LocationsUNDP pilots its first AI and elections training with electoral management bodies across the Arab region, combining practical capacity-building with a Digital Readiness Assessment.
Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Administration
August 31, 2026
EMBS representatives across the Arab region at UNDP’s pilot training on artificial intelligence and electoral administration, held in Amman from 16–18 August 2026
UNDP
16-18 August 2026 | Amman, Jordan
More than 20 staff representing departments across Jordan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC Jordan) met in Amman for three days, joined by representatives of other electoral management bodies (EMBs) in the region. Together, they examined where artificial intelligence could support electoral administration, the risks it could introduce and what institutions need to have in place before using it.
The pilot training was delivered through the Arab States regional component of UNDP’s global Governance for People and Planet (G4PP) programme, as part of its collaboration with the Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies (ArabEMBs) to strengthen digital readiness across the region. In Jordan, the training was paired with UNDP’s Digital Readiness Assessment (DRA), making the Jordan IEC the first EMB to undertake this combined approach. Supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the pilot also marked UNDP’s first dedicated training on AI and elections.
The training began with strategic framing by H.E. Musa Maaytah, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of IEC Jordan; Najia Hashemee, UNDP Advisor on Democratic Institutions and Processes in the Digital Era; and Hamzeh Yassin, Regional Programme Manager at Sida. Together, they set out why AI readiness matters for electoral institutions, connected Jordan’s pilot to wider regional and global developments, and emphasized the importance of governance, institutional responsibility and public trust as new technologies enter electoral administration.
H.E. Musa Maaytah, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Jordan’s Independent Election Commission, addresses participants at the opening of the training.
UNDP
To cover the institutional, technical and electoral dimensions of AI adoption, UNDP assembled a multidisciplinary team to lead the training: Osama Aljaber, Global Digital Democracy Specialist; Ghassen Selmi, Digital Transformation and Media Specialist; Chahine Hamila, Senior Digital Transformation Advisor; Jennifer Louie, AI Trust and Safety Advisor; and Paul Semaan, Digital Transformation Specialist. They were joined by representatives of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), who contributed peer experience in AI governance and digital transformation. Representatives of EMBs from Iraq, Libya, Palestine and Tunisia also took part, sharing perspectives from their institutions, strengthening their own understanding of AI, and considering the benefits of the programme for their own institutions.
Looking at AI through an Electoral Lens
The training established a shared understanding of how AI systems work, where they may offer value to electoral bodies and why their outputs can be unreliable. Participants considered possible applications across the electoral cycle while examining how performance may vary between languages and institutional contexts.
Practical exercises allowed participants to consider these issues through an electoral lens. The discussions addressed bias, cybersecurity, data protection, testing, approved platforms and human oversight. Participants were encouraged to begin with the institutional problem, assess whether AI was an appropriate response and identify the safeguards and accountability arrangements required before a system is introduced.
82.6%
Average post-training score across ten areas of
AI knowledge and practical application
Pre- and post-training self-assessments showed progress across all ten learning areas, with the average score increasing from 60.6% before the training to 82.6% afterwards. Notably, participants’ post-training score for identifying AI-generated or manipulated text, images, audio and video reached 87.3%, reflecting stronger capacity to recognize content that may be used to spread misinformation and disinformation. Overall, the results suggest that the training strengthened participants’ ability to apply AI concepts and safeguards, manage AI systems responsibly and help protect information integrity and public trust.
Governance Before Adoption
The training stressed governance and treated it as an operational requirement for using AI responsibly. Participants examined who should authorize an initiative, which technical, legal and operational expertise should inform the decision and how institutional responsibility should be maintained throughout implementation and oversight.
A South-South exchange with Mexico’s National Electoral Institute brought these questions into practice. Electoral Councilor Norma Irene de la Cruz Magaña and José Alberto Pérez de Acha, General Coordinator of INE’s Information Technology Services Unit, described how INE connects decisions about AI and digital transformation to its institutional mandate, decision-making arrangements and responsibility to the public. The exchange gave participants a peer reference for considering how these lessons could be adapted to their own legal, operational and governance contexts.
What Comes Next
IEC Jordan will use the findings of the DRA and the results of the training to develop its longer-term capacity-building plan. With local elections anticipated in 2027 and the next parliamentary elections due by 2028, the plan will help the Commission address identified gaps, strengthen staff capacity and establish the governance arrangements needed for future decisions on AI.
The regional participants considered how the combined approach could be adapted to their own institutional contexts. Their involvement provides G4PP and ArabEMBs with a practical basis for considering similar support for other member institutions.
As UNDP’s first delivery of the AI and elections training, the programme in Jordan also served as the pilot for future global use. UNDP will draw on feedback from IEC Jordan and the regional participants to refine the training before delivering it with EMBs in other regions. Lessons generated through the Sida-supported programme will therefore inform IEC Jordan’s preparations, wider work through ArabEMBs and UNDP’s future support to electoral bodies globally.
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