Where We Work
Since 1987, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has worked in over 145 countries around the world. With programming in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa, IFES’ independent expertise strengthens electoral systems and builds local capacity to deliver sustainable solutions.
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19 Jun 2019 | News and Updates
On June 4, leaders of the Electoral Institute of Mexico City (IECM) visited IFES' headquarters to sign an agreement that marks the next phase of their longstanding partnership. With this “Enhancing...
18 Jun 2019 | News and Updates
On June 6, IFES Deputy Country Director for Ukraine Gio Kobakhidze spoke on the evolution of civic education in the digital age at an international seminar on “Electoral Participation and Education...
11 Jun 2019 | Election FAQ
On June 16, citizens of Guatemala went to the polls to elect a president and vice president, 160 deputies to the Congress of the Republic, 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament, 340 mayors...
10 Jun 2019 | Publication
2018 saw the continuation of democratic backsliding and the further waning of global expansion of democratic freedoms and civil liberties. Read IFES' 2018 Annual Report to learn about how IFES...
5 Jun 2019 | Multimedia
On April 9-12, IFES trained members of Guatemala's National Council on Disability to conduct an election access observation. View a photo gallery of the two trainings, which built skills to collect...
5 Jun 2019 | News and Updates
On April 9-12, IFES trained members of Guatemala's National Council on Disability to conduct an election access observation ahead of the country’s general elections on June 16. The trainings built...
30 May 2019 | Election FAQ
On June 9, citizens of Kazakhstan went to the polls for an early presidential election, which will become a defining moment of 21st century Kazakhstan, affecting political life at all levels and...
30 May 2019 | News and Updates
On April 4-5, IFES co-sponsored the Ninth Forum on Latin American Democracy, hosted by Mexico’s National Electoral Institute in Mexico City. Vice President of Programs Michael Svetlik represented...
24 May 2019 | Multimedia
To address a lack of civic education in Tunisian schools and create an informed and civic-minded future generation, IFES developed the Democratic Awakening Toolkit. IFES produced 1,500 toolkits,...
23 May 2019 | News and Updates
A survey conducted the Tunisian Mediterranean Center found that 16 percent of Tunisian women who participated in a mobilization campaign responded that men in their families did not allow them to...
22 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES partnered with the Tunisian Mediterranean Center to train and deploy women ambassadors in Tunisians governorates with the highest illiteracy rates to encourage women to register and vote in the...
22 May 2019 | Multimedia
IFES has more than 400 staff spread across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Eurasia and the Middle East and North Africa. During the week of May 12, 2019, IFES field leadership traveled...
17 May 2019 | News and Updates
On May 8, IFES organized an event at George Washington University on “In Defense of Democracy: The Evolution of Civic Education in the Digital Age." The gathering included a presentation on the...
17 May 2019 | Election FAQ
On May 21, Malawian citizens went to the polls for general elections. This was only the second time that Malawi conducted presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on the same day....
17 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES' annual Joe C. Baxter Award recognizes the contributions of election professionals whose skills and dedication to the field of election administration epitomize the mission of IFES and embody...
15 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES' programming in Asia-Pacific seeks to reinforce the power of citizens and elected leaders to work across ethnic, gender and religious lines. Key programming examples include IFES’ “She Leads”...
10 May 2019 | Multimedia
On April 21, 2019, Ukrainian citizens voted in a second-round presidential election after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round on March 31. View a photo...
10 May 2019 | News and Updates
On April 21, 2019, Ukrainian citizens voted in a second-round presidential election after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round on March 31. Despite the...
10 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to announce that Alan Wall, a senior elections adviser and former IFES chief of party, is the recipient of the 2019 Joe C. Baxter Award, after being unanimously selected by IFES’...
8 May 2019 | Publication
One way in which election management bodies (EMBs) have sometimes chosen to protect against multiple voting is by marking voters’ fingers with indelible ink during the voting process. A new white...
7 May 2019 | News and Updates
On April 2-5, IFES coordinated a visit for Haitian election officials to the Central Electoral Board’s Civil Status and Electoral Training Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
7 May 2019 | News and Updates
Alessandra Rossi arrived in Guatemala City in January 2019 to serve as IFES' resident director in Guatemala and provides technical leadership and overall direction to IFES’ “Electoral Governance and...
3 May 2019 | News and Updates
As part of its efforts to ensure access to reliable information and promote high-quality journalism in Ukraine, IFES organized a study trip to the Baltics for investigative journalists to gain hands-...
