Fiji

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) started work in Fiji in 2014 to support and develop citizen engagement and civil society advocacy capacity. IFES worked with partners Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF) and FemLINK Pacific to conduct voter education workshops and media outreach, reaching an estimated quarter of a million people. Together with the International Republican Institute and local partners, IFES organized a town hall roadshow that brought together citizens and new members of Parliament (MPs) from parties across the political spectrum. Participants – inclusive of marginalized and minority groups including women, youth and transgender people – gained advocacy and parliamentary lobbying skills, and consultations on constituent outreach strategies brought together independent citizens from the surrounding area, civil society activists and MPs for a dialogue on local and national issues of concern. Fiji is also the hub for IFES’ regional disability rights work in the South Pacific.