The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, concluded yesterday a two-day working visit to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The objective of the visit was to strengthen the partnership and reaffirm the United Nations’s support to Côte d’Ivoire in its efforts to consolidate peace, democracy and development.
During his visit, the Special Representative held a series of meetings with the Ivorian authorities and various stakeholders. He was received in audience by the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, H.E. Mr. Alassane Ouattara, with whom he exchanged views on various subjects relating to domestic political issues and the latest security developments in the sub-region. The Special Representative also held talks with the Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, the Mediator of the Republic, Adama Toungara, members of the Independent Electoral Commission, and political stakeholders. Mr. Simão also met with members of the diplomatic corps and the UN country team.
The Special Representative praised Côte d’Ivoire’s leading role in strengthening regional integration and consolidating peace in the sub-region. He stressed the importance of seizing the opportunity of the forthcoming presidential elections to further strengthen democracy and preserve economic gains in Côte d’Ivoire.
In this respect, he reiterated the United Nations’s support for peaceful elections, and called on all Ivorians to act together in the interests of Côte d’Ivoire and its prosperity.
The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, in coordination with the United Nations Country Team and other partners, will remain committed to supporting Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts for peace and development.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
