Abidjan, 20 August 2009...The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, who continues his tour in the interior of the country, has noted that work in some coordination centres that he visited was going well, the acting Spokesman Kenneth Blackman announced in Abidjan on Thursday.

Speaking during the weekly press conference of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Mr. Blackman said that Special Representative had expressed his satisfaction on how well the coordination centres in Bouaké and Séguela were operating with regard to the digitalisation of identification data, which is going on in the majority of the 70 coordination centres.

However, he said, it is expected that the National Commission for the Supervision of Identification (CNSI), will move to the phase of the nomination of agents to sit on IEC and CNSI committees. "These committees have to rule on any double entries of data before the administrative validation of lists and UNOCI strongly encourages the designation of the representatives of the CNSI to allow these committees to carry out the tasks with which they have been entrusted along with the IEC," explained Mr. Blackman.

In this regard, he recalled that in accordance with the electoral timetable, the provisional electoral list should be published on 29 August 2009. In order to support this important deadline, UNOCI, UNDP and IEC "are ready for the planning, distribution and posting of the electoral list in all the centres and local independent electoral commissions", said Mr. Blackman.

Recalling that UNOCI wishes to see all the parties involved take the necessary measures for the success of the post-identification operations, Mr. Blackman stressed that the Mission « reiterated its commitment to accompany them so that their objectives are realized and deadlines are respected and open, fair, free and transparent elections are organized in accordance with international standards.

Earlier, Mr. Blackman said that Mr. Choi's mission in the interior of the country would today take him to Daloa and Issia. As in Bouaké and Séguéla, this leg of his visit will give the head of UNOCI the opportunity to visit a coordination centre and microprojects. His tour will end in San Pedro on Friday.

Mr. Choi's mission has three objectives, according to Mr. Blackman. These are to evaluate the progress made in the processing of identification data in coordination centres, assess the 1000 Microprojects – funded through a contribution of $4 million from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, - and visit cantonment sites that will accommodate former FAFN combatants who have volunteered for the new army.