Women Count
August 10, 2011
Only one out of every five legislators in the world is a woman, and many countries still deny women the right to cast a ballot. Learn more about IFES’ work to promote equal rights, justice and political participation for women around the world.
Gender Issues
Indian Election Chief Visits IFES
February 25, 2011
Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, chief commissioner of the Election Commission of India, visited IFES headquarters in Washington on February 22 and led a discussion of India’s electoral system with democracy-development and elections leaders.
Electoral Systems,
Elections
Indian Election Commissioner Visits IFES
December 10, 2010
V S Sampeth, a member of India's election commission, visited IFES while on a trip to the United States. He met with IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney, National Democratic Institute President Ken Wollack, and International Republican Institute Executive Vice President Judy Van Rest.
Elections
U.S. Ambassador for Women’s Issues Visits IFES’ Garima Project in India
October 07, 2010
On September 14, 2010, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne S. Verveer visited the Garima project in New Delhi, India. Verveer helped launch the Garima project in November 2009 and returned to observe its progress during a recent visit to India. Garima, which means “dignity” in Hindi, works to enhance women’s participation in political, economic and social processes, encourage political advocacy, and curb practices such as gender-based violence, female feticide and child marriage. The project is implemented by IFES and Counterpart International and collaborates with several nongovernmental organizations in India.
Gender Issues,
Civil Society,
Civic Education,
Democracy Assistance
Promoting Women’s Political Participation in South Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal and India
June 02, 2010
On 2 June 2010, IFES chaired a panel discussion at InterAction's 2010 annual Forum titled "Promoting Women’s Political Participation in South Asia." Empowerment, be it economic, social, or political, is key to improving the status of women. Increased active participation in the public sphere and political life complements economic sufficiency and enables women to gain full citizenship. South Asia provides a fertile source of experiences in this area and offers relevant learning that can benefit gender programming in other regions.
Gender Issues,
Democracy Assistance,
Civil Society,
Civic Education,
Education
Elections in Rajasthan, India
May 08, 2009
India, which proudly calls itself the world's largest democracy, goes to the polls in phases. On May 7, 2009, the 4th of 5 phases took place. This phase involved 95 million voters, 130,000 polling stations, 1315 candidates and 600,000 poll workers. Unlike some states which partake in multiple phases, all of Rajasthan voted during phase IV. Rajasthan is one of the two states in India where IFES supports Indian organizations in implementing programs on women's empowerment. These photos were taken by these partner organizations.
Elections