UNIORE conducts a workshop on "The impact of the pandemic and fake news on electoral processes"

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The objective of the meeting was to generate a meeting for the exchange of experiences and good practices regarding the fight against misinformation and false news, as well as its impact on electoral processes, the democratic system and political participation, based on the lessons. and challenges left by the covid-19 pandemic.

The participants debated on cooperation for the institutional strengthening of the electoral bodies of the continent, and the institutions related to the development of an electoral process, and its consequences on topics such as new technologies, communication, information dissemination practices, education towards the voter and correct handling of the information.

Presentations: Day 1

On the first day, they talked about good regional 'fact-check' practices and actions against misinformation, the contribution of new technologies in the transparency of information and electoral processes.

The executive director of electoral training and civic education at the National Electoral Institute organizes free electoral processes (INE Mexico), the teacher Roberto Heycher Cardiel Soto, the editor of Fact Checking en Agence France-Presse (AFP), Anella Reta participated in the meeting. , the specialist of the Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO / OEA); Yeruti Méndez, Google's Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Manuel Haces and the head of public policy, Spanish-speaking South America of Facebook, María Julia Díaz Ardaya.

Also, the official Microsoft Defending Democracy Program of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Ethan Chumley; Founder & CEO of ROI Partners, former director of agency relations at Google Mexico, Roberto L'hopital and the director of the Institute of Technology and Equity of Brazil, Ariel Kogan.

In a round table, they exchanged experiences of the elections, in the context of the pandemic, and identified challenges for the future.

Presentations: Day 2

While, on the second and last day of this meeting, they discussed the future of electoral communication and the challenges facing covid-19, the journalistic experience in the media and about disinformation and false news in electoral processes. .

In addition, they debated on the construction of comprehensive education for citizenship, information and media literacy for citizen training and informed decision-making in democracy and multilateral agreement to combat misinformation and false news in electoral processes. They also held a round table on political gender violence and misinformation in digital media.

Participating as exhibitors from the Electoral Advisory and Promotion Center (CAPEL) were Tasheena Obando Smith; academic and editor of the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Saudia Levoyer; Team Leader Governance Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean United Nations Development Program, Jairo Acuña-Alfaro and the member of the LuchadorasMX movement, proposed by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Lulu Barrera.

In addition, the journalist and political editor of the GK Newspaper, María Sol Borja; Executive Director at the National Observatory for the Political Participation of Women, Mónica Banegas; Resident representative of the United Nations Organization (UN) Women Ana Elena Badilla; director of communications and press of the National Registry of Civil Status of Colombia, Felipe Sánchez Iregui and the director of the School of Communication of the International University of Ecuador (UIDE), Patricia Hidalgo.

The journalist from El Comercio, Jorge Imbaquingo; the official of the UNESCO Ecuador Program, Indira Salazar; Undersecretary for Educational Innovation and Good Living of the Ministry of Education of Ecuador, Diana Cristina Castellanos Vela; the professor of the Private Technical University of Loja and representatives of the Department of Communication Sciences, Abel Suing.