What We Do
As a global leader in democracy promotion, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) engages with critical issues in democracy, governance and elections around the world. From programming aimed at ensuring electoral integrity and accountability to efforts to empower underrepresented populations, such as persons with disabilities, women and youth, to participate in electoral and political processes, IFES is at the forefront of innovative work to provide citizens around the world with the fundamental human right to have a say in how they are governed. Our research and surveys build on this work and aim to improve the electoral cycle in order to build sustainable democracy.
Consortium for Elections and Political Processes Strengthening (CEPPS)
CEPPS is composed of three equal partners: IFES, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. CEPPS allows IFES to carry out cost-effective global and regional programming to respond to new challenges in strengthening electoral and political processes. Learn more about CEPPS.
Related Content
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to be an associated partner in a new training network for early-stage researchers in the field of disability rights. The Disability Advocacy Research in Europe project will recruit 15...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES and the Nepal Disabled Women Association trained women with disabilities as part of a “Power to Persuade: Empowering Women with Disabilities to Influence Public Policy” training from August 27-...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is saddened by the passing of Finnish politician and disability rights advocate Kalle Könkkölä on September 11. He served from 1983 to 1987 as the first member of the Finnish Parliament with a...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
The Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission officially launched its 2018-2022 Corporate Plan, which will guide the commission’s efforts to prepare for and conduct effective, inclusive elections,...
14 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
Kyrgyzstan is a burgeoning democracy full of young people. Over 45 percent of the population is below age 24, and over 30 percent is 14 or younger. Now a 20-year legacy, IFES Democracy Camps help...
13 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish peer networks in Europe and Eurasia and Africa, supported by the United States Agency for International Development. Regional knowledge exchange allows judges and...
12 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
On August 29-30, 2018, IFES implemented a new tool for training senior electoral leaders in Colombo, Sri Lanka, following the fourth annual Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum. The curriculum was...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES’ Kenya Electoral System Support project collaborated with Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC), an umbrella disabled people’s organization, to develop a policy platform document that will support...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
In Kosovo, IFES’ team has initiated a noteworthy program for Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) Secretariat staffers, as part of the USAID-funded Strengthening Election Administration...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
On August 8, 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that President Joseph Kabila will not be running during the country’s highly anticipated elections set...
30 Aug 2018 | Multimedia
On August 10, the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner, in partnership with IFES, held a youth participation in elections workshop to celebrate International Youth Day 2018.
30 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
To celebrate International Youth Day, IFES’ civil society partner Association of Youth Organizations Nepal conducted two campaign events around the 2018 theme, “Safe Spaces for Youth,” advocating for...
27 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Board of Directors and staff of IFES mourn the passing of U.S. Senator John McCain on August 25, 2018, at the age of 81. Through his leadership of the International Republican Institute for 25...
24 Aug 2018 | Publication
From April 29 to May 5, 2018, IFES, with the support of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, participated in a Mission of Technical Accompaniment in Mexico City to analyze the reforms,...
23 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
With the spread of fake news undermining electoral processes worldwide, it has become crucial for the success and security of elections that authorities learn how to identify and counter...
23 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
During the May 2018 municipal elections in Tunisia, IFES conducted an assessment of access and political barriers encountered by women and men with disabilities with support from the United States...
18 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Board of Directors and staff of IFES mourn the passing of Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations, chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation and Nobel Peace Laureate, on...
17 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
On August 10, 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....
16 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
En el marco del proyecto “Promoviendo el Liderazgo Político de los Jóvenes con Discapacidad en la Republica Dominicana”, IFES, en asociación con ADIDE con el apoyo del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos...
15 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
A forthcoming IFES research paper outlines various legal approaches to election annulments, explores different grounds for annulment, and outlines procedural considerations for courts and...
15 Aug 2018 | Publication
The Agate Rights Defense Center for Women with Disabilities, with the support of IFES and the United States Agency for International Development, has published new research on the barriers...
15 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
Speak in the Nest, a web and social media platform developed in Kosovo by IFES and the Peer Educators Network with the support of the United States Agency for International Development, became a safe...
13 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to announce that Dong Nguyen Huu, a distinguished elections expert who is currently an advisor to the three Mexican electoral authorities, has supported numerous elections worldwide...
