CEC inaugurates 11th Annual Meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia(FEMBoSA) for 2021

What is the News?

The Chief Election Commissioner of India has inaugurated the 11th Annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of SouthAsia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2021.

About 11th Annual meeting of FEMBoSA:

• The Annual meeting was hosted by the Election Commission of Bhutan.
• Participating Countries: India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka (All except Pakistan).
• Theme: “Use of Technology in Elections”.
• Thimphu Resolution: It was unanimously adopted by the FEMBoSA members at this meeting to extend the tenure of the chairmanship to two years during the current pandemic situation. 

About FEMBoSA:

• FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies(EMBs) of SAARC Countries in 2012.
• Aim: To increase mutual cooperation in respect to the common interests of the SAARC’s EMBs.
• Member Countries: The Forum has eight Member Election Management Bodies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Election Commission of India is the current Chair of the Forum.
• Meeting: The annual FEMBoSA meeting is held by rotation among the members. 

Objectives of the forum:

1. Promote contact among the EMBs of the SAARC countries.
2. Share experiences with a view to learning from each other.
3. Cooperate with one another in enhancing the capabilities of the EMBs towards conducting free and fair elections.