UN envoy highlights Côte d'Ivoire's humanitarian plight

Ms. Carolyn McAskie, the Secretary-General's Humanitarian Envoy for the Crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, arrived in Abidjan as planned on Sunday 7th December 2003 for a fourth follow-up and evaluation mission.
She met today with the President of Côte d'Ivoire, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Albert Tevoedjere, and the UN Country Team. The discussions focused on pressing humanitarian issues in Côte d'Ivoire.

In her meetings with the President, Ms. McAskie called attention to issues including the protection and return of internally displaced persons and the need for basic services such as education, and health to be restored, especially in the north and west of the country. Ms. McAskie also raised the issues of land disputes, which have recently led to the expulsion of some farmers, emphasizing the need to find long-term solutions. She stressed that education should be accessible to all children, and the importance of making official the school year for some 700,000 children in the northern and western areas who have attended alternative schools since Côte d'Ivoire's crisis began more than a year ago.

Ms. McAskie also met with international donors and called for them to generously support the recent inter-agency appeal for US$59 million to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. Tomorrow, Ms. McAskie plans to go to Bouake to get a first-hand look at challenges facing people in need there.

For further information, please contact:

Mrs Frøydis Dybdahl Archer, Public Information Officer, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Cote d'Ivoire. Tel : +225 22405175/76; Cell : + 225 05933945; Email : froydis@ocha.ci
Stephanie Bunker, OCHA NY, 917 367 5126, mobile 917 892 1679
Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, 41 22 917 2653, mobile 41 (0) 79 472 4570