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QUICK FACTS: COTE D'IVOIRE Population: 18,013,409 Size: 322,460 square kilometers Life expectancy: 49 years Ethnic groups: Akan, 42.1 percent; Voltaiques or Gur; Northern Mandes; Krous; Southern Mandes; other (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken Population below poverty line: 37 percent Average annual income: $870 USD (Source: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook 2008; The World Bank 2006) |
Cote d'lvoire
With help from The Carter Center, Cote d'Ivoire has eliminated Guinea worm disease. Building Hope With one of the most developed economies on the continent, Cote d'Ivoire represented much of what many African states are still struggling for: peace and prosperity. However, recent violence in the nation has undone much of what was accomplished in Cote d'Ivoire. Together, The Carter Center and the government of the Cote d'Ivoire are working to promote the health of all Ivoirians through the eradication of a painful and debilitating disease, Guinea worm. In the past, Cote d'Ivoire achieved much, and it can continue to do so in the future, provided peace once again prevails in the nation. Fighting Disease Eradicating Guinea Worm Current Status: Transmission stopped, September 2006 (read the announcement) Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication: Pending When Cote d'Ivoire joined the Guinea worm eradication campaign in 1995, there were a recorded 3,421 cases in 252 Ivoirian villages. By 2006, the country reported a more than 99 percent reduction in cases, reporting only five Guinea worm cases in one village from the district of Mibahikro. Today, the country has reported more than 13 consecutive months of zero indigenous cases, suggesting that transmission of disease has been stopped. Since the December 1999 coup that toppled then President Henri Konan Bedie, the country has been on the verge of civil war. Tensions rose again after a second coup attempt in 2002, which divided the country and has led to the current political crisis. Despite emerging challenges, the nation's Guinea worm eradication program continues to demonstrate that success is possible. Despite the continuing threat of civil war, in September 2006 the program reported its last indigenous case from the village of Lendoukro, thanks to systematic interventions against transmission of the disease. Complete elimination of Guinea worm disease is a tremendous victory for the people of Cote d'Ivoire, ensuring that many will be spared future suffering from this disease. Often called "the fiery serpent," victims sometimes seek relief from the intense burning sensation caused by the emerging worms and thus recontaminate drinking water. A child suffers and is unable to attend school, work, or play. A parent suffers and is unable to harvest crops or care for younger children. Guinea worm cripples a community. Guinea worm is projected to be the next disease, after smallpox, to be eradicated from the Earth. Unlike smallpox, Guinea worm disease has no vaccine or treatment. Eradication efforts must therefore be largely dependent on education and preventative measures. Approaches for eradication introduced in local communities include: health education; the distribution of nylon filters to strain out water fleas hosting infected larvae; safe, monthly treatment of stagnant water sources with ABATE® larvicide, donated by the BASF Corporation; direct advocacy with water organizations; and increased efforts to build safer hand-dug wells. Village volunteers, who are trained, supplied, and supervised by the program, carry out monthly surveillance and interventions. Cote d'Ivoire must maintain quality surveillance until the country is officially certified as Guinea worm-free. Monitoring Elections
Côte d'Ivoire, long a pillar of stability in West Africa, has become a source of conflict that threatens its neighbors. Their long-delayed elections are a key element in resolving the political crisis that has kept the country divided since 2002. Free and fair democratic elections are a central component of the 2007 Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA), established between the government of Côte d'Ivoire and rebels known as the "Forces Nouvelles," which control the North of the divided country. Elections have been delayed several times, with the most recent proposed date of Nov. 29, 2009, being pushed back to a suggested period of late February/early-March 2010.
The Carter Center was invited by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro to observe the electoral process in Côte d'Ivoire and, in November 2008, deployed three teams of observers to formally launch its international election observation mission. Observers focused on voter registration and assessing overall preparations for the presidential elections. They met with government and election authorities, political parties, civil society organizations, and domestic observer groups as well as the United Nations and the international community. (View report here.) The Center maintained a field presence throughout 2009 to continue monitoring political developments and in mid-February 2009, mobilized a second group of observers. This second group spent five weeks in Côte d'Ivoire assessing the final phase of the identification and registration process. Their efforts were extended into rural areas and additional parts of the former conflict zone. In early May, a Carter Center senior staff delegation visited Abidjan for meetings with Prime Minister Soro, the Independent Electoral Commission, political party leaders, civil society representatives and members of the international community. The Center released a second report and public statement on the identification and voter registration process on May 8. President Carter also sent letters to OPA facilitator President Compoaré of Burkina Faso, President Gbagbo, and Prime Minister Soro to communicate his support for a continued peaceful transition and scheduling of elections in 2009. In November 2009, The Carter Center, in cooperation with EISA, deployed a team of 10 observers to monitor the voter list verification and challenge process, and to assess the pre-election environment and election preparations. While no concrete election date has been announced, it is believed that Presidential polls will take place in late February/early-March. The Carter Center will be present for these elections, with a sizeable team to monitor the campaign and voting operations in Cote d'Ivoire. The Center's observers are drawn from African, European, and Latin American countries. They are supported by an office in Abidjan, established in December 2007 and headed by Carter Center country director Sabina Vigani. She may be reached at +225-08-23-55-23. Updated January 2010 ELECTION REPORTS May 8, 2009: Carter Center Notes Significant Achievement in Côte d'Ivoire's Voter Identification and Registration The Carter Center calls on Ivoirian political leaders to sustain the hard-earned momentum of the ongoing identification and voter registration process and bring about the credible democratic elections envisioned by the Ouagadougou Political Accord (OPA). Dec. 22, 2008: Carter Center Finds Côte d'Ivoire's Voter Identification
and Registration Process Progressing Slowly Carter Center observers in Cote d'Ivoire report slow progress in the ongoing population identification and voter registration due to significant logistical challenges and financial constraints as activities are expanded across the country. Nov. 7, 2008: Carter Center Launches Election Observation Mission to Côte d'Ivoire The Carter Center deployed three teams of observers to regions around Côte d'Ivoire this week to formally launch its international election observation mission. Observers will focus on ongoing voter registration and assess overall preparations for the presidential elections. |
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