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The History of IFES's Regional Europe Office (REO)

image of the first team at first REO office.
photo of team at first REO office.

The IFES Regional Europe Office (REO) was established in 2014 under the "Regional Election Administration and Political Process Strengthening (REAPPS) I" initiative, with the goal of addressing common challenges to democracy and electoral integrity across Europe and Eurasia, such as defining the role of government in an open society and market economy; fostering political pluralism; stimulating civic participation and producing democratic outcomes for transitioning democracies in the region. Under REAPPS I, IFES REO was presented with new possibilities to engage electoral stakeholders, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Through REO, IFES sought to strengthen the capacity of electoral stakeholders by bringing together representatives from various fields to promote cross‐border learning and peer exchange on a range of issues relevant to the region. 

During the REAPPS I phase, IFES REO focused on various activities, including research and trainings dedicated to political finance, preventing the misuse of state resources, ensuring the autonomy of election management bodies, resolving electoral disputes, and advocating for more effective inclusion of persons with disabilities in both political and public life. IFES REO collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders, including election administrators, government officials, civil society members, media personnel, and human rights activists from the region.

Key Outcomes 

  • Increased Capacity of Regional Election Administration Officials 
  • As a result of IFES REO trainings, more than 60 election officials from the region demonstrated increased capacity in ensuring election integrity, monitoring and evaluation for election administration training units, and ensuring effective election dispute resolution. 
  • Enhanced Knowledge of Abuse of State Resources Oversight 
  • Civil society and watchdog representatives across the region received capacity building from IFES REO to better understand the various types of state resources, what constitutes an abuse in each case and the most effective methods for monitoring. 

  • Promotion of Inclusion in the Electoral Process.
    IFES supported a number of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs)  to implement a series of national projects dedicated to increasing the accessibility of elections as well as raising public awareness of the various obstacles faced by marginalized groups like persons with disabilities throughout all stages of the electoral process. These projects engaged hundreds of advocates and trainees across Europe, reaching up to 101 participants in Ukraine alone. 

 

REAPPS I (2014-2018) was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Award No. AID-OAA-L-15-00007 

Learn more about IFES's Regional Europe Office

Visit the REO homepage