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News & Updates
Feature
President Bill Sweeney Reaffirms IFES’ Relationship with Egyptian Stakeholders
As Egypt prepares for parliamentary elections that will be held starting in March 2015, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) President and CEO Bill Sweeney traveled to Egypt to reaffirm IFES’ commitment to working with key Egyptian government stakeholders. At a reception held in Cairo on February 5, President Sweeney met with the spokesman of the High Elections Commission (HEC), Judge Omar Marwan, and Chairman of the State Information Service Ambassador Salah Abdel Sadek. They were joined by officials from the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Ministry of Transitional Justice; members of the diplomatic community, including representatives from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Embassies of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union; and representatives from the United Nations Development Programme and the Arab League.
News & Updates
Feature
Citizens in Charge: Strengthening Participation in Latin America
An informed citizenry is crucial for a vibrant and resilient democracy. IFES engages in a variety of civic education activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, including informing voters of their rights and responsibilities and empowering them to have a voice in the way they are governed. These photos underscore the role citizens can play in democracy.
News & Updates
Interview/Speech/Testimony
IFES Q&A with Mariela López-Vargas
A former IFES Chief of Party in several countries, Mariela López-Vargas has more than 25 years of experience in international development. In this Q&A, López-Vargas discusses field work, the key variables to instilling public trust and credibility in the electoral process, and the greatest challenges facing democracy and governance projects.
News & Updates
Feature
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
IFES Democracy Fellowships: Integral to Research and Organizational Learning
Academic research provides democracy practitioners with valuable perspectives on the effectiveness of their interventions and approaches. As organizations like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) are working in increasingly complex and dynamic political environments, they are drawing from academia to better understand electoral issues and inform program design.
News & Updates
Feature
IFES’ Women’s Leadership Training in the Maldives
This February, IFES Maldives conducted a Women’s Leadership training for female representatives of Maldives four main political parties; gender focal points at various government offices; and female managers from government bodies as well as the private sector.
News & Updates
Feature
Elections to Watch in 2015
Elections, as well as the issues and debates of electoral campaigns, provide insight into the responsiveness and resiliency of political systems and offer a convenient measure of the practice of democracy in a given country. This is true for countries with varying levels of experience with democracy, from those undergoing transition to those with long-established democratic practices. In this New Year, several countries will experience crossroads elections in which political and electoral systems are being tested and voters will be faced with clear choices. Tumult and turbulence – from the rising challenge of ISIS to the continued narco-violence in Latin America, from the Ebola pandemic to anemic economic conditions in many regions – form the backdrop for these critical contests at various socio-political crossroads.
News & Updates
Feature
Voter Registration Improvement is a Priority for Iraqi Leadership
Having a reliable voter register is a key concern for election management bodies. An accurate voter register ensures voter access to, and the integrity of, the electoral process. Launched in October 2011, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES) Iraq Elections Support Project (ESP) provides technical assistance to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), the Iraqi election management body, in various areas including voter registration.
News & Updates
Feature
The Challenges Facing Democracy Promotion in 2014 and Beyond
In 2014, a host of international crises – from the rise of ISIS to the Ebola crisis – dominated the agenda of the international community. While there were some notable democratic successes last year, such as Indonesia’s continued democratic consolidation and the positive progress of Tunisia’s transition, 2014 was not exactly a banner year for democracy worldwide.