SECRETARY-GENERAL, AT ABIDJAN SIGNING CEREMONY, CALLS PROTOCOL OF UNDERSTANDING

EVIDENCE OF DONOR SUPPORT AS IVORIAN PEOPLE EMBARK ON ROAD TO PEACE

 

(Translated from the original French.)

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address at the signing ceremony for the Code of Good Conduct for elections organized by the Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d’Ivoire, in Abidjan, on 24 April:

I sincerely congratulate you on the progress you have made with the elections.  Now that the date of the presidential election has been set for 30 November 2008, the electoral process appears not only to have started well, but actually to be irreversible.  Today, with the signature of the Code of Good Conduct, you, Côte d’Ivoire’s political leaders, will embark upon a new stage.

By means of this Code of Good Conduct, the political parties and the candidates are undertaking to adhere to the highest ethical standards before, during and after the voting.  They are proclaiming their commitment to free, fair, transparent and open elections.  I would like to stress, in particular, that the Code of Good Conduct prohibits all references to race or ethnic or religious origin during the electoral campaign.  Just as importantly, by signing the Code, the parties have agreed to respect the outcome of the elections.

As you know, the international community attaches the greatest importance to the holding of free and fair elections in Côte d’Ivoire.  My Special Representative has been mandated to certify all stages of the process.  His role is essential for the credibility of the elections, and I know that he is determined to comply fully with his obligations.  I strongly urge you to support him in that endeavour.

Because it has always been the economic powerhouse of West Africa and the cornerstone of stability in the region, Côte d’Ivoire deserves our full attention.  That is why the international community is actively supporting all those involved in the electoral process.  That is also why it will pursue its efforts to strengthen the Ivorian national institutions.

I thus invite you to continue along this path and, by means of instruments such as the one you will sign today, to create a peaceful political climate.  The international community, for its part, will do its utmost to support you in this process.

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For information media • not an official record