Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

167. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to concerns about the lack of transparency in regard to the election observation roster that his Department maintains (details supplied); and the steps he is taking to address these concerns. [29545/18]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level on international observation missions for elections and constitutional referendums. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). I refer the Deputy to the responses to previous parliamentary questions on this matter, Questions 165 and 170 of 25 October 2017 and Questions 393, 394 and 396 of 26 July 2017.

Following a comprehensive review and a public call for applicants, a roster of 200 members with a reserve panel of 10 was established in May 2013. The roster was determined by an independent appraisal process.

The criteria for selection for observation missions were set out in the Information Note for Applicants accompanying the call for applications to join the Election Observation Roster. This is unchanged, both in selection criteria and methodology.

For each election observation mission to which Ireland proposes to deploy observers, all roster members are invited to express their interest in the mission with a view to ensuring the widest possible participation. A shortlist is drawn up based on the specific criteria set out by the EU or OSCE, including relevant local and regional experience, language proficiency, gender and length of time since serving on a mission. In many cases, the EU and OSCE also invite Member States to nominate new observers or observers with limited experience. However, the final decision rests with the inviting body, usually the OSCE or the European Union.

The call for applications to establish a new Election Observation roster issuedon 2 July and will run until 20 August. Late applications will not be accepted. The call will be published on two Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade websites, and , and will also be publicised on the Department’s social media.

A candidate information booklet setting out all of the necessary details including the eligibility requirements and the process leading to the establishment of the roster will be on the aforementioned websites.

In terms of the selection of candidates for the new roster, candidates will need to demonstrate for the first qualifying stage that they meet the essential criteria set out in the application booklet. The second stage is a qualitative scoring of their application under specific headings related to election observation and democratisation.

The process to appoint these volunteers to the roster will be managed by the Election Observation Desk in the Department and the volunteer mobilisation will be run in accordance with established best practice.