The Weekly Chronicle June 4 – July 10, 2019

Improved Coordination Among ECP, NADRA and TDEA for Facilitating Unregistered Women: Realizing the importance of women's electoral and political participation, Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability – Citizens’ Voice Project (TDEA-CVP) is identifying and facilitating up to 80,000 eligible-age women for acquisition of National Identity Cards (NIC) in 18 districts of (KP) including the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs). Considering the gravity of women’s under-registration issue, the ECP had publicly emphasized the need for their registration, and had launched a Women NIC and Voter Registration Campaign, in which TDEA had been termed as one of its key partners. During the ongoing Copy of ECP Letter to TDEA for sharing of Field Phase-III of the Campaign, TDEA had earlier extensively engaged Coordinators’ Lists with ECP for bringing back National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on board for the facilitation. In the recent past, NADRA has exhibited its willingness for assisting ECP’s Campaign by providing Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs) subject to their availability to TDEA partner organizations for facilitating unregistered women. During the reporting week, on NADRA’s request, ECP has asked TDEA to provide the list of Field Coordinators for improved local-level coordination in efficiently managing the MRVs. TDEA has shared the respective list with ECP for effective coordination.

TDEA-CVP Partner Organizations Continue Efforts to List Unregistered Women: Under Grant Cycle-14 “Citizens’ Education and Mobilization for Women’s Voter Registration and Participation in Electoral Processes” TDEA-CVP is working towards nurturing greater understanding of the importance of women’s electoral and political participation, and increase stakeholder engagement to enhance women’s NIC registration. For this purpose, TDEA-CVP has pioneers a robust methodology for identifying and subsequently facilitating un- registered women at NADRA registration service points. During the reporting week, TDEA-CVP’s partner organizations continued to list unregistered women in targeted communities of Kurram District: Door-to-door activity for listing of Abbottabad, Battagram, Buner, Kohistan, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, unregistered women , South , and Swabi districts. Eligible-age unregistered women were approached through door-to-door visits and meetings with the assistance of local community members. As many as 1,752 unregistered women were listed during the reporting week. Moreover, a total of 335 women were facilitated in acquisition of NICs in Abbottabad, Battagarm, Buner, Kohistan, Kurram, and Lakki Marwat.

TDEA-CVP Partners Conduct Coordination Meetings with Key Stakeholders: In order to mobilize support for women NIC and voter registration, TDEA-CVP partner organizations during the reporting week conducted 36 meetings with community members and other key stakeholders, including religious leaders, local government officials, district administration officials, elders, political parties and political activists in Lakki Marwat, Kohistan, Battagram, South Waziristan and Swabi. These meetings assisted partner organizations to introduce the project to the stakeholders. The participants discussed Battagram: Coordination meeting with religious leaders at various issues, including sensitization of women under- Dar ul Alum Islamia, Kuzabanda registration and significance of NIC.

TDEA-CVP Gears Up for Observation of Upcoming Elections in NMDs on July 20th: TDEA-CVP through Free and Fair Election Network’s (FAFEN) partner organizations is observing the upcoming Provincial Assembly (PA) elections in NMDs to contribute to the evolution of an election process that is free, fair, transparent and accountable, in accordance with the requirements laid out in the Elections Act, 2017. TDEA-CVP through FAFEN initiated its observation and assessment of the political environment and implementation of election-related laws, rules and regulations in April 2019 as part of its multi- Islamabad: Training of MTs and PMs phase observation. In order to observe the Election-Day on July 20, 2019, FAFEN will deploy around 1,000 citizens. During the reporting week, TDEA-CVP conducted a three- day comprehensive training of Master Trainers (MTs) and Program Managers (PMs) for effectively managing the observation on election-day. The MTs will conduct the trainings of citizen observers, while the PMs will ensure the trainings’ quality as well as overall management of the Election-Day including collection of observation checklists, transmission of observation data to TDEA-CVP and observation of the results’ consolidation process at Returning Officers’ (ROs) offices. The major topics covered in the training included: a) ECP’s Code of Conduct for Domestic Observers; b) Elections’ Act 2017; c) Roles and Responsibilities of Election Staff on Election-Day; d) FAFEN’s Observation Checklists; e) Reporting Protocols; and f) Deployment Plans.

TDEA-CVP Engages with Contesting Candidates and Citizens for Pre-Election Observation in NMDs: During the reporting week, TDEA-CVP’s partner organizations conducted interviews with a total of 732 citizens in six districts (, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, Mohmand, and Bajaur) and ex-. Moreover, TDEA-CVP’s Long Term Observers (LTOs) also interviewed a total of 10 contesting candidates in Kurram and Orakzai districts in order to assess whether there was a level playing field during the campaign period. Based on its observation and interviews, TDEA-CVP furnishes periodic Bajaur: TDEA-CVP LTO interviewing a contesting candidate

updates, information briefs and reports in an effort to provide objective, unbiased and evidence-based information about the quality of electoral and political processes to the Election Commission of (ECP), political parties, media, civil society organizations and citizens.