« Development and peace are the two faces of the same coin », the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon recently declared. This principle serves as a guide to the United Nations actions all over the world and it is for this very reason that the Organisation decided it was important to have Civil Affairs sections in peacekeeping missions. The Civil Affairs Section of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has a mandate to help Ivorian authorities establish state authority and strengthen public administration throughout the country at local and national level.



The Section also supports and assists the Government in the redeployment of financial and customs administration.

Its Customs Unit, in collaboration with other components of the Mission, contributes to building the capacity of Ivorian customs officers. In addition, it encourages the Customs Service to put in place adequate working conditions to ensure an effective service.

It is within this framework that UNOCI has initiated several training sessions to strengthen the capacity of customs agents in the Savanes District. The Customs Unit of UNOCI's Civil Affairs Section has so far organised 13 training sessions on various areas for 200 new recruits in the Customs Service in Pogo, Ouangolodougou, Ferkéssédougou and Korhogo in the north of Côte d'Ivoire.



In Korhogo, situated 588 km north of Abidjan, during June and July 2013, two workshops were organised. The first was on « the duties and obligations of the Moto and Mobile Brigades». The training focused on four modules : « the duties and missions of the Moto and Mobile Brigades » ; « the organisation of the Brigade » ; « the challenges of Brigade in sensitive areas » and «the complementary nature of tasks between different units ».



About a dozen customs agents took part in the training programme whose objective was to discuss the need for the different brigades in Korhogo to work in synergy in order to be more efficient on the field.

For the head of the Sub-division of Surveillance and Intervention of the Customs Service in Korhogo, Captain Glahou Bahin Yah Séraphin, the training provided greater proximity between customs agents and the opportunity to better adapt to the realities of Savanes District.

At the end of the training, the participants made a commitment to exchange information and organise joint operations. In addition, the customs agents made a plea for the navigation, communication, operation and information-sharing sytems to be strengthened in order to achieve better productivity.

The second workshop orgnaises in Korhogo for 25 customs agents was on « leadership and management ». The representative of UNOCI's Civil Affairs Section said the session was aimed at stimulating the customs service in the north of the country.



According to the head of border sub-division of the customs service in Korhogo, Colonel Kouassi Jules, the session had provided participants with the opportunity to increase their operational capacities and increase their productivity.



At the end of the workshop, participants said they were now better equipped to contribute to the economic revival of Côte d'Ivoire. This economic revival, they added, will contribute to improving the daily lives of Ivorians and thus promote peace and reconciliation.





Bakary Bakayoko