News

The 2020 Global Gender Gap Report ranks Pakistan 93rd out of 153 countries in terms of political empowerment for women. While women with disabilities face heightened challenges to political participation and as discriminatory practices are further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 response and recovery efforts also provide a unique ...

In May 2020, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) interviewed members of the Association for Promotion and Development of Inclusive Society (INKLUZIVA) to learn more about their work to advocate for a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19 in North Macedonia. INKLUZIVA aims to foster an inclusive society by advocating for ...

In January 2021, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) interviewed Adèle Bambuta Nziatu, a woman with a disability who ran as a candidate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) 2018 provincial assembly election. In 2020, she participated in IFES’ online training on the electoral legal framework for ...

In January 2021, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) interviewed Kavira Maghulu Marceline Yeye, a woman with a disability who ran for office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In 2020, she participated in IFES’ online training on the electoral legal framework for women civil society organizations across ...

In January 2021, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) interviewed Hauwa Ojeifo, a mental health professional and Executive Director of She Writes Woman. IFES interviewed Hauwa to learn more about the work that She Writes Woman does to empower Nigerians with psychosocial disabilities and mental health conditions to participate in ...

Leonida Ponomaryova, 28, is a scholar and civic activist with a visual disability. She is also an alumna of the unique Liderka (which translates to “woman leader”) School for Political Leadership for Young Women with Disabilities and a newly elected member of the Kyiv Oblast Council.   In 2019, the ...

Barbra Nyangairi is the Executive Director of the Deaf Zimbabwe Trust (DZT) and has played a leading role in advocating for the inclusion of hard-of-hearing persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. DZT is an organization that advocates for the promotion, protection and realization of the rights of persons who are Deaf and ...

In September 2020, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) published a series of resources for voters ahead of the general elections in the United States. These resources included an article written by Lilian Aluri and Rachita Singh (AAPD), which discusses how COVID-19 has created new barriers to voting and solutions to ...

Details about the event are below: Experiences in Rights-Based Development Programming  Wednesday, July 24, 2019 10:00am - 11:30am  Pact, 1828 L Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036 How does a rights lens change how we approach development challenges? Many donors, implementing agencies and civil society organizations build programming around ...

Contributed by Chris Deal, Program Associate for Asia-Pacfiic, International Foundation for Electoral Systems   On June 9th at 4:35 p.m., Chanthy Hoy landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, collected her bags and set out for New York City. As her ride to the hotel pulled into traffic, she began ...

Details about the event are available below:  Leadership for policy change: Government, INGO, and DPO strategies for political inclusion Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 3.00 - 4.30 PM, Conference Room C ASL interpretation and CART will be provided. Do you want to learn about how data collection can inform policy at ...

Participants in IFES’ AGENDA training on strategic communication and advocacy in November 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia, pose for a group photo.   On November 15, 2018, the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heads of ...

Freyja Haraldsdóttir has had a leading role in Iceland’s political life as an activist, political party member and temporary member of parliament. As a woman with a disability, Freyja has advocated for solutions to the intersectional barriers faced by persons with multiple social identities in Iceland. The interview with Freyja ...

In 2016, Rooted in Rights, a network of digital storytellers that produces videos and social media campaigns on disability rights issues, partnered with the organizers of #CripTheVote, a nonpartisan campaign to engage voters and politicians in discussion about disability issues in the United States, to create a series of short ...

Details about the event are available below:  Making Elections Around the World Inclusive of Deaf Communities Want to know how the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) supports making elections accessible and inclusive through access to sign language?   Join IFES experts and Gallaudet faculty for an interactive discussion on ...

Smitha Sadasivan is a member of Disability Rights Alliance India. She has worked to advocate for the adoption of disability-inclusive electoral practices in India, including the implementation of the Colombo Declaration, a document signed by members of the Forum for Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) in 2015. The ...

On Monday, October 1, 2018, United States Congresswoman Dina Titus read a statement recognizing the work of Finnish Member of Parliament Kalle Könkkölä. Könkkölä was a lifelong disability rights advocate who was instrumental in the adoption of the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in ...

In 2018, Disability Alliance for Our Rights (ADIDE) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with the National Iberoamerican University of Santo Domingo (UNIBE) and the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), are calling for applications to the Building Leadership and Citizenship Participation for Youth ...