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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11 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
From January 31-February 1, IFES and a Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) facilitator implemented Guatemala's first BRIDGE Electoral Administration and Accessibility...
5 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
In early December 2018, IFES conducted a conflict analysis workshop with Libyan civil society representatives to identify local drivers of violence around elections and mechanisms for mitigating...
4 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
In partnership with the Libyan Ministry of Education, IFES conducted a training in early December 2018 for more than 120 educators from across Libya in preparation for the nationwide roll out of a...
4 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
Members of Libya’s High National Elections Commission recently participated in trainings led by IFES, with support from the United States Agency for International Development, on election...
1 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
IFES, the United Nations Development Programme and the Central Election Commission of Armenia organized a parliamentary mandate presentation ceremony. During the event, citizens handed over the...
29 Jan 2019 | Publication
As part of its annual report, the Wilson Center Africa Program asked IFES Regional Director for Africa Rushdi Nackerdien to contribute an essay on campaign finance. His piece, “Political Campaign...
28 Jan 2019 | Election FAQ
On February 3, Salvadoran citizens went to the polls to elect a new president. With decreased trust in established political parties, smaller parties’ recent electoral successes have challenged the...
18 Jan 2019 | Election FAQ
On January 21 and February 6, registered voters in localities covered by the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in the Philippines and areas that successfully petitioned for inclusion in the...
16 Jan 2019 | News and Updates
Anthony Banbury serves as the president and CEO of IFES. He previously held leadership roles in diplomacy, crisis management and humanitarian assistance, and most recently served as the United...
16 Jan 2019 | News and Updates
On January 9, 2019, IFES and the United States International Council on Disabilities co-hosted a panel on “Promoting American Interests Through International Disability Rights: Recommendations for...
11 Jan 2019 | News and Updates
In spring 2018, Armenia witnessed a change in government following peaceful street protests. The country’s new leadership announced a state program that prioritized a revision of the electoral...
7 Jan 2019 | News and Updates
In recognition of its efforts to advance the political rights of persons with disabilities worldwide, IFES will be receiving two Innovative Practice Awards from the Zero Project in February 2019. The...
7 Jan 2019 | Multimedia
28 Dec 2018 | Election FAQ
On December 30, Congolese citizens went to the polls to vote in presidential, national and provincial elections. If the elections took place without violence, this would be the first peaceful...
28 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
On December 13, 27 Dominican youth with disabilities celebrated completing the Engaging a New Generation for Accessible Governance and Elections course at the Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) in...
28 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
IFES co-organized the Second Ukrainian Women’s Congress on December 7-8 in Kyiv, which brought together over 500 men and women from politics, business, nongovernmental organizations and the media to...
28 Dec 2018 | Publication
In December 2018, IFES developed two manuals on political finance reform in cooperation with its Ukrainian civil society partners. The manuals are part of efforts to raise awareness among political...
27 Dec 2018 | Publication
Over a two-week period around Tunisia's 2018 municipal elections, IFES conducted a disability rights assessment mission to look at the barriers and opportunities related to political participation of...
21 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
In Guatemala, IFES' support to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the country’s main election management body, includes ongoing collaboration to implement political finance reform, such as...
21 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
On November 8, IFES conducted a training with Papua New Guinea Election Commission staff and disabled people’s organizations on disability-inclusive elections, which empowered participants to work...
21 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
This has been a year of transition for IFES as we welcomed Tony Banbury as our new leader and bid farewell to former President and CEO Bill Sweeney. Throughout 2018, the IFES team continued...
14 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
In September 2018, IFES supported the celebration of the International Day of Democracy (IDD) in Tunisia. More than 180 Tunisian and international organizations organized their own IDD events,...
14 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
On Wednesday, November 14, IFES and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) held a briefing on how inclusive democracies empower women in all areas of political and public life and can benefit...
13 Dec 2018 | Multimedia
On November 14, IFES conducted a training for the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner and disability rights advocates in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.
