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Viewing cable 09ABIDJAN70, UN FIELD COVERAGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COTE D'IVOIRE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09ABIDJAN70 2009-02-02 15:17 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Abidjan
P 021517Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4884
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000070 
 
 
STATE FOR IO/RHS: AOSTERMEIER AND GPATEL, DRL/MLGA: 
CSIBILLA, IO/PSC: DODELL, AF/RSA, AF/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL IV
SUBJECT: UN FIELD COVERAGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COTE D'IVOIRE 
 
REF: STATE 2023 
 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY: As requested in reftel, Poloff met with 
members of the National Human Rights Commission, civil 
society actors, and political party human rights 
representatives to assess the work of the Human Rights (HR) 
Division of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire 
(UNOCI).  In general, the division enjoys good working 
relationships with the Embassy, the National Human Rights 
Commission, and civil society organizations.  The division 
has little to no contact with political party human rights 
representatives.  Key stakeholders suggested UNOCI could 
improve the division's effectiveness by 1) issuing reports on 
a more timely basis and sharing them with human rights 
organizations, 2) focusing more attention and funds on 
victims than on information collection, and 3) promoting 
greater collaboration and capacity-building with local human 
rights NGOs.  END SUMMARY 
 
 
RELATIONS WITH POLITICAL PARTIES 
-------------------------------- 
2.  (SBU) On January 20 and 22, Poloff met with the 
Secretaries of Human Rights for the three main political 
parties: the ruling Ivoirian Popular Front (FPI), the 
Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), and the Assembly of 
Republicans (RDR).  Both the FPI and PDCI representatives 
said their offices have no contact with the UNOCI Human 
Rights Division, although they expressed interest in 
benefiting from UNOCI expertise and training assistance.  The 
RDR Secretary, Soungalo Coulibaly, says that the HR Division 
regularly contacts him for information and has referred a few 
human rights violation cases regarding RDR members to his 
office.  Coulibaly felt his office's relationship with UNOCI 
was one-sided, with his office furnishing information and 
taking on cases the HR division referred to him, with no 
support in return.  He suggested that UNOCI focus more time, 
money, and attention on the protection of victims, rather 
than solely collecting information for reports. 
 
 
RELATIONS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY 
---------------------------- 
3.  (U)  On January 21, Poloff solicited opinions from the 
three major Ivoirian human rights organizations in Cote 
d'Ivoire: Action for the Protection of Human Rights (APDH), 
the Ivoirian Human Rights League (LIDHO), and the Ivoirian 
Movement for Human Rights (MIDH).  Poloff also met with the 
president of the Action Network for Ivoirian Human Rights 
(RAIDH), an organization that represents a coalition of human 
rights NGOs, including APDH, LIDHO, and MIDH. 
 
4.  (SBU)  With the exception of RAIDH, all three 
organizations told Poloff that they have enjoyed good working 
relationships with the UNOCI Human Rights Division.  UNOCI 
regularly invites them to participate in activities and has 
worked in association with their organizations to offer 
advice and training -- both in Abidjan and in the interior of 
the country, including in zones under the control of the New 
Forces (FN).  They explained that UNOCI also regularly 
provides support by sending representatives to participate in 
their activities or serve as trainers and speakers. 
 
5.  (SBU)  RAIDH President Sindou Bamba said his 
organization's working relationship with UNOCI was initially 
strained, although it has improved in the last year.  Bamba 
says that when RAIDH member organizations (including 
fledgling human rights NGOs in the interior of the country) 
referred cases to the HR Division, it did not intervene or 
take action.  For example, Bamba claimed that in 2008, when 
NGOs informed the HR Division of abuses against pro-Zakaria 
members of the FN who were being detained, the HR Division 
did not intervene to stop these abuses and protect victims. 
Bamba believes that UNOCI intervention can make a difference: 
he cited a November 2008 case in which FN soldiers severely 
beat teachers who were on strike.  After the UNOCI military 
commander intervened, FN authorities agreed to provide the 
teachers with medical treatment for their injuries.  Bamba 
would also like to see UNOCI revive its monthly human rights 
meeting which gathered key stakeholders together to discuss 
relevant issues and cases.  (Note: Bamba claims the HR 
Division did away with this meeting because it had become too 
politicized.) 
 
6.  (SBU)  All four human rights organizations expressed the 
need for more jointly sponsored activities with UNOCI and 
additional financial and material support.  Project funding 
was a sore point for several organizations.  MIDH President 
Drissa Traore expressed frustration that UNOCI did not 
respond or comment on projects they submitted for funding. 
RAIDH President Sindou Bamba agreed, noting that he has the 
impression that UNOCI requests project proposals simply to 
get new ideas for its own human rights activities without 
truly seeking the participation of the local NGOs. 
 
RELATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL HR COMMISSION 
----------------------------------------- 
7.  (U)  Poloff met with National Human Rights Commission 
President Victorine Wodie on January 22.  She said that the 
UNOCI HR Division was supportive during the initial 
establishment and creation of the commission, but its level 
of involvement has diminished since the commission was 
launched in July 2008.  Promises by the HR Division to 
provide funds for victims of rape and mistreatment, for 
example, have gone unfulfilled.  Wodie suggested that more 
intensive collaboration with the HR Division, including 
sharing of UNOCI reports, training for human rights 
commissioners, and technical assistance with integrating the 
fledgling commission into international human rights networks 
would be appreciated. 
 
 
RELATIONS WITH THE EMBASSY 
-------------------------- 
8.  (U)  In general, the Embassy enjoys a good working level 
relationship with the HR Division.  With field offices around 
the country, UNOCI's regional offices are often the only 
sources of human rights reporting in many regions of Cote 
d'Ivoire.  Post relies heavily on reports from these regional 
offices for up-to-date information on human rights abuses in 
parts of the country where EmbOffs are not present and/or 
cannot easily visit.  However, HR Division reports are not 
issued in a timely manner.  In December 2008, for example, 
the Embassy received the final, official report on human 
rights violations from the January to June 2007 reporting 
period.  After extensive lobbying, the Embassy now receives 
monthly human rights reports from UNOCI.  However, there is a 
2 to 3 month time lag on reporting, so reports are old news 
by the time the Embassy receives them.  Given all the time 
spent on preparing these reports, the reports are not 
distributed to any of the key human rights actors working in 
Cote d'Ivoire. 
 
9.  (U)  Aside from reporting, the Embassy's impression is 
that the HR Division does a lot with the resources and 
personnel it has.  The division is continually engaged in 
human rights sensitization campaigns in the interior of the 
country and has intervened with positive results in numerous 
cases of abuse. 
 
 
NESBITT