10 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES celebrates International Youth Day 2018 with a weeklong social media campaign to showcase the importance of youth participation in democratic and political processes. This year’s theme, Safe...
8 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
On July 18, IFES and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) co-hosted a briefing to discuss harmful practices endured by women and girls globally, such as child, early and forced marriage and...
6 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES recently completed two annual summer democracy camps for youth ages 14-19 in Kyrgyzstan. This year’s camps build upon IFES’ legacy of more than 20 years of democracy camps, with over 80 camps...
5 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
Having acknowledged the crucial role of youth participation in democracy, IFES has contributed to efforts to increase political awareness and engagement among young Latin Americans. Our recent work...
5 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Universities and Colleges Student Peace Association of Kenya (UCSPAK) was given a grant by IFES to carry out civic education in universities to target first-time voters ahead of the 2017 general...
5 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
George (Gio) Kobakhidze, IFES' deputy country director for Ukraine, is currently spearheading an initiative to implement a university-level civic education course in Ukraine’s institutions of higher...
2 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES will honor former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia with its 2018 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award at a special ceremony on September 24, in Washington, D.C.
31 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is working to support disability rights advocates’ efforts toward the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in public life. One such advocate is Nazma Ara Begum Popy, general...
26 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
In partnership with Disability Alliance for Our Rights, IFES collected data on the inclusion of Dominican youth with disabilities under a program that is empowering young persons with disabilities to...
26 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
During the 2017 electoral period in Kenya, IFES supported the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in deploying a dynamic youth outreach strategy as part of the United States Agency for...
24 Jul 2018 | Publication
Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold general elections on July 30, which may be the foundation for a new political era. Violence Against Women in Elections in Zimbabwe: An IFES Assessment demonstrates...
23 Jul 2018 | Election FAQ
On July 30, Zimbabwean citizens went to the polls for general elections. Former President Robert Mugabe resigned in November 2017 after 37 years in office, and this major political transition raised...
23 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
On July 24, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the International Disability Alliance and the Government of Kenya will host the first-ever Global Disability Summit. IFES...
23 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
IFES will honor Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green (R) with its 2018 Charles T. Manatt Democracy...
20 Jul 2018 | Election FAQ
On July 29, Mali held a presidential election, the country's fifth democratic presidential election since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1991. To help you understand this...
16 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
On June 12, 2018, Mark Kaigwa, the CEO and founder of Nendo, joined IFES for an event, “On the Border of Truth: Defense Against Social Media Propaganda,” which featured a presentation and discussion...
11 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
From June 28-July 1, 2018, a delegation from the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council visited Mexico City to take part in the Foreign Visitors’ Information Forum – 2017-2018 Electoral Process...
11 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
With support from IFES and the United States Agency for International Development, the Coalition for Independent Living conducted seminars and an advocacy campaign with Georgian youth in recognition...
10 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
Twenty-one Haitian journalists from all ten national departments were trained from June 18-19, 2018, on tools and methods of investigative journalism for approaching and reporting election-related...
10 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
IFES organized a series of events from June 4-8, 2018, as part of its Cybersecurity Assessment Week initiative to assess the cybersecurity of Ukraine’s electoral process and infrastructure. With...
9 Jul 2018 | Publication
IFES' civil society partner Samuhik Abhiyan conducted a campaign finance monitoring mission during Nepal’s December 2017 House of Representatives elections. With the launch of their report on May 18...
6 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Future is a youth civic education training program designed and supported by IFES. By supporting Myanmar’s youth to develop civic knowledge and critical thinking...
5 Jul 2018 | Publication
The reasons for women's weak representation in Haitian politics are deeply rooted in social norms and the widespread incidence of violence against women in elections (VAWE), which the International...
5 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
With support from the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative, in 2017 IFES built a mobile radio station ahead of Tunisia’s municipal elections on May 6, 2018, and drove it up and down the length of...
28 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2017, IFES and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judicial Branch of Mexico are collaborating on research, program implementation, and the...
27 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) manages local elections within 20 local government areas in Nigeria, serving over 6 million registered voters, the most of any state in the...
26 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights launched an initiative to develop a new regional instrument to mainstream the rights of persons with...
26 Jun 2018 | Election FAQ
On June 27, Indonesian citizens went to the polls to vote for governors, mayors and/or regents across 31 provinces as part of the 2018 regional head elections. To help you understand this...