10 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
On November 1-4, 2018, the General Election Network for Disability Access organized a communications and advocacy training of disabled people’s organizations and civil society organizations from...
7 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
Internal displacement continues to be a human tragedy for the millions who are forced to leave their homes because of armed conflict, climate change or natural disaster. Often internally displaced...
7 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
Pervasive corruption erodes the credibility and legitimacy of electoral processes and democratic institutions – which in turn undermines effective governance. In observance of International Anti-...
6 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
IFES arranged a visit centered around the administration of the United States’ general elections for Dr. Emad Alsaiah, chairman of the Libyan High National Elections Commission, and Mr. Salam Shrayef...
6 Dec 2018 | Survey
In 2018, IFES – with the support of USAID – conducted a nationwide household survey exploring public opinion of the political situation in Libya and voter intentions to participate in future...
4 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
IFES has a vision of a world in which strong democratic institutions include the voices of all citizens, protect them from violence that seeks to silence them, and support them in seeking justice. We...
4 Dec 2018 | Election FAQ
On December 9, Armenia held elections for members of its National Assembly. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently Asked Questions on Elections in...
3 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
Ilyas Alymbek Uulu, who is 16 and uses a wheelchair, is one of an estimated 30,000 youth with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan. He performed the leading role in an IFES-supported public service...
3 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held on December 3, commemorates the human rights of persons with disabilities. The theme for this year’s International Day of Persons with...
26 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES, The Carter Center and 77 civil society organization partners signed a letter in support of the United Nations General Assembly's acknowledgement of the report, which sends a vital message that...
26 Nov 2018 | Publication
In response to a recent study by Max Grömping entitled The Integrity of Elections in Asia: Policy Lessons from Expert Evaluations, IFES produced a briefing paper with some examples of policy...
20 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES has co-authored an upcoming report, Understanding the Effectiveness of Legal, Policy and Public Measures Designed to Advance Meaningful Youth Political Participation, which will be...
16 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 14, 2018, Vasu Mohan, IFES' regional director for Asia-Pacific and technical lead on elections, conflict and security, provided testimony to the House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human...
14 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
Earlier this year, IFES research in Zimbabwe found that women engaging in elections as candidates, voters and journalists were experiencing devastating sexual extortion, physical violence, harassment...
13 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
As part of its commitment to meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life, IFES is collaborating with Gallaudet University to develop a Haitian sign language...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 6, 2018, IFES and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which reaffirms the longstanding relationship between IFES and...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On September 9, IFES and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia co-organized a workshop on the theme “Elections in The Gambia: Toward Consensus and Access,” which was attended by...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 5, 2018, IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury met with Dr. Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, chair of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), and they reaffirmed their mutual...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES organized a street theater tour across Tunisia to encourage civic participation among marginalized populations who, living in remote, hard-to-access communities, lack access to information on...
6 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 6, 2018, IFES gathered more than 130 participants for “Elections Under Threat? A Global Comparative Analysis of Cybersecurity of Elections,” a discussion about the state of cybersecurity...
1 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES welcomes former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Anthony (Tony) Banbury as its new President and CEO. Banbury brings 30 years of experience in public service to IFES, with...
30 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On November 6, United States citizens went to the polls to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 members of the Senate and a number of state and local representatives. To...
26 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On November 14, Fijian citizens went to the polls to elect 51 members of Parliament, the country’s national legislature. The political party that controls a majority or plurality of seats will form a...
22 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On October 28, Georgian citizens went to the polls to elect the next president. This was the country’s seventh and last direct presidential election since its independence from the Soviet Union in...
19 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
On September 19, IFES and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) co-hosted a briefing on how technology can engage and connect women; increase and inhibit political participation; provide...
17 Oct 2018 | Publication
In a new publication, IFES outlines strategies for election management bodies to strengthen their technology and procedures to resist vulnerabilities, by following what we have termed a Holistic...
16 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
Throughout the first weeks of September 2018, over 800 students from across five universities were the first group in Ukraine to participate in IFES’ semester-long civic education course “Democracy:...