Asia-Pacific
Over the last three decades, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has engaged in programming and research across Asia-Pacific, partnering global expertise with local solutions through combining efforts with a variety of partner organizations. Our efforts in Asia-Pacific also showcase IFES’ excellence in inclusion and participation, with elements of youth, gender, persons with disabilities and underrepresented populations in portions of our work in countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal, and Cambodia.
Current Field Offices
Current Activities
Related Experts See All IFES Experts
Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, and Senior Global Advisor for Conflict, Displacement and Minority Rights
Deputy Director, Asia-Pacific
Related Content
19 May 2016 | Multimedia
In this interview, IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney, IRI President Ambassador Mark Green, and NDI President Kenneth Wollack discuss how CEPPS’ collaborated during recent milestone elections in...
17 May 2016 | News and Updates
The Global Disability RightsNow! consortium, which the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is a member, is launching a new resource website for disability rights advocates in...
2 May 2016 | News and Updates
IFES, the lead partner in the General Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), piloted a disability rights and elections module of the Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections...
25 Apr 2016 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a delegation from Thailand led by Chairman of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), Mr. Supachai Somcharoen. IFES President and...
12 Apr 2016 | News and Updates
On March 30, 2016, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh with several U.S. Government officials including Dr. Sarah Sewall, the Under...
29 Mar 2016 | Publication
In February 2016, the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) published Disability Access and Inclusion in the Political Processes of Four Southeast Asian Countries. The report...
21 Mar 2016 | News and Updates
As part of the U.S. Agency for International Development funded “Improved Election Management Program” in Sri Lanka, IFES is providing technical support to a network of disability rights advocates...
10 Mar 2016 | News and Updates
On February 29 and March 1, 2016, the Union Election Commission (UEC) hosted the first-ever National Post-Election Conference in Yangon. With support from IFES and International IDEA, the UEC...
7 Mar 2016 | News and Updates
IFES has taken a leading role in providing opportunities to facilitate collaboration among government representatives and disabled persons’ organizations. IFES established the General Election...
3 Mar 2016 | News and Updates
On March 1, 2016, IFES and the Australian National University signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at fostering research collaboration on electoral integrity and security.
2 Mar 2016 | News and Updates
Michael Maley, a distinguished election management expert who previously served as Director of International Services at the Australian Electoral Commission and supported numerous elections worldwide...
23 Feb 2016 | News and Updates
In this Q&A, IFES Myanmar Senior Election and Conflict Adviser Michael Lidauer discusses what led to the development of the Myanmar mapping project, the challenges in producing the maps, and...
18 Feb 2016 | Publication
On September 20, 2015, Nepal’s Constituent Assembly approved a new constitution, transitioning Nepal to a Federal Democratic Republic divided into seven provinces. IFES has developed a factsheet to...
23 Dec 2015 | News and Updates
On November 14, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in collaboration with local partner The Hunger Project-Bangladesh, held the “National Convention of the Ambassadors for...
16 Dec 2015 | News and Updates
A robust and dynamic civil society is a fundamental pillar of any democracy. In young and developing democracies, the active participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) is vital to ensuring...
14 Dec 2015 | Multimedia
The past year saw a slew of important elections across the globe. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) was engaged with election commissions, civil society and a variety of other...
10 Dec 2015 | News and Updates
On December 9, tens of millions of Indonesian citizens went to the polls to elect the heads of government of 264 regional jurisdictions across the country including eight Governors, 35 Mayors and 221...
8 Dec 2015 | News and Updates
Female feticide, infanticide and neglect of girls has been widely practiced in India with alarming implications on the rate of missing girls. By 2005, India’s ratio of girls to boys had declined so...
7 Dec 2015 | Multimedia
On September 28, 2015, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Maldives launched the public awareness campaign “Vaane” (We Can) to promote women’s participation in public and...
24 Nov 2015 | News and Updates
The pervasive culture of political violence in Bangladesh has unique impacts on women, where intimidation, harassment, and sometimes physical violence can inhibit women’s electoral and political...
24 Nov 2015 | News and Updates
On Election Day on November 8, Myanmar citizens demonstrated that they are enthusiastically ready for a democratic transition and they took to the streets to exercise their right to vote and have a...
10 Nov 2015 | News and Updates
Around the world, persons with disabilities face immense challenges to exercising their political and human rights, particularly in new and emerging democracies like Myanmar. According to the country...
9 Nov 2015 | Multimedia
On November 8, 2015, citizens of Myanmar went to the polls to vote for 1,171 representatives to Myanmar’s national Parliament and State and Region Assemblies, with some voters also electing Ethnic...
