Highlights

- DSRSG on Humanitarian Evaluation Mission in West
- Agencies, ONUCI hold joint press conference

Humanitarian Coordinator Leads Mission to Moyen Cavally and 18 Montagnes

Mr. Georg Charpentier, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Côte d'Ivoire, and Humanitarian Coodrinator for the United Nations in the country, is leading a UN mission to the Moyen-Cavally and 18 Montagnes regions in the west of Côte d'Ivoire. The delegation, consisting of the Representatives of UNICEF, WFP and the German ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire met with authorities in Guiglo yesterday afternoon before officially inaugurating the UN integrated office in this population center. One of two integrated offices in Côte d'Ivoire, the other one is in Korhogo, the UN office in Guiglo hosts OCHA, FAO, UNICEF, UNDP, the associated organization IOM and will be joined in coming weeks by the two UNOCI sections, Civil Affairs and DDR. Today the delegation is visiting UN projects in the 18 Montagnes region, which is north of Moyen Cavally.

Joint Press Conference: UN Unified

Today, during the weekly UNOCI press conference the communication officer for the FAO and a poverty reduction specialist from UNDP joined the UNOCI Spokesman in sharing information with the national and international media based in Abidjan. They drew attention to activities planned to mark UN World Food Day (16 October) and the International Day to Eliminate Poverty (17 October). UNOCI and the UN agencies working in Côte d'Ivoire are strengthening cooperation through various activities, including joint press conferences. Next week all UN entities in Côte d'Ivoire will undertake a number of joint activities in order to better demonstrate that the UN is one, and to celebrate UN Day, 24 October,.

Arms Embargo Inspections

UNOCI peacekeepers, military and police, successfully carried out six arms embargo inspections yesterday. The sites inspected were the Gendarmerie School of Toroguhé (Daloa); the 72nd Battalion of the Armed forces of the Forces nouvelles (FAFN) in Biankouma; the FAFN camp in Kouan Houle; the Company Department of the Gendarmerie in Bondoukou; the FAFN Delta Force Company in Tortiya, and the FAFN military camp in the northern town of Niéllé.

Child Protection

The International Day for the cleaning of the hands was marked yesterday in Bouaké with an event co-organized by UNICEF and the School Authorities in one of the primary schools of the city. Over 500 school children were assembled and taught about the need for washing their hands before taking their meals, in order to avoid a number of diseases such as diarrhoea or pneumonia. It was also revealed that over 87,000 children under the age of 5 years die every year in Côte d'Ivoire due to the inobservance of adequate hygienic habits. The need for a greater public action in favour of the promotion of the best hygienic practices was underscored.

Human Rights

On 15 October, the Regional Human Rights Office in Korhogo met with a man aged 27 who was allegedly severely ill-treated on 8 October by 7 FDS-FN elements, among whom a certain Mr. Drissa from the Compagnie Territorial de Korhogo (CTK) commanded by Major Martin Fofié Kouakou. The man was accused of being among the group of young people who attacked Drissa's father as he returned his field, on 8 October at around 6 pm. The FDS-FN elements beat the victim with the butt of their guns, cut him with their knives and punched him on the face. The Human Rights Officers noted several wounds on his body. The victim who received preliminary medical care in the Korhogo Centre Hospitalier Régional (CHR) is still suffering from his injuries. He requested the Office to intervene to facilitate his access to medical assistance. The UNOCI Human Rights Office is following the case.