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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.
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
Improving Electoral Access in Pakistan
Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities guarantees the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life on an equal basis with other citizens. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) took on this important issue during the “Conference on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Electoral Processes” from September 3-4, 2014.
News & Updates
Feature
Myanmar’s Election Commission Takes Steps to Achieve Gender Equality and Include Voters with Disabilities
After five decades of military rule, Myanmar has initiated an ongoing process of democratic reform, opening new and significant political space. However, persons with disabilities in Myanmar still face numerous obstacles in accessing their right to vote, and, at only 6.8 percent, Myanmar has one of the lowest percentages of women in parliament in the region.
Publication
Report/Paper
Project EASE Increases Election Access in the Philippines
Voting is becoming more accessible for voters with disabilities in the Philippines through the project for Ensuring Accessibility of Schools in Elections (EASE). Project EASE aims to increase the participation of persons with disabilities by ensuring they are able to join Election Day activities. This is done through evaluating the accessibility of schools across the country where voting is normally held.
March 14, 2014
News & Updates
Feature
Libyan Awareness Campaign Promotes Improved Access for Persons with Disabilities
The unrest that followed eight months of armed struggle to remove former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi remains pronounced more than two years since the regime’s fall. While militias look for ways to transition back to civilian life, the number of wounded warriors and revolutionaries has risen sharply, underscoring the need to recognize persons with disabilities as equal citizens in a new Libya.
News & Updates
Feature
Remembering Yusdiana, A Passionate Disability Rights Advocate
Yusdiana, IFES’ and Indonesia Disabled People's Association's Senior Disability Rights Adviser, used her experience, intelligence and optimism to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Southeast Asia’s political process. She passed away from surgery complications on December 28, 2013. This photo gallery captures her advocacy efforts and humanitarian spirit.
News & Updates
Press Release
IFES Remembers Indonesian Disability Rights Leader Yusdiana
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is deeply saddened by the passing of Senior Disability Rights Adviser Yusdiana (“Diana”) of Indonesia. She died of complications after surgery in Jakarta on December 28. Our sincerest thoughts are with her family and the disability community.