Scott Lansell
December 01, 2007

2007 offered IFES a remarkable opportunity to celebrate our role in promoting democracy over the last 20 years. We are proud to be one of the international organizations that helped support millions of citizens in their struggle toward more democratic societies over the last two decades, with a record 120 democracies now in existence. But democracy in name only is not enough, which is why IFES’ work is focused on strengthening democratic institutions that preserve the rights of citizens over the long term.

In 2007 alone, IFES managed democracy and governance projects in 30 countries and helped electoral commissions hold elections in 15 countries, with the generous support of our donors and international partners. IFES programs reached out to strengthen institutions such as the legislature in Indonesia, judicial bodies in China and civil society in Guinea. We also began new on-site programs in Thailand, Djibouti, Georgia, Ivory Coast, and Jordan.

Jean-Pierre Kingsley replaced Richard Soudriette as president of IFES.

New Leadership, Valued Partners

In June, Mr. Jean-Pierre Kingsley, former Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, became president of IFES, replacing the organization’s longtime leader, Mr. Richard Soudriette. The change in leadership brought a new emphasis on IFES’ international character, fitting for an organization whose staff hails from 60 countries.

A series of 20th Anniversary events allowed IFES to honor the many international partners we have worked with over the years, including stalwart donors such as USAID and DFID. In March, IFES hosted the 2007 Global Electoral Organization Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference attracted more than 200 election officials and democracy advocates from 67 countries, providing an opportunity for delegates from Albania to Zambia to discuss the most pressing issues in the field of election administration. IFES’ anniversary culminated in October with the 2007 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Awards Dinner held at the Organization of American States. The gala evening paid tribute to the Honorable Lee Hamilton and OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza for their roles in promoting democracy worldwide.

This year IFES also expanded its working dialogue with Canadian CIDA, the Organization of American States, the European Commission, and the Spanish Development Agency and sought to strengthen its partnerships with International IDEA, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Transparency International, Mexican IFE, IRI, NDI, the Carter Center, Westminster Foundation and the United Nations family including UNDEF, UNDP, UNOPS, and UNEAD, to list a few.

High Profile Projects

In the field, IFES was involved in several high profile elections and projects. In May, IFES helped Armenia manage elections that the international community judged as the best since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. IFES was also deeply involved in helping Sierra Leone’s National Election Commission administer the country’s first elections since 2005 when United Nations peacekeepers withdrew.  A key part of that project was championing the use of a tactile ballot to increase access for visually impaired voters. In a similar vein, IFES collaborated with the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) in Nicaragua on a nationwide census of citizens with disabilities so that the CSE could identify ways to increase their participation in elections. 

Arab media widely covered the IFES/ACRLI surveys on democratic institutions in the Middle East.

In the Middle East, IFES partnered with The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity to produce reports that revealed attitudes about democracy and democratic institutions in four Arab countries. These reports sparked discussion during conferences held in Cairo and Amman. In addition, IFES’ role in Yemen this past year was greatly assisted by the generous grant from UNDEF allowing us to undertake a youth civic awareness initiative.  Later in the year, USAID again committed resources to IFES in Yemen to work closely with Yemen’s Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER), to prepare for the 2009 parliamentary and local council contests. 

Of course, there were setbacks along the way. The Nigerian elections in April were marked by problems that IFES highlighted months in advance through appropriate channels. In August, IFES and the UK Department for International Development hosted the Way Forward Conference in Abuja, attracting more than 140 Nigerians including government officials, academics, community leaders and religious figures. The conference focused on how Nigerians could put their flawed elections behind them and better prepare for the future by reforming the constitution and electoral law, promoting accountability in political party financing and ensuring transparency in politics and the economy. 

With political upheaval in Pakistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand, IFES was called upon to serve in several crucial roles in each local environment.  Our field professionals continue to serve in an exemplary manner offering technical advice, consistent and dedicated capacity, and a willingness to work in a fluid environment offering the best of what IFES has to give. These projects in the latter part of 2007 provided new democratic opportunities and programmatic challenges to IFES and our partners.

The world we face today is as challenging as the one F. Clifton White faced when he founded IFES in 1987. However, the nature of many of the challenges we face today are very different. IFES is proud of the achievements of our staff and consultants over the last 20 years and we are confident that their expertise and experience will help us meet new challenges in the future.

Scott Lansell is IFES’ Senior Director of Programs.