Bosnia and Hercegovina : voter education program -- 1997 [completion report]

IFES teams spoke directly with more than 37,000 eligible voters in conducting 2,764 voter and civic education sessions, and distributed more than 60,000 pieces of literature. Messages were carried on more than 20 radio stations in the Bihac and central Bosnia areas, supplemented by site visits by IFES teams to areas out of reach of the broadcast medium. In addition, IFES trainers often offered solutions to concerns that were important to voters, even though not directly pertinent to the election. A conservative estimate is that the project reached over 200,000 voters who would otherwise not have received politically neutral, objective, yet positive information regarding the 1997 municipal election. After the election, IFES teams appeared before 16 newly elected municipal councils to encourage them to pursue democratic processes also envisioned under the Dayton Accord. This initiative, followed by reports on council actions taken back to the people, are the essential beginnings of democracy dialogues that voters have welcomed and have asked to be continued. IFES" work in Bosnia to date has clearly demonstrated the value of providing unbiased information via an organized format at the grassroots level. IFES" peer-to-peer delivery system has helped people of diverse groups express their opinions on everything from human rights to how to raise and spend local tax revenues, resulting in more educated and interested voters and in breaking down longstanding barriers between the people and their government. These efforts require follow-up, education, and specific training in utilizing the structures of a democratic civil society. These must be the priorities of USAID and the international community in the run-up to the 1998 elections. Lessons learned are as follows: (1) Well-screened, local staff from each ethnic background who were trained in the project have proven to be competent and highly reliable in planting the taproot of democracy in Bosnia-Hercegovina. (2) Project trainers have shown that there is no limit to what local staff can achieve with careful guidance and encouragement. (3) Continuous discussion and review of experience-sharing reinforces the possibilities for future successes. (4) The general public is thirsty for continued dialogue and information such as that provided by project trainers. (5) Utilizing previously experienced Zenica staff was a great help in getting new staff in other locations up to par with a degree of assurance they could otherwise not have achieved. (6) Cooperation with other organizations working in the project"s area of responsibility was important in ascertaining potential dangers, hostilities, or possible demonstrations that may have impinged upon the progress of the project. (7) Comparing techniques, information, and presentation methods with similar organizations working elsewhere in Bihac either confirmed the validity of IFES" approach or helped IFES make its presentations more effective. (8) The lack of media required printed information to be generated by the staff. This requires adequate resources. (9) The geography of the country requires a suitable number of four-wheel drive vehicles for safe coverage of difficult terrain. (10) Continuous harassment and impingement on freedom of movement, though somewhat lessened since 1996, required staff identification to be issued by a recognized international organization. Similarly, vehicles used in a project such as this should have registration of international recognition.