Second meeting of Joint Council of traditional chiefs and Elders of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia : participants plead for effective implementation of Guiglo recommendations

The second meeting of the Joint Council of Traditional Chiefs and Elders of Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia took place on 16 and 17 January 2016 in Guiglo (situated at some 520 km west of Abidjan). The aim of the meeting was to evaluate the implementation of resolutions made to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between administrative authorities and traditional chiefs in the border regions of the two countries after the first meeting held in Zwedru, in Liberia, on 16 and19 October 2013.

Some 350 traditional and community chiefs, women and youth leaders, representatives of administrative authorities, including 110 from Maryland, Nimba, Rivergee and Grand Gedeh counties in Liberia, and 240 from the Cavally, Guémon, Tonkpi and Bas Sassandra regions in Côte d'Ivoire, took part in the meeting.

During two days, participants followed several presentations by Ivorians and Liberians on different themes, including ''Security and DDR and the implication of communities in re-establishing peace'', ''The Reconciliation process in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia'', ''Voluntary return of refugees'' and ''Community development projects and youth employment''.

The different presentation were followed by group discussions on a general theme of ''Consolidation of peace, reconciliation and social cohesion between populations in border areas between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia: how can traditional chiefs, youth and women's organisations and local government contribute ?" Participants were support by personnel from the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

At the end of the discussions, the differents groups made proposals which mainly focused on issues related to land disputes and problems of communication and collaboration between populations from both sides of the border.

Among the recommandations made during the meeting, participants also called for an improvement in collaboration and information-sharing on the voluntary return of Ivorian refugees between the administrative and traditional authorities from the countries. In addition, they asked the Ivorian and Liberian Governments to take adequate measures to resolve the issue of the illegal occupation of border land ; encourage the continuation of mixed security patrol along the border and solicit great involvement of youths and women in social cohesion, reconciliation and development. Finally, participants pleaded for the effective implementation of the recommendations made in Guiglo.

The working session of the Joint Council were declared open and closed by the Director General of Territorial Administration, Félicien Amani Ippou, and the Liberian Minister of the Interior, Varney Sirleaf.

At the end of the two-day working session, Ivorian and Liberian officials congratulated participants for the pertinence of the results of the discussions and assured that the both States were committed to providing the means to implement their resolutions. They also expressed their gratitude to the Special Representatives of UNOCI and UNMIL for their contribution to the return of peace and the strengthening of social cohesion and border security between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia.