InterAction's Annual Forum is one of the largest gatherings of international development and humanitarian professionals in the country. During the two-day event in August practitioners and advocates will come together to share knowledge and expertise. IFES will be presenting at two workshops this year.

The first workshop, Women in the Middle East: Attitudes and Advocacy in an Opening Political Space, will take place on Friday, 12 August from 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. It will feature IFES Senior Research Specialist Rola Abdul-Latif and IFES Deputy Director for Europe and Asia Vasu Mohan.

Abdul-Latif will talk about the status of women in Yemen, Morocco and Lebanon based on the surveys IFES has implemented in those countries. Mohan, who will be moderating the panel, will touch on IFES' gender programming.

The second workshop, Transforming and Advancing Disability Civil Society through Knowledge Dissemination, Organizational Development and Legal Mechanisms, will take place on Friday, 12 August from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. IFES’ Regional Director of Europe and Aisa Chad Vickery will discuss how election management bodies can ensure that persons with disabilities are included in the political process through international standards.

On the first day of the forum, Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development, will present IFES with the InterAction Disability Inclusion Award, which recognizes InterAction member agencies that have worked toward greater disability inclusion in their general programs, activities and operations.

If you would like to attend the conference, please visit: http://www.interaction.org/2011-forum.