BY NED GAGAHE
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says strengthening electoral readiness ahead of the 2028 national and provincial elections remains one of its key priorities in Solomon Islands.
Speaking to local media in Honiara recently, UNDP Pacific Office Resident Representative Ms. Munkhtuya Altangerel said preparations for the next election cycle must begin early to ensure transparency, accountability and effective participation.
“2028 is just nearby, so we really need to ensure that our Solomon Islands Electoral Commission is ready to again hold the elections with accountability and transparency,” Ms. Altangerel said.
She said UNDP will continue supporting the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC), particularly in improving voter registration systems and civic participation.
Ms. Altangerel revealed that she met with SIEC Chairperson and commissioners during her official visit to Solomon Islands this week.
“I met not only with the Madam Chairlady, but also with the commissioners of the Electoral Commission,” she said.
She said discussions focused on strengthening voter and civic registration systems ahead of the next joint elections for both provincial and national governments.
“I understood that it will also be joined-up elections, both for provincial as well as national, like it was done in previous years,” she added.
“So that’s quite a big transformation.”
Ms. Altangerel said, one major area of support will involve enhancing and cleaning up voter and civic registry systems to improve the credibility and efficiency of future elections.
She also highlighted the importance of increasing youth participation in the democratic process, noting that young people make up the majority of Solomon Islands’ population.
“We also want to look at political participation of especially young people, as 75 per cent of the population of Solomon Islands is under the age of 35,” she said.
Ms. Altangerel said governance remains a core pillar of UNDP’s work in Solomon Islands, alongside resilience and climate change initiatives.
During her visit, she held meetings with government ministers, Parliament representatives, development partners, civil society organisations and provincial governance stakeholders.
The UNDP representative described the week-long engagements as “very substantive”, saying the discussions covered governance, elections, provincial development and transparency issues across the country.
Photo credit: UNDP
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