The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-jin, held a press conference in Abidjan earlier today, during which he explained the UN’s certification process of the presidential election. Choi said that the will of the people, as expressed on 28 November, is irrefutable.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General has just arrived in Cancún, Mexico, and, as you know, he will be opening the High-Level Segment of the Climate Change Conference there this afternoon.
The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the situation in Côte d’Ivoire. He has been in close contact with many world leaders, including the Presidents of Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Malawi. He is also consulting with former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is in Côte d’Ivoire on the African Union’s behalf.
The Secretary-General supports today’s certification by his Special Representative of the result of the 28 November run-off presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire. He accepts his Special Representative’s analysis and evaluation, taking into account all aspects of the outcome of these elections is in accordance with the announcement made by the President of the Independent Electoral Commission on 2 December.
The results for the run-off presidential election that was held on 28 November in Côte d’Ivoire have been announced, and the Secretary-General requests all the Ivorian stakeholders and institutions to demonstrate responsibility.
The Secretary-General has taken note of the preliminary findings by the international observer missions that the second round of the Ivorian presidential election on 28 November was conducted in an overall satisfactory and credible manner. He also recalls that his Special Representative has found the elections to have been conducted in a democratic climate, despite some regrettable incidents.
The Secretary-General, on behalf of international humanitarian organizations, is calling for $7.4 billion to provide urgent humanitarian aid to 50 million people in 28 countries worldwide.
The Secretary-General welcomes the holding of the second round of the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire, despite some violent incidents in various areas of the country. He calls on the Ivorian parties and candidates to refrain from announcing the results in advance of the Independent Electoral Commission.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, has been in Haiti since yesterday. She is there to highlight the need for a much stronger international and national response to the cholera epidemic.
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula caused by today’s artillery attack by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the Yeonpyeong Island. He condemns the attack — one of the gravest incidents since the end of the Korean War — and calls for immediate restraint.