IFES Regional Europe Office

20/12/2024

🎄✨ Happy Holidays from the IFES Regional Europe Office Team! ✨🎄

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank all our amazing partners for your unwavering support in building stronger democracies and advocating for human rights. Together, we’ve made a difference.

🙌 Let’s make next year even more impactful!

13/12/2024

💰🏛️ At IFES, we’re leveraging decades of expertise and fresh approaches to fight corruption in elections and strengthen democracy. Learn more about our Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust in the factsheet linked below!

This week as we reflect on the importance of tackling corruption, explore the work of our Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust in a newly published factsheet. https://bit.ly/3ORUfn6

12/12/2024

💻Yesterday, the European Network for Oversight and Regulation of Political Contributions and Expenditures (ENFORCE) met online for the first time.

💰Stakeholders from across Europe and Eurasia came together to discuss common challenges and innovative solutions to strengthen political finance oversight.

👏Special thanks to Pavel Postica from Comisia Electorală Centrală a Republicii Moldova & Stephen Bouey from Colorado Secretary of State's Office for sharing their experiences, IFES Regional Europe Office Senior Political Finance Advisor Magnus Ohman for leading the discussion and all the participants.

✨We look forward to seeing more experts collaborate and improve political finance control at our next ENFORCE live meeting in Spring 2025!

10/12/2024

⚖️On this , let’s take a moment to reflect on our collective role in defending democracy. It’s a reminder to stand together, support each other’s opinions, and share experiences in facing the challenges that unite us all.

✨At IFES Regional Europe Office, we work every day to ensure that democracy and human rights are upheld globally.

🤝Together, we can create systems that empower individuals to have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives!

09/12/2024

🌐💻 A heartfelt thank you to all the speakers and participants who joined us for the Cyber and Information Resilience Elections Network (CIREN) event! Your contributions made this event impactful, fostering collaboration and meaningful discussions on cybersecurity in elections.

🎤 A special thank you to our speakers: Igor Tkachenko from IFES Ukraine, Ingrid Bicu, Andrii Bohdanenko from Osavul, Ryan Macias, David Ghonghadze from IFES, who shared best practices from the 2024 Georgian elections, Typhaine Roblot, Brooke Gottlieb, numerous representatives from the electoral management bodies (EMBs), and our tech partners at Microsoft and Google for sharing best practices from recent elections.

👏 We’re also grateful to IFES President Tony Banbury, Cybersecurity and Diplomacy Advisor Tarun Chaudhary for leading the discussions and Senior Program Manager Daria Azariev North for outlining ways to prepare for future challenges and map emerging threats in election technology.

🌍💬Together, we’ve taken important steps toward securing the integrity of elections and building resilience for the future. Thank you for being part of this effort!



📸: Dana Lišková

06/12/2024

🌐💻 Another successful day at the IFES Cyber and Information Resilience Elections Network (CIREN) meeting in Prague!

💡 Professionals gathered to discuss ways of responding to cyber threats in elections, focusing on the best court practices and the proper handling of information to ensure election integrity in today's digital world.

• Igor Tkachenko from IFES Ukraine shared examples of proper information assessments.
• Ingrid Bicu provided valuable insights on the Romanian case.
• Andrii Bohdanenko from Osavul discussed the growing impact of AI-powered technology.
• Ryan Macias advised on tracking and testing critical systems to ensure election integrity and transparency.
• David Ghonghadze from IFES shared best practices from the 2024 Georgian elections.
• Typhaine Roblot focused on effective post-election judicial practices involving election technology.

🌍💬A huge thank you to everyone who participated our workshops and shared their valuable experiences and various response mechanisms related to the cybersecurity.

📸 Stay tuned for more photos!

05/12/2024

🌐💻 A successful Day 1 at the IFES Cyber and Information Resilience Elections Network (CIREN) meeting in Prague!

We brought together representatives from the Central Election Bodies (EMBs), stakeholders, and tech partners like Microsoft and Google to share best practices from recent elections, highlight the need for proactive responses to cybersecurity challenges, and emphasize the importance of information integrity in maintaining trust in democracy.

