Effective states and good governance are essential to combatting poverty, and vital to good governance is an open and transparent political system, with strong political institutions. This means that in some countries, we have provided support to political groups, including political parties, to strengthen their capacity to engage in the political process. Support is not given on the basis of whether a party is in opposition, and will generally be available to all parties who are engaging in the political process. It is not partisan and must contribute to DFID’s aim of poverty reduction. It is often one part of a broader programme to strengthen political systems or as part of preparations for elections.
DFID does not keep a central record of support to political parties but the following are some examples of support which has been provided.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN programmes partly funded by DFID have provided capacity building support for political parties generally and women candidates in particular. This included supporting women candidates to participate in the electoral process and was available to all women candidates regardless of party.
In Zambia, DFID provided funding to train members of political parties to conduct training on electoral procedures and the role of party agents during elections. The parties then carried out the training themselves.
In Mozambique, DFID funded training on electoral campaigning for all registered parties.
In Kenya, during the 2005 referendum on the Constitution, DFID, together with other donors, worked with the Electoral Commission to fund poll agents for both the yes and no groups.
The Political Parties in Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic project, funded by DFID and other donors, aims to contribute to political parties responding with greater efficiency to promoting good governance and sustainable development with equity, deepening of Democracy, and the fight against poverty.