3 May 2019 | News and Updates
As we celebrate World Press Freedom Day and this year’s theme of “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation,” we highlight the important work done by IFES to promote...
3 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is hosting the Press Secretary of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Armenia Hermine Harutyunyan as part of the American Councils Professional Fellowship Program. In this Q&A,...
2 May 2019 | Multimedia
On April 8-9, IFES implemented a workshop on “Electoral Coverage in an Era of Disinformation” in Panama City for 48 journalists, candidate representatives and Electoral Tribunal (TE) staff. The...
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish regional peer networks of election arbiters, which allow judges and election commissioners to discuss best practices and share comparative examples of how other countries...
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
From March 18-28, IFES partnered with Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council to conduct a Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) train-the-facilitators workshop...
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
From March 15-17, IFES conducted a workshop and training for Haitian journalists on advanced investigative journalism, the inclusion of persons with disabilities, women’s representation and violence...
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
The “Agreement for a Transparent, Ethical and Peaceful Electoral Process” was signed on March 11 by representatives of 18 of the 28 political parties that will participate in Guatemala’s upcoming...
1 May 2019 | Election FAQ
On May 5, Panamanian citizens went to the polls to vote in presidential, legislative and local elections. These were the sixth general elections since the ousting of the Manuel Noriega dictatorship...
29 Apr 2019 | Publication
IFES worked with the Afghan Women’s Network to conduct a field-based violence against women in elections assessment that uncovers the specific ways that Afghan women experienced violence throughout...
29 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
A new assessment from IFES on violence against women in elections in Afghanistan was made possible by the support of the Canadian people through Global Affairs Canada. In this Q&A,...
26 Apr 2019 | Publication
In a new brief, IFES outlines how the latest generation of technology-fueled disinformation campaigns is amplifying the scourge of hate speech and offers a framework for democracy and governance...
24 Apr 2019 | Publication
While women in Bougainville have greater access to politics and decision-making than their counterparts in other parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG), they still face significant challenges as they seek...
24 Apr 2019 | Publication
Elections in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are characterized by violence and tribal politics that contribute to a high prevalence of violence against women in elections (VAWE). A new report from IFES...
24 Apr 2019 | Multimedia
On April 17, 2019, Indonesia held the world’s largest single-day election, electing its next president and legislature. To showcase Election Day proceedings and enable members of the local and...
18 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
Over the past 18 months, IFES has been designing and pilot testing the IFES Executive Curriculum in Electoral Leadership (iEXCEL). iEXCEL develops skills to strengthen institutional independence...
17 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
On April 17, Indonesia held the largest single-day election in the world. For the first time since Indonesia’s transition to democracy, more than 192 million registered voters had an opportunity to...
17 Apr 2019 | Election Material
Voter education posters used in Indonesia's concurrent presidential and legislative elections held on April 17, 2019.
16 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
IFES partnered with the Research Network on Peace Operations to support women working on women, peace and security issues from across the Sahel region and Côte d’Ivoire during a training held from...
16 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
On March 14, IFES and the Carter Center co-hosted a parallel event on “Effective Protection From Online Violence Against Women in Politics” at the 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of...
15 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
IFES debuted new research on the efficacy of pro-youth laws and policies at an event organized around the launch of the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening report ...
15 Apr 2019 | Election FAQ
On April 21, citizens of North Macedonia went to the polls for the presidential election. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently Asked Questions on...
12 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
On April 4, IFES and the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities brought together representatives from the disability community in Ukraine to discuss obstacles that persons with intellectual...
12 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
Throughout 2018, IFES advisors guided the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner in developing and writing its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The plan, launched in November, sets out a vision...
12 Apr 2019 | Election FAQ
On April 21, Ukrainian voters participated in a run-off election to elect the president of Ukraine from among two candidates who received the highest numbers of votes in the first round. To help you...
11 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
IFES has partnered with the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities and ABAAD-Resource Center for Gender Equality to launch the “Identify, Interpret and Respond” project, which will...
10 Apr 2019 | Multimedia
IFES Director of Research and Technical Leadership Erica Shein and Senior Legal Advisor Katherine Ellena travelled to Saba, a special municipality in the Caribbean Netherlands, for the March 20...
10 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
In an effort to increase civic participation among marginalized groups in Kyrgyzstan, in February 2018, IFES organized a contest for persons with disabilities, which provided them with an opportunity...
10 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
Growing conservatism, discrimination against minority populations and an increase in hate speech and disinformation are threatening Indonesia. While the 2019 presidential and legislative elections...