Topic: Elimination of Xenophobia and Racism
Country: Côte d’Ivoire
Delegate Name: Maddie Yaw
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Côte d'Ivoire position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Racism is rampant around the globe today, thus creating unsafe living environments for its victims. In Côte d’Ivoire following the election in 2000, examples of racism were ubiquitous: sexual abuse, torture, and even a few small massacres occurred against minority groups. Racism in Côte d’Ivoire is due to the development of political coalitions of certain demographics. In 1994, then presidential candidate Henri Bédié passed the New Citizenship Act which introduced a sense of “Ivoirité”: a xenophobic idea that advocates only those who were born and whose parents were born in Côte d’Ivoire should be citizens. Immigrants to Côte d’Ivoire were considered “aliens, foreigners, others who are invading the country and posing a political and economic threat to the autochthones…” (Konate) and “In 1998… foreigners accounted for over 4 million people or roughly 25 per cent of the population… 50 per cent of these foreigners or non-Ivorians were born in Côte d’Ivoire” (A. Langer); therefore, great backlash followed the passage of the New Citizenship Act. “Ivoirité” rhetoric continued to be used in the 2000 election by candidate Gbagbo, and the New Citizenship Act prevented candidate Ouattara from running–his father was reportedly born in Burkina Faso. Ouattara had much support from the mostly Muslim North and immigrant population while Gbagbo had much support from the mostly Christian South and those who supported “Ivoirité.” Tension in Côte d’Ivoire between foreign-born northerners and “true”-Ivorian southerners crescendoed into a civil war in 2002. In 2003, a peace agreement between the North and South was signed and enforced by the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) to end the civil war, but the peace agreement did not last: a presidential election was to be held in 2005 but was pushed to 2010 due to the ongoing civil war. In the 2010 election, Ouattara was allowed to run and won, but Gbagbo and his supporters violently fought the results, which resulted in the UNOCI forces staying in Côte d’Ivoire. In summary, ethnic tensions in Côte d’Ivoire were triggered by political coalitions and are still being dealt with today. Although racism is still present in Côte d’Ivoire, Côte d’Ivoire strongly disapproves of local and global racism and xenophobia manifested in any form, whether it be discrimination against the Roma in Europe or the supposed targeting of African Americans by police officers in the United States.
The supercilious idea of “Ivoirité” in Côte d’Ivoire has subsided since the 2010 election. This is because farmers in Côte d’Ivoire are currently hiring migrant workers due to a nearly eighteen percent increase in the price of cocoa, which contributes to “the economy growing at annual rates above 9 percent” (Beth Elise Whitaker and Koffi P. Charles-Hector Yao-Kouamé). Also, “Ivoirité” is declining due to the declining issue of anti-immigration political rhetoric. By granting citizenship to 140,000 stateless persons in Côte d’Ivoire since 2010, the government has effectively decreased the xenophobia directed toward immigrants. Furthermore, Côte d’Ivoire is a member of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which aims to combat racism. The UNOCI has greatly helped in decreasing violence triggered by ethnic tensions. The government of Côte d’Ivoire has the capacity to further act in eliminating racism in the country and has neglected to address this issue on an international level.
The issues of racism and xenophobia in Côte d’Ivoire are gradually being addressed by both the government and the UNOCI. Côte d’Ivoire recommends programs similar to the UNOCI be introduced in countries who are experiencing violent racist and xenophobic situations. These programs should have goals “to protect civilians, provide good offices, support the Ivorian Government in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants as well as on security sector reform, and monitor and promote human rights” (UNOCI). Côte d’Ivoire also recommends the formation of groups consisting of representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and concerned civil society groups “to coordinate efforts to raise awareness of the problem [of racism], provide assistance to victims, and advocate a more robust government response” (human rights first) as has been done in other countries such as the Ukraine. “Public reporting by human rights or antidiscrimination bodies that address racist and xenophobic violence” are supported by Côte d’Ivoire for these raise awareness on issues of racism (human rights first). Côte d’Ivoire recognizes the need to vigilantly proceed in eliminating racism and xenophobia not only in our country but around the globe.
