« The achievements of the national DDR programme in Côte d'Ivoire should be perpetuated », said the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Mrs Aïchatou Mindaoudou, during an international seminar on the theme "DDR in Côte d'Ivoire: For lasting peace and security" which opened on Thursday, 25 November 2015 in Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian political capital, situated at 240 kilometres from Abidjan in central Côte d'Ivoire.



The seminar, which was held on 25 and 26 November 2015, brought together national authorities, members of the diplomatic corps, national and international partners, as well as some 100 experts in Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) from several countries interested in the process.



Organised jointly with the Coordination Cell for the Follow-up and Reinsertion (CCSR), the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the two-day seminar gave participants a better understanding of the results and specificity of the DDR process in Côte d'Ivoire and its contribution to improving security, reconciliation and economic development in the country.



The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Mrs Aïchatou Mindaoudou, who took part in the official opening ceremony which was held on the last day of the seminar which was also attended by the Minister of the Interior and Security, Mr. Hamed Bakayoko, representing the Ivorian Prime Minister.



In her speech to the gathering, Mrs Mindaoudou outlined how the DDR process had become increasingly important in UN peacekeeping operations during the last 20 years. In addition to the classic DDR process, which focuses on ex-combatants and the operational aspects of disarmament, she also highlighted the importance of the second aspect of the process which takes into account the communities affected by armed violence by providing community projects which strengthens confidence between ex-combatants and communities to support social cohesion and reconciliation as well as a create security for the consolidation of lasting peace.



"UNOCI intervenes in the DDR process DDR in both the first and second aspects by providing technical, logistical and financial assistance", the Special Representative explained. On the issue of security, the head of UNOCI said that "the success of the DDR process was one of the essential factors for the creation of the right security conditions for the holding of peaceful elections throughout the country on October 2015".



In conclusion, Mrs Mindaoudou reiterated her willingness and that of UNOCI's to support the efforts of the Government and the CCSR. In this regard, Mrs Mindaoudou invited national and international partners to maintain their support to the CCSR in the conduct of its remaining activities for the reinsertion of ex-combatants who have already been demobilised by the former national Authority for DDR (ADDR).