The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire in charge of Rule of Law, Arnauld Akodjénou, on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, in Abidjan,took part in the opening ceremony of the 2nd Ordinary Session 2013 of the Ivorian National Assembly in the presence of its president Guillaume Soro, members of parliament, and two foreign delegations.



Speaking after the ceremony, Mr. Akodjénou explained the reason for the presence of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) at the ceremony of one of the main institutions in the country. "{The National Assembly for us is a fundamental institution in the democratic anchorage of Côte d'Ivoire and UNOCI has contributed a lot by participating in the organisation of the legislative elections and since then we have worked side by side to accompany and support the process," }explained the Deputy Special Representative in charge of Rule of Law.

Mr. Akodjénou also recalled the particularity of the session, which is the budget. In this regard, he noted that it was important for the honourable members of parliament to work in the different commissions to assess and propose the ways and means in which the Government can take into consideration the different problems and needs of Ivorians. "{The most important thing is to assure us that the key elements such as security, human rights issues and all that contribute to improving the lives of the people are taken into account, these are the reasons why UNOCI's presence is important in this process}," said the Deputy Special Representative.