Locations
Malawi Electoral Support Project (MESP)
Ctitizen engagement and empowerment
Project Description
The Malawi Electoral Support Project (MESP) aims to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” as well as other interrelated SDG’s such as, SDG 5: to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” and SDG 10: to “reduce inequalities within and amongst countries”. MESP is based on the premise that technically capable, transparent, and inclusive institutions are essential for conducting credible and peaceful elections – a key output in the UNDP 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. This goal arises against the backdrop of a unique opportunity for transformation that has arisen from electoral and political reform processes in Malawi.
Objectives
MESP is structured around three key outputs:
- Output 1: Strengthened capacity and preparedness of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Centre for Multi-party Democracy (CMD) and the Malawi Police Service (MPS) to effectively manage activities regarding the electoral processes in a credible manner through capacity-building and technical assistance.
- Output 2: Improved participation and representation of women, youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and people with albinism through activities intended to foster participation, representation, and ownership of the electoral processes.
- Output 3: Reduced tensions and disputes regarding the electoral process through the establishment or strengthening of existing mechanisms contributing to conflict prevention and mitigation.
Budget
USD 8.3 million
Project Duration
2023 to 2025
Donors
The European Union, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Embassy of Ireland, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Coverage
Countrywide
Implementing Agencies
UNDP and UN Women
Partners
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Center for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), Malawi Police Service (MPS) and the Malawi Judiciary
Target Beneficiaries
All citizens in Malawi and civil society institutions
Key Achievements as of June 2025
- Technically supported the Development and Launch of MEC Strategic Plan (SP) 2023 -2028 and Election Operational Plan (EOP) 2025: Implementation of both documents is ongoing.
- Enhanced MEC’s Operational and Financial Integrity: Advanced the strengthening of MEC’s financial and operational systems to reduce fiduciary risks, with the rollout of SAGE 300 ERP underway and 12 finance staff successfully trained. Supported the establishment of a comprehensive Electoral Dispute Resolution (EDR) Framework: Providing a structured approach to strengthening both EDR and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in Malawi. Implementation of the framework’s key actions is underway.
- Enhanced the reliability and resilience of MEC's Election Management System (EMS) Infrastructure. Providing financial and technical support to MEC for the procurement, installation, testing, and commissioning of the primary and recovery Data Centre equipment for the Election Management System (EMS).
- Supported the rollout of the fresh and supplementary voter registration Providing technical and advisory support, including submitting feedback reports to MEC for the improvement of the exercise, including EMD improvement.
- Supported MEC to conduct National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF): Provided technical and logistical support to the organization of MEC NECOF in August 2024 and April 2025, which provided a platform for the MEC and over 300 key electoral stakeholders to discuss progress on preparations for the 2025 general elections and resolve emerging issues.
- Supported the CMD’s institutional sustainability to continue serving as a platform for dialogue for the political parties represented in Parliament.
- Strengthened Election Security Architecture for 2025 Elections: Supported the establishment of a Specialized Election Security Taskforce comprising MEC and MPS through high-level engagements, training of personnel on election security, and development of a gender policy for MPS. Support to the Implementation of Civic and Voter Education through CSOs: Launched the implementation of countrywide Civic and Voter Education through contracting, induction and financing the activities of CSOs, with a focus on representation and participation of Youth, Women and General Public in electoral processes and positions.
