In less than a week, recent Western alumnus Aaron Joshua Pinto will fan out across Ukraine, along with hundreds of Canadian election observers, to monitor the integrity of the embattled country’s early Verkhovna Rada parliamentary elections.
Pinto has been selected through CANADEM, commissioned by the federal government, to join the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on its election observation mission in Ukraine.
Pinto and other observers will monitor the election process and, by their presence, encourage a fair and democratic election.
“Civic engagement and democracy are a passion of mine. I am excited to be putting my academic background in international relations and my experience volunteering, studying and working abroad to good use,” he said. “Being a part of the mission will provide an opportunity for me to learn as much as I can about electoral processes and observation.”
In June, Pinto graduated from Western with an Honours BA with an Honours Specialization in International Relations and a minor in French Language and Translation. He also received the Global and Intercultural Engagement Honour.
