The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Bangladesh Election Commission to support free, fair and inclusive elections through the Bangladesh Advancement for Credible, Inclusive and Transparent Elections (Ballot) project for the electoral cycle 2025-2027.
The agreement was signed by Stefan Liller, Local Representative of UNDP Bangladesh, and Ajit Singh, High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh, in the presence of the Chief Election Commissioner. Under the partnership, Canada has approved CAD 2 million to support the BALLOT project to assist electoral institutions and stakeholders throughout the electoral cycle. This assistance is provided through a multi-donor pool fund with Australia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The initiative comes at a critical moment, with national elections scheduled for 12 February 2026. Bangladesh’s election administration is one of the largest in the world, spanning more than 40,000 polling stations in 495 upazilas and serving a population of approximately 168 million people. The BALLOT project is designed to help ensure that electoral processes are credible, inclusive and operationally robust.