Côte d’Ivoire

In response to years of civil war and turbulence in Côte d’Ivoire, The Carter Center supported political transitions and the restoration of peace through election monitoring.

How it Started:

Long-delayed elections were a key element in resolving the political crisis that had kept Côte d’Ivoire divided since 2002. Free, open, transparent, and democratic elections were a central component of the 2007 Ouagadougou Political Agreement, established between Côte d’Ivoire’s government and rebels who controlled the country’s north.

Our Work and Methods:

The Carter Center observed the first and second round of the presidential election in 2010; the parliamentary elections in 2011; the 2020 presidential election, which we did in partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa; and then the 2021 legislative elections.  

Our focus included:

• Watching political developments
• Deploying observers
• Measuring the integrity of results
• Encouraging electoral reforms
• Reviewing complaints and irregularities
• Monitoring turbulence and transitions
• Expressing concerns about restrictions
• Condemning violence and threats to democratic advances
• Urging dialogue to address political and electoral differences

Impacts:

As Côte d’Ivoire approached its first truly open presidential contest in 2010, a critical step in the country’s peace process, the Center got involved in monitoring that election and subsequent elections in an effort to protect constitutional order and solidify peace.

Current status: Transmission stopped, September 2006
Certification of dracunculiasis elimination: 2013

Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is a parasitic infection that results from drinking water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae, found inside copepods, a type of small crustacean also known as a water flea. The worms eventually emerge through painful blisters.

How it Started:

Côte d’Ivoire joined the Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 1995, with 3,421 cases on record in 252 Ivorian villages. 

Our Work and Methods:

Center-supported Guinea worm elimination efforts largely focused on education and preventative measures in local communities. Our approaches included:

• Health education
• Distribution of nylon filters to remove copepods hosting worm larvae
• Safe monthly treatment of stagnant water sources with ABATE® larvicide, donated by BASF Corp.
• Advocacy with water organizations
• Efforts to build safer hand-dug wells
• Monthly surveillance and interventions by village volunteers we trained, supplied, and supervised

Impacts:

In September 2006, Côte d’Ivoire reported its last indigenous case of the disease. The country announced that it stopped Guinea worm transmission in 2007, and the World Health Organization certified its elimination of the disease in 2013.