A WEB

The Regional Europe office (REO) of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) places a great value on gender equality in the electoral process and the institutional workplace. After multiple discussions, IFES REO identified differences in election administration programs specifically tailored to women. To bridge the gap between REO’s commitment to leadership training and gender equality, IFES REO decided to establish a Regional Europe Network for Empowering Women in Elections (RENEWE).

On May 19 and 20, 2022, REO in Prague hosted a two-day event for women in election management bodies from the region. The event in Prague was dedicated to launching the newly established network, RENEWE, as well as addressing the needs and challenges of women in election administration. The purpose of the event was to promote women's empowerment through experience-sharing and interactive workshops on topics like strengthening women's leadership skills, work-life balance, lack of adequate training and women representation, protecting oneself from critics pushing gendered attacks online in the context of gender disinformation and combatting gender-biased stereotypes.

This was the first in-person event hosted by IFES REO since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which attracted participants from various countries in the region. Thirtfour women from 18 countries (Eastern Partnership, Western Balkans, V4, Baltics, and others), representing 17 election management bodies came together to discuss the challenges they face on a daily basis both at their workplace and at home. Organized by women for women, the event provided both tools and strategies for implementing good practices in election management bodies. This event generated tremendous enthusiasm among the participants, who called for follow-up events and the creation of peer exchange networks.

The RENEWE launch event was part of the Regional Elections Administration and Political Process Strengthening (REAPPS II) program, designed with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to address common challenges to democratic resilience across Central and Eastern European and Eurasian societies.