Daria Azariev North

Daria Azariev North is a Senior Program Manager for Europe and Eurasia at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) with more than 10 years of experience in democracy building and transatlantic cooperation.

In her role, Azariev North oversees the program design and implementation of a broad portfolio in the region, working with electoral stakeholders from the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Visegrad 4 countries to build their capacity in responding to persistent and emerging challenges to democratic resilience. She provides thought leadership on programming related to countering disinformation and malign foreign influence in elections as well as advancing women’s empowerment and youth civic engagement. Azariev North spearheaded the launch of the European Working Group for election management bodies on social media, disinformation, and electoral integrity in 2020 and has led the development of IFES’s Crisis Communications and Countering Disinformation Playbook as a global tool. She has co-authored several publications, including “Building Resilience Against Election Influence Operations: Preparing for the European Elections in 2024 and Beyond” and “Elections and Communications - the Role of Electoral Management Bodies in Conducting and Facilitating Effective Communication.”

Previously, Azariev North has worked at the Atlantic Council supporting the Transatlantic Relations and Ukraine programs, as well as the Center for Strategic and International Studies Project on Nuclear Issues, where she examined U.S.-Russia strategic relations. Early in her career, she also worked at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris (FRS) and the Center for International Relations in Warsaw.

Azariev North holds a master’s degree in security and strategic studies and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the University of Warsaw. She is fluent in Polish, speaks French and Spanish, and possesses a working knowledge of Russian.