IFES Joins United States International Council on Disability

On August 10, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) became a member of the United States International Council on Disability (USICD). USICD, a network of organizations that promotes inclusion of disability perspectives in U.S. foreign policy and aid, spans organizations and individuals in more than 30 U.S. states and a number of foreign countries. It has advocated for permanent high-level disability inclusion roles in U.S. agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development. USCID has also played a key role in calling for meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities in all U.S. assistance programs.

IFES pledged to join USICD as part of its commitments to the Global Disability Summit organized by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), International Disability Alliance and the Government of Kenya on July 24.

IFES and USICD have worked together as members of InterAction and the RightsNow! Consortium. IFES has also previously hosted interns with disabilities as part of USICD’s Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs program.

To learn more about IFES’ work on disability inclusion, follow us on Twitter @IFESDisability and visit the ElectionAccess.org website.