with the support of local level District Voter Education Committees (DVECs). During the implementation phase, through coordinated efforts, TDEA IPs will focus on the registration of fresh and already listed women.



Working Area

District Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram and Torghar, KP Pakistan

Our Donors