The National Elections Commission (NEC) has taken a significant step toward strengthening Liberia's electoral management system, launching a two-day technical consultation aimed at transforming the findings of a comprehensive Institutional Capacity Assessment into a practical roadmap for reform ahead of the 2029 General Elections.

The consultation, which commenced on July 20, brought together NEC directors, technical staff, and members of the Capacity Assessment Team to review and validate the assessment findings, identify priority reforms, and jointly design an implementation plan that will guide the Commission's institutional development over the next three to five years.

Implemented by the NEC in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), the exercise marks a critical milestone in the Commission's ongoing efforts to build a stronger, more resilient, and future-ready electoral institution.

From Assessment to Action

For NEC, the consultation represents more than a review of recommendations. It is the beginning of a deliberate process to translate evidence into action and ensure that institutional reforms are prioritized, sequenced, and implemented in a manner that strengthens the Commission's overall effectiveness.

The Institutional Capacity Assessment builds on the NEC's 2022 Organizational Capacity Assessment and complements the Commission's recently completed Strategic Plan (2026-2030).

Drawing on extensive consultations with NEC leadership and staff, county offices, government institutions, political parties, civil society organizations, media practitioners, and international partners, the assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of the Commission's strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth.

Its recommendations focus on key areas including governance, institutional systems, human resource management, financial sustainability, transparency, communications, stakeholder engagement, and organizational performance.

Over the two-day consultation, participants examined the assessment findings, identifying quick-win reforms, prioritizing longer-term interventions, assessing implementation risks, assigning responsibilities, and defining measurable indicators of success that will form the foundation of a comprehensive institutional reform roadmap.

Building a Stronger Electoral Institution

Opening the consultation, NEC Chairperson Jonathan K. Weedor described the assessment as an essential exercise for strengthening the Commission and preparing it to meet future electoral challenges.

According to Chairperson Weedor, understanding the institution's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and constraints is fundamental to building an electoral management body capable of delivering credible and trusted elections.

He also underscored the importance of addressing financial sustainability and institutional preparedness at a time when electoral institutions worldwide are operating in increasingly constrained funding environments.

"We will fully participate in this exercise because it will enable the Commission to identify where improvements are needed and how we can strengthen our operations for the future," Weedor said, while expressing appreciation to UNDP and development partners for supporting the initiative.

A Critical Next Step

Speaking on behalf of the Liberia Electoral Support Project, Chief Technical Advisor Katherine Green described the consultation as a natural progression from the Commission's recent strategic planning process.

She noted that while the NEC's Strategic Plan establishes the institution's long-term vision and priorities, the Capacity Assessment provides the evidence and analysis needed to determine how those ambitions can be achieved.

Green encouraged participants to engage openly with the findings and recommendations, emphasizing that the insights and expertise of technical staff would be crucial in shaping reforms that are practical, realistic, and sustainable.

"The Board is keen to hear your perspectives," she told participants, noting that the consultation was intentionally designed to allow technical staff to provide detailed feedback before discussions with the Commission's leadership.

She also commended the assessment team for its extensive work and urged participants to seize the opportunity to help shape the future of the institution.

Creating Ownership for Reform

Presenting an overview of the assessment, National Capacity Assessment Consultant Dala Korkoyah stressed that the exercise was designed to move beyond producing another institutional review report.

He noted that one of the most important lessons from previous assessments was that meaningful reform occurs only when institutions actively engage with findings, build internal ownership, and develop a clear plan for implementation.

"This process is about dialogue leading to action," Korkoyah said. "Our objective is to help the Commission prioritize reforms, sequence implementation over time, assign responsibilities, identify risks, and define what success will look like."

His remarks reinforced the consultation's central objective: ensuring that recommendations are translated into measurable institutional improvements that strengthen NEC's ability to deliver on its constitutional mandate.

First Phase of a Broader Reform Process

The technical consultation represents the first stage of a broader three-phase engagement process. Following discussions with technical staff, the draft roadmap will be refined through consultations with the NEC Board of Commissioners and senior management before being presented to development partners and key electoral stakeholders who contributed to the assessment process.

The resulting roadmap is expected to provide a shared framework for institutional reform and guide the implementation of priority actions across the Commission in the years leading up to the 2029 General Elections.

By initiating the process now, during the inter-election period, the NEC is seeking to use the time between electoral cycles to strengthen its systems, invest in institutional resilience, and enhance its capacity to deliver transparent, inclusive, and credible elections for the Liberian people.

The consultation was conducted under the Liberia Electoral Support Project, managed by UNDP and implemented in partnership with UN Women and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), with funding support from the European Union, Ireland, and Sweden.

The project supports efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote inclusive, transparent, and accountable electoral processes in Liberia.