UN FIELD COVERAGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COTE D'IVOIRE

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