The 68th edition of United Nations Day was commemorated in several towns and localities in Côte d'Ivoire on 24 October 2013. The commemoration of the Day included the reading of the message of the UN Secretary-General, conferences, open days, exhibition stands, sports activities, distribution of school kits, potable water and free medical consultations.



Yamoussoukro hosts official ceremony

Yamoussoukro, the political capital, on 24 October, hosted the official ceremony celebrating United Nations Day.The ceremony was presided over by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Aïchatou Mindaoudou, and the Minister of Employment, Social Affairs and Professional Training, Moussa Dosso, and attended by local administrative and political authorities.



Mrs Mindaoudou delivered the message of the UN Secretary-General which focused on the challenges of re-establishing peace, lasting development and the fight against poverty.



For his part, Minister Dosso, speaking on behalf of Côte d'Ivoire, recalled the invaluable contribution of the United Nations to the return of peace and democracy after ten years of crisis in his country. He added that "the duty of assistance and intervention recommends that the United Nations is always present".



A conference to sensitise secondary school pupils and women's association in Yamoussoukro on the fight against sexual and gender-based violence in the school environment was hosted by United Nations personnel. The official ceremony ended with the conference after which the official delegation went to the health centre in Morofé where the UN donated donated medicines for women and children.



Blolequin calls for deploymet of UNOCI detachment





The distribution of potable water to local people, football matches between a team of local youths and Moroccan peacekeepers, the distribution school kits to best pupils, exhibition stands, presentation of the different sections of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and UN agencies and their partners: these were some of the activities which commemorated UN Day on Thursday, 24 October, in the department of Blolequin, situated some 590 km west of Abidjan.



In his address, the Prefect of the department,

Kouakou Yao Dinard, welcomed the positive impact of the actions of the United Nations in Côte d'Ivoire in general and the west in particular. "We should welcome this day and celebrate it with pomp and joy because with the UN we went through the various crises and adversity in order to have peace today,"he said. He then stressed the willingness of his administration to always collaborate with the United Nations.



Earlier, the Mayor, Joseph Toha, recalled the determination of the United Nations to establish itself in the Cavally region despite the difficulties it encountered. "The whole of the population in Blolequin joins me to congratulate you on your maturity of spirit in the accomplishment of your mission," he said, adding "We would very much appreciate having a UNOCI detachment deployed in Blolequin in the future".





Daloa : student teachers from CAFOP urged to take on UN values



The city of Daloa chose to commemorate UN Day on the eve of the celebrations on Wednesday, 23 October 2013 by organising a conference on the theme: "The support of the United Nations to the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire".

The objective was to explain to the student teachers the Centre d'Animation et de Formation Pédagogique (CAFOP) in Daloa the kind of support and assistance provided by the United Nations in general and UNOCI in particular to the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire.



According to the representative of UNOCI's Rule of Law Section who presided over the conference the aim was to explain to some 500 student teachers how the UN functions, the support provided by UN agencies with regard to development and in particular UNOCI's contribution to the return of peace in Côte d'Ivoire. "UNOCI is not biased. It works in the interest the civilians in accordance with its Security Council mandate," she explained.

She also highlighted on the fundamental values of the United Nations such as peace, tolerance, diversity, integrity, while urging the participants to take on these values.



The representative of the Child Protection Section, for his part, pleaded with participants to avoid all violations of children's rights. "As teachers, your role is to educate. Any teacher who is found guilty of violating the rights of their pupils will face justice," he warned.



Welcoming UNOCI's initiative to organise the conference, the representative of the regional director of education and technical teaching, Ballo Bi, expressed the hope that the student teachers from CAFOP in Daloa, will pass on the information they had received during the meeting while carrying out their duties. "It is in this spirit that we can promote peace. And UNOCI has just sown the seeds of peace in the minds of our student teachers, which I hope you in turn will sow in the minds of your future pupils for the future of a new Côte d'Ivoire,"he said.





Dioulatiedougou sensitises on respect for human rights conflict management





Dioulatiedougou, a village in Nafana Canton, sous-préfecture in the department of Odienné hosted the celebration of United Nations Day during two days in Odienné.

