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News & Updates
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The Third Regional Dialogue on Access to Elections in Jakarta
In January 2015, the third Regional Dialogue on Access to Elections was successfully hosted by the General Election Commission of Indonesia (KPU), the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), and the General Election Network on Disability Access (AGENDA), a Southeast Asian coalition of disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs), election monitoring groups, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), that is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). At the conference, more than 200 representatives from DPOs, election management bodies, governments, media, and international organizations attended from 28 countries across Southeast Asia and beyond, such as Egypt, Georgia, India, Libya, and the Republic of Korea. Discussions and panels addressed the emerging need to reach youth with disabilities, how to collaborate with media for greater representation in election coverage, and strategies for improved implementation of key international and regional policies, such as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real.”
News & Updates
Feature
New Disability Rights and Elections Training Module Piloted in South and Southeast Asia
Governmental and civil society stakeholders are often not aware of the barriers to equal political participation encountered by people with disabilities or how to mitigate them.
News & Updates
Feature
Registering Marginalized Populations to Vote in Nepal
As Nepal undergoes critical electoral and governance changes, IFES Nepal is working with local partners to register Nepalis – including Dalits, youth, Muslim women, freed Kamaiya (those subjected to forced labor) and other historically marginalized groups – to vote. This is part of IFES Nepal’s efforts to ensure that all Nepalis are able to participate actively in Nepal’s evolving political process.
Publication
Report/Paper
Money and Elections in the Maldives
IFES conducted the first systematic nationwide survey of its kind in the Maldives. The survey was conducted to measure the prevalence of vote buying in the Maldives during the March 2014 parliamentary elections. The final report, Money and Election in Maldives: Perceptions and Reality, will be shared with the Government, the Parliament, the Election Commission, civil society, political parties and others.
November 17, 2014
News & Updates
Feature
IFES’ 2014 U.S. Election Program
For almost three decades, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has supported citizens’ rights to participate in free and fair elections around the globe. Since 1992, IFES has hosted a flagship event, the U.S. Election Program, which brings together election officials, parliamentarians and diplomats from around the world to observe and learn about the U.S. electoral system as well as discuss elections and voting from comparative international perspectives.
This year’s program was held from November 2-5, in Washington, D.C., and provided a range of educational and networking opportunities for executives responsible for elections and voting.
See coverage of select panels by C-SPAN.
This year’s program was held from November 2-5, in Washington, D.C., and provided a range of educational and networking opportunities for executives responsible for elections and voting.
See coverage of select panels by C-SPAN.
News & Updates
Feature
Improving Access to Citizenship Certificates
As a primary legal document in Nepal, the citizenship certificate is compulsory for banking; accessing formal education and employment; registering on the voter’s roll; and obtaining a variety of benefits, including social security and government allowances for people with disabilities, victims of armed conflict and internally displaced persons. Yet despite its importance, there are significant barriers – including lack of knowledge or supporting documents and issues related to gender, caste and extreme poverty – that hinder access to citizenship certificates, especially for those from Nepal’s more marginalized groups.
News & Updates
Feature
An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election
On September 23, 2014, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a conversation between IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney and the former Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI), S.Y. Quraishi. Sweeney and Quraishi discussed Quraishi’s book An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, a first-person account of the recent electoral history of India and a must-read for those interested in understanding how the world's largest democracy works. Quraishi was also presented with the IFES’ prestigious Hutar Award, which honors those who express a commitment to improving democratic practices.
News & Updates
Feature
An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election
On September 23, 2014, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a conversation between IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney and the former Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI), S.Y. Quraishi. Sweeney and Quraishi discussed Quraishi’s book An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, a first-person account of the recent electoral history of India and a must-read for those interested in understanding how the world's largest democracy works. Quraishi was also presented with the IFES’ prestigious Hutar Award, which honors those who express a commitment to improving democratic practices.
During the event, Sweeney marveled at the immense technical undertaking of elections in India, noting that as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of India, Quraishi oversaw elections that involved over 11 million Indian government personnel. Indeed, elections in India generate both wonder and interest globally. Polls have been held at regular intervals in the country since independence, and on an unprecedented scale, surmounting the massive challenges posed by the geography of the land and the diversity of the Indian populace.
During the event, Sweeney marveled at the immense technical undertaking of elections in India, noting that as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of India, Quraishi oversaw elections that involved over 11 million Indian government personnel. Indeed, elections in India generate both wonder and interest globally. Polls have been held at regular intervals in the country since independence, and on an unprecedented scale, surmounting the massive challenges posed by the geography of the land and the diversity of the Indian populace.
Publication
Book
Gender Equality & Election Management Bodies: A Best Practices Guide
The full participation of women and men in a country's political and decision-making processes as voters, candidates, elected officials and electoral management body (EMB) staff is crucial. Yet, despite a set of robust international instruments and many positive developments in recent years, women represent only 21.7 percent of world's parliamentarians and in many countries they continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in political and electoral processes. Clearly, major steps still need to be taken before true gender equality is achieved in this arena.
September 23, 2014
News & Updates
Feature
Selima Ahmad: Business Leader and Peace Advocate
Women in Bangladesh subject to violence and intimidation. IFES’ Women Against Violence in Elections (WAVE) program gathers students and academics, civil society and media and business and political leaders in one forum to advance peace in Bangladesh. Selima Ahmad is a prominent member of the Bangladeshi business community and a member of the WAVE advisory group.