🌍💬 It was great to see all our participants joining us, asking insightful questions, and bringing so much energy to the discussion.

We look forward to having you with us on Day 2, Friday, 6th of December, as we dive into even more insights!

23/10/2024

💻🔗Missed our event, "The Road to Resilience: What Makes a Democracy Persist?", on October 18? The full recording is now available. Watch the full video here:

Democracies today face continuously evolving threats from the rise of savvy autocrats and the spread of authoritarian ideas and investments. Even though demo...

23/10/2024

🎥 We had a fantastic event on October 18, discussing how to make democracies more resilient. Take a look at some highlights from the day. The full discussion will be available shortly—we're excited to share it with you!

Promo about the IFES & Jagello 2000 event on "The Road to Resilience, What Makes a Democracy Persist?", 18 October 2024. See separate video on this channel f...

22/10/2024

🙌 Missed "AI and Coordination: Lessons from Europe’s 2024 Elections" event on September 13, 2024? The recordings of Session 1 and Session 2 are now available!
Hear from experts discussing strategies to manage information attacks and AI challenges.

Watch here:
Session 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dulj4Q69GxA
Session 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3rHrqjoZhY&t=3s

Recording of session 1 of the IFES workshop "AI and Coordination: Lessons from Europe’s 2024 Elections in Countering Influence Operations", Prague, Czech Rep...

18/10/2024

🤝Thank you to everyone who joined us for "The Road to Resilience: What Makes a Democracy Persist?". It was an engaging afternoon of discussions on how democracies can build resilience in the face of evolving global threats.

🎙️ A special thank you to our speakers: Rep. Gerry Connolly (NATO Parliamentary Assembly / Assemblée parlementaire de l'OTAN), Shannon Green (USAID - US Agency for International Development), Monika Ladmanová (Evropská komise v ČR), Aivazovska Olga (Громадянська мережа ОПОРА), and Joe Brinker (NATO Parliamentary Assembly / Assemblée parlementaire de l'OTAN). We also extend our gratitude to Erica Shein for moderating and leading the discussions, and Dr. Cassandra Emmons for sharing key findings from the IFES’ Democratic Resilience Lab research.

👏 We are also grateful to our co-organizers, Jagello 2000, and to our partners and donors, USAID - US Agency for International Development, Sida - Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete, and support from the U.S. Embassy Prague for making this event possible.

🌍💬To our participants—thank you for being with us, asking great questions, and making this discussion so vibrant. We hope you had a meaningful and engaging Friday afternoon with us!

📸: Marek Příhoda

17/10/2024

Our final speaker is Aivazovska Olga, Head of the Board of Civil Network OPORA (Громадянська мережа ОПОРА). She is an expert in elections and governance, having led national observation missions in Ukraine with over 25,000 activists and participated in electoral observation in more than ten European countries. From 2016 to 2018, she represented Ukraine in the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, working on peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE.

Ms. Aivazovska is also the co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory and the Center for War Crimes Documentation. She has been recognized as one of Ukraine’s most influential women for nearly a decade, advocating for democracy and good governance. Her deep understanding of electoral systems and governance will offer a powerful perspective on building resilience in times of crisis.

16/10/2024

We are pleased to announce that Monika Ladmanová, Head of the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic (Evropská komise v ČR), joins us as our next speaker. With her background in law and a career spanning the European Commission, NGOs, and the private sector, Ms. Ladmanová brings a unique perspective on European integration, human rights, and governance. Throughout her career, Ms. Ladmanová has worked on pressing issues, from justice and equality to transparency and democracy. Tune in to hear her thoughts on democratic resilience & more!

15/10/2024

We're thrilled to announce our next speaker, Shannon Green, Assistant to the Administrator of the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) at USAID - US Agency for International Development.

In her leadership role at USAID, Ms. Green spearheads the agency's efforts to invigorate democracy, enhance human rights and justice, and bolster governance that advances the public interest and delivers inclusive development. Her expertise in anti-corruption, security sector reform, and human rights will bring a unique perspective to our discussion.