9 Nov 2015 | News and Updates
On the crowded, noisy street of Pyay Road in Yangon’s Ahlone Township, locals regularly shop at nearby stores while cab drivers sit in standstill traffic. On October 30, eight days before...
6 Nov 2015 | Survey
IFES fielded a national survey in Myanmar from April through May 2015 to gain greater understanding of opinions and attitudes of citizens of Myanmar toward the election process in the country.
6 Nov 2015 | Multimedia
On November 8, Myanmar will hold general elections that are widely considered to be the most competitive in the country’s history. Over 90 parties and 6,000 candidates will vie for seats in the...
6 Nov 2015 | News and Updates
In Wun Kite village in Okkan township there is a buzz of excitement as villagers flock around the mock ballot box, learning about valid and invalid ballots and having a chance to practice casting...
2 Nov 2015 | Election FAQ
On November 8, 2015, Myanmar voters will directly elect representatives to the Amyotha Hluttaw, Myanmar’s upper house of Parliament; the Pyithu Hluttaw, Parliament’s lower house; and State...
14 Oct 2015 | News and Updates
From October 1-3, 2015, the first “South Asia Regional Disability Rights Dialogue on Political Participation” brought together more than 80 representatives from 34 organizations including disabled...
16 Sep 2015 | News and Updates
To mark International Day of Democracy, IFES Pakistan and its partners organized a seminar on civil society engagement in social and political life in Pakistan. Read this story to learn about the...
15 Sep 2015 | Publication
On November 8, 2015, Myanmar will hold general elections. The 2015 elections will be an important milestone in Myanmar’s democratic transition. Approximately 30 million people are eligible to...
31 Aug 2015 | Publication
IFES’ General Election Network for Disability Access program has worked with the Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization to provide Cambodia's election commission with evidence-based...
21 Aug 2015 | News and Updates
Sri Lankan Electoral Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has set the bar high for future electoral leaders in Sri Lanka with his fair, ethical and bold leadership.
19 Aug 2015 | Multimedia
The current Maldivian education system does not include civic education as part of the school curriculum, resulting in limited knowledge and understanding among young people of human rights and...
11 Aug 2015 | Multimedia
To meet the growing user and technological requirements, the Elections Commission of Maldives launched its new website in collaboration with IFES and the United States Agency for International...
10 Aug 2015 | Election FAQ
On August 17, Sri Lankan citizens will elect 225 Members of Parliament to serve five-year terms. The parliamentary vote follows President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve the previous...
3 Aug 2015 | News and Updates
IFES has collaborated with the Myanmar Independent Living Initiative to raise awareness of the political rights of persons with disabilities and encourage their participation in the electoral process...
3 Aug 2015 | News and Updates
Since 2013, IFES has been assisting the Union Election Commission of Myanmar in its efforts to involve other key electoral stakeholders, such as civil society organizations, political parties and the...
31 Jul 2015 | News and Updates
Angelina Jolie met with the Yangon participants of the She Leads training program on her recent trip to Myanmar as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador. She Leads is a...
20 Jul 2015 | News and Updates
Since 2010, IFES has collaborated with local disabled persons’ organizations DPOs, NGOs, and the Election Commission of Pakistan to support Pakistanis with disabilities in exercising their...
17 Jul 2015 | Publication
In the Maldives, as in all countries around the world, women’s interest and ability to participate in the political process is impacted by a combination of legal, political, social, economic and...
17 Jul 2015 | Publication
Gender equality and women’s empowerment remain a significant challenge in the Maldives. A new report from International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES), titled “Qualitative Assessment:...
25 Jun 2015 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has implemented the Women’s Election and Leadership Program in several countries to develop the capacity of women to participate in the...
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
The political rights of women, minorities and persons with disabilities are recognized in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and under a number of international conventions and...
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
The role of the Senate of Pakistan is to promote national cohesion and harmony and to alleviate fears of the smaller provinces regarding domination by any one province because of its majority in the...
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
The Majlis-e-Shura (Parliament) of Pakistan is the country’s bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the National Assembly.
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
The Election Commission of Pakistan is independent from the Government of Pakistan in its decision-making in control of its finances. However, Election Commission members are selected by a...
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
Since 2002, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems has provided technical and commodity assistance to strengthen Pakistan’s democratic institutions.
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
The use of electronic voting technology in elections was introduced in 1964 when punch cards and computer tally machines were first used in the United States presidential primaries in two counties in...
24 Jun 2015 | Publication
This IFES Pakistan Fact Sheet provides background information on the purpose and function of caretaker cabinet's during the electoral process.