The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Mrs Aïchatou Mindaoudou, on Thursday, 16 October 2014, officially handed over to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) an archive room rehabilitated and equipped by the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).



The aim of the project, financed by UNOCI as part of its emergency programme, is to provide the IEC with a functional archive room where it can keep its electoral and reference documents. The rehabilitation of the archive room will further facilitate the treatment and storage of documents and improve the working conditions of the Commission's personnel.



Speaking during the handover ceremony, the head of UNOCI said that the project will also mean that the institution's memory can be preserved and the electoral documents accessible to the commissioners as well as the public at large. "In the long term, it could serve as a useful reference on Côte d'Ivoire's electoral experience".



Mrs Mindaoudou encouraged the president of the IEC and the Commission's team to do everything they can to overcome the challenges they face in organising the presidential election in 2015 in order to finally turn over the page on the post-electoral situation.



She concluded by highlighting the two main challenges facing the Commission and which it must do everything to overcome. These are updating the electoral list and the procedure code in accordance with national and international norms. The Special Representative assured the IEC that United Nations agencies were ready to support it with regard to any formal requests. She also reiterated UNOCI's availability to continue to assist the Commission in its mission. "We are by beside you," she assured them.

The IEC president thanked the head of UNOCI for the donation of the archive room and explained the electoral institution's mandate which he said was being carried out since it was set up in August this year. "The IEC is working resolutely and the countdown has already started," he said, adding that the institution had already met with several delegations specialising in elections, including the United Nations electoral needs assessment mission.



Mr. Bakayoko praised UNOCI for its constant support over the years. With regard to the forthcoming presidential election, the IEC president said that it will be their top priority as it represents a major test in the consolidation of democracy, peace and reconciliation in the country, "Today, our country has definitively turned the page on crisis-resolution elections and these forthcoming elections will take place in a context of institutional normality. However, our achievements of the past will serve as a precious reference for any future success and that is why these archives will be very useful to us," he concluded.



The IEC president ended by reminding everyone that the archiving of electoral materials and documents was one of the important tasks of the Commission which has never had an archive room.