The United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), on Friday, 1st April 2016, received a Special Award from the National Press Council (NPC) for its actions to support the press in Côte d’Ivoire, at the 7th edition of the NPC Award for Excellence ceremony held at the French Institute in Abidjan.

The press has come off the beaten track to become excellent professionals.

The award was received by the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Côte d’Ivoire, M’Baye Babacar Cissé, on behalf of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d’Ivoire, Aïchatou Mindaoudou. The Deputy Special Representative told the gathering that the head of UNOCI « welcomes the recognition of the United Nations’ support to the press in Côte d’Ivoire » and «congratulates the National Press Council for its commitment to working for excellence in the written press in Côte d’Ivoire ». «The press must serve as a model to all the press in the sub region and even Africa, » he added. In addition, he recalled that « during ten years, UNOCI has had a partnership of quality with the NPC. The UN Mission has supported the press regulatory body by providing training programmes and seminars to encourage journalists to be more professional ». The DSRSG encouraged the National Press Council to continue to help the Ivorian press in its quest for excellence.

The NPC President, Raphael Oré Lakpé, explained that the 7th edition of the Award for Excellence had focused on professionalism and excellence. «There is a new breath of fresh air blowing through the press. The press has come off the beaten track to become excellent professionals, » he said. The NPC President said he knew that there were still pockets of resistance but he aimed to reduce these.

It should be noted that Soir Info and l’Asec Mimosas, respectively received awards for the best general information newspapers and the best specialised information publication. The award of encouragement was given to l’Éléphant Déchainé for its diverse editorials.