UN Authority Figures

UN Commission for Social Development: Côte d'Ivoire

Authorities in Côte d'Ivoire have been accused of perpetrating a wave of arbitrary arrests and abuse targeting opposition supporters.
Source: Reuters, October 5, 2015

Mission of the Commission for Social Development: "...the Commission has been the key United Nations body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action... Since 2006, the Commission has taken up key social development themes as part of its follow up to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit." (Commission for Social Development website)

Côte d'Ivoire's Term of office: 2017-2021

Côte d'Ivoire's Record on Social Development:
"The most serious human rights problems were security force abuse and the government's inability to enforce the rule of law. The Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (FRCI), the country's military, and the gendarmerie were responsible for extrajudicial killings, acts of torture, and arbitrary detentions. Prison and detention center conditions were harsh and life threatening. Corruption persisted in the judiciary, police, the military, customs, contract awards tax offices, and other government institutions, and the judiciary was inefficient and lacked independence. There were cases of forced disappearance; cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment; arbitrary arrest; and prolonged pretrial detention. The government restricted press freedom and freedom of assembly. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) faced insecure and difficult living conditions. The scale of statelessness in the country remained extensive. Discrimination, sexual assault, and violence against women and children, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), occurred. Societal discrimination against ethnic groups; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community; persons with disabilities; and victims of HIV/AIDS was a problem. Employers subjected children and informal sector workers to forced labor and hazardous conditions, particularly in rural areas."
(U.S. State Department Country Report of Human Rights Practices 2014, Côte d'Ivoire)