New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) The India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) celebrated its 15th Foundation Day on Wednesday, marking the occasion with a two-day Conference on Capacity Building and Strategic Roadmap held here.

The conference, held on Tuesday and Wednesday, brought together more than 450 participants, including 250 National and State-Level Master Trainers, academic partners, 80 representatives from IIIDEM, 30 officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI), and 100 Booth Level Officer (BLO) Supervisors from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi.

The event served as a platform to review achievements, discuss emerging priorities, and chart the future course of electoral capacity building in the country.

Addressing the plenary session, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar congratulated the IIIDEM team on completing 15 years of service in electoral training and management.

He highlighted the institute’s critical role during the Lok Sabha elections, noting that it bears the responsibility of training nearly 1.8 crore election officials to ensure adherence to the Constitution, electoral laws, and instructions issued by the ECI.

Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi underscored IIIDEM’s growing international stature, stating that the institute has the potential to continue serving as a globally recognised centre for election management training even beyond India’s current chairship of International IDEA.

In his opening address, Director General of IIIDEM, Rakesh Verma, described the institute as a unique platform that brings together experienced election practitioners, academicians, and researchers, fostering knowledge-sharing and innovation in election management.

The conference focused on four strategic pillars: strengthening national training programmes, expanding global engagements, promoting research and knowledge development, and advancing sustainable democracy and election management practices.

The first day featured deliberations on the draft National Training Policy, training standards at the state, district and assembly levels, and new programmes for Election Management Bodies.

Participants also reviewed scripts for training videos and awareness skits aimed at grassroots election functionaries and voter education initiatives.

On the second day, discussions centred on Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes for State Training Nodal Officers (STNOs), National Level Master Trainers (NLMTs), and State Level Master Trainers (SLMTs). The day also included a review of thematic group initiatives by academic experts and a special Foundation Day function of the Election Commission of India.

Since its inception in 2011, IIIDEM has conducted 1,885 training programmes, reaching more than 1.2 lakh participants through both online and offline platforms. The institute’s international outreach now spans 142 countries.

Through collaborations with national and international partners, IIIDEM continues to contribute to strengthening democratic governance and election management worldwide through training, capacity building, research, knowledge development, and advocacy.

–IANS

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