IFES Celebrates International Women's Day
This International Women’s Day, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) reaffirms its commitment to involving women in political and electoral processes as candidates and elected leaders, election experts, engaged activists and informed voters.
For nearly three decades, IFES has proudly worked alongside champions of gender equality and women's empowerment throughout the world and led initiatives to increase women's participation and leadership in electoral and political processes. IFES provides technical assistance to build the capacity of election management bodies and civil society organizations to integrate gender equality and women's empowerment considerations into their work. Additionally, IFES undertakes women’s empowerment initiatives to increase leadership of women in political and electoral processes.
Highlights for 2016
Reducing Violence Against Women in Elections: IFES recognizes that violence against women in elections can affect women’s participation in the electoral process and therefore threatens the integrity of the electoral process, as well as the commitment of governments to a free, fair and inclusive democratic process. IFES has designed a robust framework for assessment and documentation of women’s experiences with electoral violence to enhance knowledge and improve analysis in relation to gender, elections and conflict.
Securing Gender Equality in Political Transition: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security frames IFES’ gender program to provide equal access for men and women to make decisions about political transitions to ensure that a legacy of inequality does not become institutionalized in new governance structures and legal frameworks. IFES celebrates and supports male allies for leadership equality and creates opportunities for both women and men to cultivate a shared vision of stability and good governance.
Mobilizing IFES WELL: On August 21, 2015, IFES launched the Women’s Electoral Leadership and Learning (IFES WELL) network, a platform for mobilizing champions working to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment in electoral and political processes. This global network of female and male election leaders can use their influence and expertise to draw attention to gender equality in elections. IFES WELL connects experts and best practices to needs identified by programs and partners in order to support women and men as equal partners in electoral and political leadership.
Learn more about the IFES WELL Network. Read about about IFES’ Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Program. For real-time updates on IFES’ gender work, follow @IFESGender and #HerVoteHerVoice on Twitter.
