Women’s Election Mechanism for Peace (WEMP)

The Women’s Election Mechanism for Peace (WEMP) is a conflict prevention mechanism that seeks to promote women’s participation, as peace monitors, in the conduct of peaceful National and Provincial elections in South Africa.

The IJR and its Women Peace and Security Project Partners, working with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) will implement WEMP for the May 2024 elections. We will deploy Peace Monitors, who will be registered as election observers with the IEC in 5 provinces: Gauteng; Limpopo; Kwa Zulu Natal; Eastern Cape and Western Cape. We call on all eligible persons in those provinces to apply to be a Peace Monitor.

The selection procedure to participate is competitive. First preference will be for those who have already received some form of conflict management/mediation/peacebuilding training as we seek to utilize these skills. We will however also train those who have not received prior training and upskill those who have had some form of training or who participated in WEMP in 2021.

Duties of Peace Monitor

1. Undertake observation and reporting of election related activity in your area – as per form provided, for two-and-a-half months (April to June).
2. To be available for the full day for a week during the election period to provide incident reports to the peace rooms and undertake election observation. You will need to be at polling stations in your assigned areas and report accordingly.
3. Be available to be trained in elections observation, conflict management, mediation and peacebuilding and the POPLA system to undertake the specified duties.
4. Be prepared to read briefing materials, attend briefings and training and de-briefing sessions.

Eligibility and Code of Conduct

All monitors must abide by the following, which includes the Regulations on the Accreditation of Observers (1999) of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), EISA Code of Conduct, and national laws. The above mentioned partners reserve the right to withdraw the accreditation of monitors and observers registered for the WEMP process.

Desirable qualifications for WEMP monitors and observers include:

All monitors and observers must abide by the EISA Code of Conduct and national laws.

– Be a woman

– Prior direct elections experience, which may include serving in a polling station as an officer or as an election mediator and or election observer/party agent on Election Day,

– Prior experience serving as peace messenger for WEMP

– Impartiality and Non-partisan

– Prior training in conflict management, mediation or peacebuilding

– Proven ability to demonstrate cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity and to exercise sound, independent judgment in politically sensitive environments.

– Flexibility, patience, professionalism in all written and spoken communications, a high tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to perform collaboratively and with excellence, and a positive attitude.

– Willingness to work long hours and ability to deal with complex and demanding situations on election day.

– Ability to work in a team and deal with difficult situations in a positive manner.

– Be in good health.

– Computer and smart phone literate.

– Be in the position of an Android device (smart phone or tablet) – 2016 model onwards.

– Freedom from concurrent commitments that could produce a conflict of interest with the election monitoring mission.

– Preparedness to read briefing materials, understand procedural instructions and complete election environment monitoring forms accurately.

– Commitment to your assigned duties for the mission -Monitor /observer Codes of Conduct, integrity and the peacefulness and inclusiveness of the election environment.

– Command of the English language is essential.

– Understand procedural instructions and complete online forms accurately, all in English. Knowledge of local languages is desirable but not essential.

– Must be based in Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, KZN and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.

 

Should you meet the above mentioned criteria, please register to participate by emailing a copy of your CV and ID and note your address no later than 7 April 2024 to Lindiwe Khoza at LKhoza@ijr.org.za or call 021 202 4071 for any further enquiries.

 

Peace monitors will be provided with a modest stipend.

Thank you for your participation.