(Ecofin Agency) - Although various institutions appear to have turned their backs on Mali, the country continues to receive international support to organize transparent and reliable elections. After announcing its inability to meet the initial deadline, Bamako is planning meetings to set a new electoral calendar.

Japan has teamed up with the UN Development Program (UNDP) to provide $1.80 million to Mali. The funding, which was signed on December 9 in Bamako, will help the country consolidate government reforms in preparation for the upcoming elections.

According to an official UNDP statement, part of the money will be used to acquire logistical means such as vehicles and safety vests for electoral officers. The goal is to offer them optimal working conditions. This Japan-UNDP donation aligns with the multilateral economic cooperation between Mali and Japan, which aims to support the country's authorities through the "Support Project for Reforms and Elections in Mali (PAREM) 2021-2023". Set up between February and March 2021, following a request from the Malian government, after recommendations from the United Nations, the project is jointly managed by UNDP, MINUSMA, and UN-Women.

Since it announced its inability to hold elections as initially planned, the current transitional government in Mali has been getting pressure from all sides. Sanctions also came from the ECOWAS and the AU against the country. Mali's leaders recently told Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is currently chairing ECOWAS, that no elections could be held before the Refoundation National Conferences. These are meetings scheduled to begin on Saturday, December 11, and end on Thursday, December 30, 2021.

Jean-Marc Gogbeu, intern