A free medical camp initiated by UNOCI on Wednesday, 23 October 2013, saw some 200 people treated by the medical team of the Bangladeshi Contingent. In addition, people were sensitised on peaceful co-existence, respect for human rights and conflict management.



"Raise your problems with the appropriate authorities, UNOCI urges you to follow the well-trodden paths, the right way to resolve your problems. Avoid taking matters into your own hands otherwise anarchy will be the result and it will remain on the margins of development,"the representative of UNOCI's Human Rights Division told the audience.



The deputy prefect, Illa Léonard, in his opening statement, welcomed the work of the United Nations in Côte d'Ivoire and the organisation of UN Day in Dioulatiedougou. "UNOCI and us are friends and we have just signed a pact; we will defend UNOCI's image whereever we go," he said.





Bondoukou : a conference and an open day to mark UN Day





In Bondoukou, situated at 416 km northeast of Abidjan, two events marked UN Day - a conference held on Wednesday, 23 October 2013 at Bondoukou Secondary School and an open day on Thursday, 24 October to inform people about the activities of the different sections of UNOCI.



The conference on "the role of the United Nations in the achievement of the millennium goals for the development of Africa" was presided over the representatives of UNOCI's Human Rights and Public Information Sections. They first defined the different millennium development goals and then explained the UN's involvement in attaining these goals.

During the open day on 24 October, the prefect of Gontougo region, Germain François Goun, visited exhibition stands of each section. "For us Ivorians who have benefitted from the United Nations, it is a day to show our gratitude and that is why on behalf of the population, I would to thank each worker in the United Nations for everything that their organisation has done in Côte d'Ivoire,"he declared. "It is an occasion for each one of us to show that we are aware of the fact that it is better to make peace than to make war," he concluded.





Local authorities in Toulepleu: "UN contributes to return of Ivorian refugees from Liberia"





Celebrations for UN Day in Toulepleu, situated in the west of Côte d'Ivoire, some 650 kilometres from Abidjan included an official ceremony and an open day in the presence of local authorities led by the Prefect of the department, local partners and civil society organisations. In his address, the Prefect of Toulepleu, Karim Diarra, praised the actions carried out by the United Nations in his area, which has significantly contributed to the return of , not just peace but also a large number of Ivorian refugees from Liberia where they had fled during the violent post-electoral crisis.

"Your actions have given Toulepleu a glistening image. I will never tire of thanking you for your efforts to help Côte d'Ivoire find lasting peace,"he declared.



On the eve of the Day which honours the United Nations, on 23 October 2013, a discussion was organised with pupils and teachers of the Lycée moderne of Toulepleu on the work of the United Nations for the consolidation of peace. "These discussions were enlightening for the school children and I congratulate the United Nations for what it is doing for Côte d'Ivoire and in particular for Toulepleu. We have come far. This school that you see was completely destroyed by the war but progressively, we have found our rythmn. This is why we are counting on your support so that our children can go to school in peace and learn how to cultivate the values of peace for a Côte d'Ivoire without violence," said Bremi Ago, Principal of the Lycée Moderne of Toulepleu.



UNOCI's Moroccan contingent presented school kits to the best pupils for the school year during the ceremony.







UN Day celebrated on the theme of cultural diversity in San Pedro





In San Pedro, celebrations for UN Day focused on a particular theme: to promote the cultural diversity of the United Nations. This diversity manifested itself through the different stands showing various cultures and food from different parts of the world organised by United Nations personnel working in the area.

In addition, football matches were played between teams consisting of members of the UN and local security forces from Togo, Senegal, Cameroon, Madagascar, Niger, Burkina Faso, Tunisia and of course Côte d'Ivoire.



During the official ceremony, the resident Mayor, Diarrassouba Brahima, welcomed the cultural diversity of the United Nations, which according to him constitutes the strength of the Organisation. "This model of cultural diversity of the United Nations should inspire every citizen of the world, particularly Ivorians to accept one another with mutual respect in order to achieve lasting peace," said Mr. Diarrassouba.



The celebrations ended with the secretary-general of the prefecture, Yokozo Zozoro Firmin, who represented the Prefect, praising the actions being carried out by the United Nations on the ground for the benefit of the people.