Some 19 village chiefs and community and religious leaders from San Pedro and Gboklé were instructed on the notion of rights by the Child Protection and Civil Affairs Sections of the United Nations Operation Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), in collaboration with the Legal Clinic in San Pedro. The training session was held on 18 and 19 September 2013.



The aim of the workshop was to teach participants how to manage certain conflicts peacefully, said the director of the Legal Clini in San Pedro, Odo Essi Elodie.



The representative of UNOCI's Child Protection Section made a presentation on children's rights and their protection, the prevention and management of cases of ill-treatment of children in a country coming out of a crisis. He recalled the terrible impact of conflict on children and urged participants to take on their responsibility to protect children by setting up protection committees in each village.



For her part, the representative of the Mission's Civil Affairs Section focused on conflict management, stressing the need for traditional and community leaders to take charge of the reconciliation process and promotion of social cohesion in their respective communities. She encouraged them to use the participative and inclusive conflict resolution method and always use peaceful means when managing people's differences.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, the chief of canton in San-Pedro, Koyé Gnépah, thanked UNOCI and the Legal Clinic for providing the training, before launching an appeal to participants. ''{ You must do all you can to ensure that they information and knowledge you have gained today benefit everyone in order to make sure that this peace which is so dear to our hearts returns to our country," }he said.



The regional director of Social Affairs, Diarrassouba Nana Coulibaly, who was representing the deputy prefect of San Pedro, asked participants to start putting the knowledge they had gained to good use as soon as soon as they return to their respective areas. " {When you leave this training, you will be sufficiently equipped to be the megaphones of the administration in your villages and in the different associations. In this regard, you must work to bring your people together}", said Mrs Diarrassouba.



It should be noted that the United Nations is one of the international organisations closely involved with the Legal Clinic of San Pedro. The Legal Clinic is centre which advises people on legal and judicial matters. Its aim is to improve the population's access to justice in Côte d'Ivoire.