Every Voice

On February 17, 2027, IFES President & CEO Anthony Banbury delivered the keynote address at the Zero Project Parliament event, a a prelude to #ZeroCon26, the premier global event focusing on disability inclusion and accessibility, and featuring innovators, policymakers, and award-winning solutions. The event was broadcast from the historic plenary chamber of the National Council of the Austrian Parliament. The following is the transcript of Banbury's address.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. 

It is such a great honor for me to be here today before all of you to talk about such an important subject. I have to say ever since I traveled to Austria as a 10-year-old with my family, I've been enamored by your country, and it is a deep pleasure to be here among you today. 

Dear President Rosenkranz, dear presidents of the National Council, parliamentarians, dear Martin Essl and all participants here today: it is such an honor to be here alongside our esteemed partners at the Zero Project and disability rights advocates from around the world. 

I want to start by commending the Austrian Parliament for your work making this Parliament building accessible and for the digital accessibility of your library content. This Parliament serves as an example for others around the world of what it means to make democracy deliver for all and accessible to all. I can tell you from my travels around the world, including many visits to parliament buildings, you here in this Austrian parliament are a real leader and your leadership is becoming increasingly recognized around the world. 

I also want to thank and congratulate Martin Essl for his vision of a world with zero barriers and for his generosity and commitment to making that world possible. Martin is a true inspiration for me as I know he is for many of you in this room and indeed around the world.

 The organization I lead shares the vision of a world with zero barriers and one where democracy delivers for all. At the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, or IFES, we don't work to make just elections accessible. We work to make entire political systems accessible. 

True inclusion means ensuring that every person can exercise all their political rights to vote, to serve as a political worker, to run for office, serve as a government official, advocate for legal or policy reform, and much more. 

Working holistically and seeking transferable good practices is what connects us so powerfully with the Zero Project, and we share a passion for practical solutions. So, I was honored this morning to formalize our collaboration by signing a memorandum of understanding with Martin and the Zero Project, a partner that shares our commitment to building societies where persons with disabilities can engage, lead, and shape the decisions that affect their lives.

Inclusion is not a side project at IFES. It is so central to our mission that it is enshrined in our strategic plan. It shapes how we work, what we fight for, who we work with, and indeed who we are. 

For example, just last week I was in Moldova where IFES is supporting dialogues between the Central Election Commission and organizations of persons with disabilities to identify barriers to political participation and develop solutions. The central election commission of Moldova has a long history of engagement on disability rights. They were one of the first election commissions in the world to distribute voter education information in an easy-to-read format. 

And there are good practices and examples from around the world. In Jordan, the country piloted a sign language app so that deaf voters could communicate with a sign language interpreter at polling stations. The National Electoral Institute of Mexico, another partner of IFES, worked to develop a binding national protocol on inclusion of persons with disabilities. This work was recognized by a Zero Project Conference Innovative Practice Award in 2019. 

This protocol includes requirements for Braille ballot guides, improved physical access, establishment of polling stations in hospitals, provision of subtitles in televised messages, the use of sign language at debates and public speaking events, and an accessible website. 

And just last week, Bangladesh held very important elections where IFES was very active. We supported an OPD [organization of Persons with Disabilities], the Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus, to develop a model accessible polling station. This initiative demonstrated that not only can persons with disabilities work as poll workers, but that simple things like a ramp, a banner with sign language, and a portable speaker with audio voting steps make a transformative difference. 

These features are not costly or difficult to put into place. The model polling station has helped OPDs demonstrate how inclusive, accessible, and rights-based voting environments can be created in real polling stations. 

In the last year, and despite significant global political upheaval, we have embarked on new frontiers in the disability inclusion space. With support from Microsoft, IFES is expanding work on accessible election technology, an area where innovation is urgently needed. And here again, I commend the Austrian Parliament for your introduction of new technology to make political participation more possible. I want to commend Microsoft as a shining example for the private sector of a company that does not just talk about a commitment to accessibility but delivers on that commitment. 

We all know that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of so many technologies and the pace does not seem to slow. Unfortunately, election technologies are too often not accessible to persons with disabilities. This makes meaningful participation difficult if not impossible. 

Finding practical solutions to address these barriers is non-negotiable because inaccessible technologies create inaccessible democracies that cannot fully represent or serve their people. 

That is why IFES is so proud to introduce the election platform for accessibility through human rights and security, making its debut at the Zero Project Conference on Thursday. This database captures available accessible election technologies from around the world and shares the features of each product. 

We envision the database becoming a practical tool for election management bodies, disability rights organizations, observer missions, democracy practitioners, and anyone committed to building inclusive electoral processes. It is a resource designed for collaboration because inclusion is something we build together, and I believe the Austrian Parliament, as it has demonstrated in its work across political parties here, is a shining example of that as well. 

And here I would like to pay special tribute to my colleague, Virginia Atkinson, whose vision, hard work, and relentless determination have not only made IFES a global inclusion leader but have earned her a spot on the Forbes Accessibility 100 list. 

And that brings me to the moment we are living in today. Around the world, we see signs of democratic backsliding, institutions under strain, rights under pressure, trust eroding.

 In times like this, the work of partners like the Zero Project matters more than ever because the truth is simple: democracy cannot afford to leave anyone behind. 

We need every voice, every leader, every voter, every person contributing to the democratic process.

 When we design elections that welcome all people, we build societies that value all people. And when we commit to inclusion not as an aspiration but as a practice, we build democracies that are resilient, representative, and worthy of the people they serve. 

That is the future we are working toward. That is the future that President Rosenkranz and the presidents of the National Council are building. That is the future that Martin Essl has shown us the way to, and it is the future that we can all build together. 

IFES looks forward to working with the Zero Project and many of you in this room on this important objective. 

An inclusive democracy is a resilient democracy. In the words of the IFES mission statement, together we build resilient democracies that deliver for all. 

Thank you very much. 

[Applause]