The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa, for he has so much to look forward to.

                                                --Stephen Lewis

In flight to the Republic of Botswana, I looked through the route maps in the back of Delta’s Sky Magazine and traced with my fingers the distance from Gaborone to other cities around the world. Representatives from six continents and dozens of countries were now, like me, making their way to Botswana’s capital. Even after months of planning from my home office in Washington, D.C., I continued to wonder what was in store.

I was traveling to Gaborone for the 2011 Global Electoral Organization (GEO) conference, an international forum for hundreds of election officials, diplomats and specialists from around the world. Among a variety of tasks for IFES, I lead event planning and implementation. On this occasion, I was called by IFES and the host organizations of the GEO to facilitate the participation of corporate sponsors in the conference. I was joined by eight IFES staff members, including our President and CEO, the Vice President of Programs and six country directors with decades of in-field electoral expertise. This was the fifth GEO event since the conference was launched in Ottawa in 1999, and the first on the African continent.

The three-day program focused on electoral reform, elections and conflict, and engaging electoral stakeholders under the theme “Credible Elections for Democracy.” Attendees brought a diverse set of political, cultural and social experiences in support of a shared commitment to the principle that every citizen holds a stake in government and should have the freedom to participate in it. Many delegates had faced and overcome extreme hardships to erect pillars of democracy in their home countries, and their impact on the conference was deeply felt. The conference ended formally with the Gaborone Declaration, a document that serves as a reference point for the future to ensure more credible and inclusive electoral processes in every nation committed to the principle that voting is a fundamental human right.

While the conference was underway, I hustled back and forth to address needs, make introductions, and ensure that, on behalf of IFES and the GEO, everyone felt welcome. No day ended before midnight, and I relaxed for brief moments by shedding my suit jacket, grabbing a bite, or looking out through the windows at tourists sitting poolside in the ninety-degree heat. In the evenings, while still on duty, I found enormous pleasure in talking with other delegates and Botswana natives about subjects reaching from the democratic process to cricket tournaments. The people from Botswana whom I had the privilege to meet during my brief stay, including the gracious hosts from the country’s Independent Election Commission, struck me with their friendliness, intelligence and passion.

I spent the last 16 hours of the trip on safari in South Africa, joined by IFES colleagues as well as new acquaintances—representatives of countries and cultures who shared fascinating, dynamic ideas and experiences. Some conference attendees had their bags misrouted and had to make do with limited wares. Some could not afford to spend an extra day experiencing a wider swath of this magnificent region, having to depart immediately for home after traveling so far. While I regret not being able to spend more time in Africa, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to shake hands and speak with so many remarkable people.

Holding the conference in Africa made a necessary and important statement and the broad participation from electoral authorities from both the developed and developing world was a clear step forward in expanding the community of election organizers that GEO seeks to highlight. I am proud to have helped reinforce the GEO conference’s standing as the preeminent event for those working in the field of elections. My only prior visit to Africa, for an international convention in Johannesburg, had given me a glimmer of Mr. Lewis’ awe. My time in Botswana opened my eyes even more, and I look forward what the next journey allows me to behold.

For more information about IFES’ participation at the GEO conference, please click here.