IFES Trains NEC Gender Section in Liberia on Disability Rights

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with the support of the United States Agency for International Development, has worked closely with the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC) over the past several years to build its capacity to conduct credible and inclusive elections. As part of this work, IFES is providing the NEC Gender Section with technical support on the inclusion of marginalized groups, such as persons with disabilities and women.

In November 2016, IFES Inclusion Officer Rebecca Aaberg led a training of the NEC Gender Task Force, which consists of NEC officials from sections across the organization interested in inclusion issues, to build their knowledge of disability inclusion in the electoral cycle. Aaberg also provided technical expertise to the NEC Gender Section and worked closely with them to develop new tools and resources for Liberia. This initiative built on a series of workshops organized by IFES and the NEC in July 2016 in regions across the country to meet with disabled persons’ organizations on the barriers they face to participating in the electoral process.

Consultations with the NEC Gender Section are ongoing, and Aaberg will return in February to assist the NEC on disability inclusion during the voter registration period. IFES will provide support to the NEC to enhance inclusion of persons with disabilities through the October 2017 elections.