Abidjan, 10 June 2009... The Principal Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Abou Moussa, on Wednesday, urged Ivorian civil society to promote tolerance, love, harmony and peaceful co-existence.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) on « The involvement of Ivorian civil society in the promotion of the culture of peace and the reinforcement of social cohesion » in Grand-Bassam, 43 km from Abidjan). Mr. Moussa said that the theme "will help us find the ways and means to meet the challenges of the reunification and reconstruction of Côte d'Ivoire". He commended the vitality of Ivorian civil society which plays a progressive role and appears to be the lifeline needed to ensure that the population does not remain on the margins of the political game and economic activity.

Convinced that civil society is the torch bearer of peace and a prerequisite for development, Mr. Moussa said that the aim of the seminar was to provide it with the necessary technical tools to promote the message of peace. "This seminar is in line with the spirit of UNOCI's mandate which is to make a contribution to peace efforts in Côte d'Ivoire", he explained. He added that the UN Mission therefore needed an effective alliance in order to attain its objectives.

Welcoming the participants, the elected Mayor of Grand-Bassam, Jean-Michel Moulod, expressed his satisfaction at the fact that his city was chosen as the venue for the seminar. He described his city as the best place for reflection aimed at meeting the great development challenges in Côte d'Ivoire, and the sub-region. This was why, he urged participants to be ambassadors armed with the tools needed for an effective sensitisation on the culture of peace in their respective communities.

For his part, the Préfet of Grand-Bassam, Bernard Gninah, recalled that civil society represented one of the essential elements in the peace process in the country. He therefore called on participants to fully invest in the seminar, because "being better organised in this context of a fractured society, civl society will contribute greatly to building stability and social cohesion pacts with other actors in our society," he said.

Some 50 members of civil society from the Lagunes region (Abidjan, Grand-Lahou, Jacqueville, Dabou) will acquire during the next two days, the necessary tools for promoting the culture of peace and social cohesion.