DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE BABACAR CISSE CALLS ON ELECTED AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN BAS-SASSANDRA REGION TO GET INVOLVED IN EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE

The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Mbaye Babacar Cissé, on 12 December 2014, appealed to actors in the Bas-Sassandra region to think about the ways and means in which social cohesion can be promoted. « It is for you the elected officials and local authorities in Bas-Sassandra district to come together and think about the challenges that this region is facing and see how you can put in place an action plan to overcome them before the elections in 2015, » he declared.

Mr. Cissé also said it was important to restart dialogue between elected officials, concerned dignitaries and local authorities in order to ensure that everyone is speaking the same language thereby avoiding tensions that has been evident among certain communities during the presidential election in 2010.

The Deputy SRSG of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), who is also the United Nations Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, was speaking at a seminar organised at the initiative of the UN Mission's Public Information Office and Civil Affairs Section.

The objective of the seminar whose theme was « The Contribution of Regional Leaders in the Consolidation of Peace and National Reconciliation », was to strengthen the capacity of the 60 participants, while asking them to become more involved in the national reconciliation process.

Three sub-themes were discussed during the seminar, namely « Communication techniques for behaviour change with regard to culture of peace education » ; « Roles and responsibilities of opinion leaders in the consolidation of peace and promotion of a peaceful electoral environment » ; and « Conflict prevention and management : the challenges and perspectives in an electoral context and the contribution of local leaders in promoting civism and the consolidation of peace ».

After the plenary sessions, participants were in workshops the following day, during which they discussed how best they could contribute to the consolidation of peace in their respective regions.

At the end of the working group sessions, commitments and recommendations were made by the participants, including to respect the plan of action and the timetable they themselves had drafted. They set up a permanent consultation framework in each region in order to defuse tension whenever the need arises. The framework will serve as an early warning conflict prevention tool. In addition, the participants agreed to promote laws governing land ownership in order to prevent disputes and to sensitise people on the importance of collaborating with the police, gendarmerie and other security bodies in order to help them in carrying out their duties.

For their part, the participants asked for UNOCI's assistance in strengthening their capacity to promote democracy in preparation for the electoral process.

The Prefect of Buyo, Achille Dje Bi, along with other participants, welcomed the UN Mission's inititaive to organise the workshop. « I very much appreciate UNOCI's initiative which is part of preparations to ensure that there is peace and social cohesion before, during and after the forthcoming elections, » he said. The Prefect also urged everyone to speak with one voice in order to create the right conditions for the holding of peaceful elections in 2015.