The United Nations Under Secretary-General (USG) for Peacekeeping Operations Mr. Hervé Ladsous, on Monday, 1 December 2014 paid a one-day visit to Côte d'Ivoire to meet with Ivorian civilian and military authorities in Abidjan and assess the latest developments in the country.



Mr. Ladsous held discussions with the Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, the Minister of the Interior and Security, Hamed Bakayoko, the Minister in charge of Defence in the President's Office, Paul Koffi Koffi, the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Youssouf Bakayoko, and the Chief of Staff of the Forces Républicaines de Côte d'Ivoire (FRCI), General Soumaïla Bakayoko.



The Chief of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) was in Côte d'Ivoire to discuss a number of issues related to the electoral process, such as security sector reform (SSR), disarmament, demoblisation and reintegration (DDR) and the organisation of the presidential election in October 2015.



Addressing members of the press after his encounter with the Ivorian Prime Minister, Daniel Kablan Duncan, Mr. Ladsous welcomed the positive partnership between the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the Ivorian Government. « We are going to continue to work with our partners to provide as much assistance as possible to the electoral process,» he added.



Concerning the diverse forms of assistance that UNOCI could provide to the electoral process, Mr. Ladsous mentioned the good offices of the Special Representative with regard to Ivorian political actors, the Mission's contribution to security provisions alongside the Ivorian defence and security forces, as well as its accompaniment in terms of logistical support to the electoral process in response to a request made to the USG by the IEC Chairman during their discussions.



The USG said he was encouraged by the Ivorian Government's achievements so far. « I can see that there has been a lot of progress in terms of economic development and activity, especially in Abidjan. I believe this is good work. Its true that there have been incidents here and there but the Government has acted with determination, » he said.



With regard to his meeting with the Minister of Defence, Hervé Ladsous said that they had discussed issues linked to security sector reform and the DDR process. «The DDR process must be fully implemented within the deadline, so that it does not become an issue during the election in October 2015, which will be the benchmark for the normalisation of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire », he stated.



The Minister in charge of Defence in the President's Office, for his part, seized the opportunity of USG Ladsous' presence, to reassure Côte d'Ivoire's national and international partners that there is every chance that the election will be held in a peaceful environment. « We are just one year away from elections so the national and international communities want to be reassured that they will be held under normal conditions. We have given our partners and the United Nations that assurance, » he said.



During his meeting with the Chief of Staff of the FRCI, the USG discussed the strengthening of the security system in Côte d'Ivoire.



In addition, Mr. Ladsous also discussed the future of UNOCI after the presidential election in October 2015. « We would discuss together what the presence of the United Nations in Côte d'Ivoire should look, he said.



The USG also met with UN staff during his visit.