News

The Coalition for Independent Living (CIL) conducted disability rights awareness raising activities with youth at local universities. CIL conducted seminars and an advocacy campaign in recognition of National Disability Rights Day in June 2018 with support from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the United States Agency for ...

In 2015, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community achieved an important milestone: the tenth and final Member State ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Disability rights thus emerged as an unexpected area of human rights consensus in the region. This agreement presented an ...

On June 13, 2018, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) co-hosted a side event panel discussion at the Conference of States Parties for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) with Disabled People's International (DPI), Special Talent and Exchange Program (STEP), National Assembly of Persons with ...

On June 14, Down Syndrome International President Patrick Clarke provided an official statement to the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on political participation of persons with intellectual disabilities. The statement is available in full below.   Thank you chair. ...

Brikena Avdyli has been part of the IFES Kosovo team for over three years, serving as the focal point for the Kosovo inclusion project. She currently serves as Project Officer for Election Support and Public Outreach, where among others she also works towards inclusive electoral processes. Brikena has a master’s degree in international development ...

With support from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), a media contest for persons with disabilities was held in Kyrgyzstan to increase awareness and inclusion of youth with disabilities into social life and decision-making. The contest fostered enhancement of communication and presentation skills among the participants through the usage ...

On June 13, 2018, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) will co-host a side event panel discussion at the Conference of States Parties for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) with Disabled People's International (DPI), Special Talent and Exchange Program (STEP), National Assembly of ...

As part of a miniature series, IFES staff interviewed elected Political Leaders with disabilities throughout Nepal. The fourth and final Q&A, highlighting Prakash Pantha, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.  What inspired you to become involved in political life?   In my student life I was very ...

Written by Luke Arnold, Director of the Law and Justice Section at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade   Over the past decade or so, Australia’s efforts to support disability-inclusive development have begun to move from a charity approach to a rights-based approach. We now recognise that positive changes ...

As part of a miniature series, IFES staff interviewed elected Political Leaders with disabilities throughout Nepal. The third Q&A, highlighting Gori Darji, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.  What inspired you to become involved in political life?   When I lost my right leg, I became shattered ...

As part of a miniature series, IFES staff interviewed elected Political Leaders with disabilities throughout Nepal. The second Q&A, highlighting Rupa Thapa, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.  What inspired you to become involved in political life?   I was associated with National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal ...

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has developed a new assessment framework to identify intersectional barriers and opportunities related to political participation of people with multiple social identities, such as gender, disability and age. This methodology seeks to generate focus group data through democratic, collaborative, and participant-led means. Participants ...

As part of a miniature series, IFES staff interviewed elected Political Leaders with disabilities throughout Nepal. The first Q&A, highlighting Ujeli BK, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.  What inspired you to become involved in political life?   My prime inspiration is my community who encouraged me ...

Rasha Rajab, a young Syrian with a disability living in Turkey is a member of an advocacy group and is currently studying business in Gaziantep. A brief Q&A, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.    As a member of a volunteer advocacy group, what can you tell ...

Representatives of disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) from five Eastern European countries-- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine--joined together in Prague, Czech Republic, on 5-7 December, 2017, to participate in the “Advocacy for More Effective Inclusion in Political and Public Life” training. The training, which focused on effective political advocacy skills ...

According to the World Health Organization, 15 percent of the world’s population have a disability; 60 percent of persons with disabilities are women, or approximately four million Kenyan women with disabilities. Women are often marginalized, encountering attitudinal, institutional, and other barriers to their political participation, an effect that is compounded ...

Ishan Jalill, IFES Sri Lanka Inclusion Advisor, provided his perspective on disability inclusion for U.S. National DIsability Employment Awareness Month in September 2017. The interview, which has been lightly edited for clarity, is available below.   What impact has your work with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) had on ...

In August 2017, the State Election Commission of Macedonia (SEC), in collaboration with eight civil society organizations (CSOs), including disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), the Ministry for Labour and Social Policy (MLSP), Organization for security and cooperation (OSCE) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), carried out the first country-wide ...