ABIDJAN, 4 June 2009 (IRIN) - "The crisis in Côte d'Ivoire is deeper than elections," according to Patrick N'Gouan, national coordinator of a civil society coalition.

"Too many people do not eat their fill, cannot educate their children and cannot access health care. All the social and economic indicators have plummeted… We cannot solve all of Côte d'Ivoire's problems with just politics – and yet this has been the focus of everyone's energy and resources for the past few years. Meanwhile the people have been sacrificed," N'Gouan told IRIN on 2 June.

The civil society coalition wrapped up a week of consultations – 22 to 29 May – on issues from religious tolerance to girls' education to the public debt. It brought together representatives of the government, political parties, local and international NGOs, think-tanks, donors, the UN and the diplomatic community.

The country's first poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) since the 2002 rebellion – released in February – says a large segment of the population is struggling in poverty, with a lack of access to education, health care and safe water.

Slightly under 49 percent of Ivoirians are poor (living on less than US$1.35 a day) – up from 38.4 percent in 2002 and nearly five times higher than in 1985, according to government statistics.

World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials in a recent paper said they believe it will be "very difficult" for Côte d'Ivoire to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty – from the benchmark 1990 level of 24 percent – by 2015.

Several participants at the recent consultations told IRIN civil society groups had an important role in the country's comeback.

"For a time we allowed just politicians to work [on the issues affecting our country]," said Nana Dodo, head of Côte d'Ivoire's royalty and traditional chiefs. "But with these [meetings] we have seen civil society mobilize and go to work to rebuild the country."

"The authorities must heed our recommendations so together we can return to the peace this country once knew," he added.

Recommendations

In its report on the consultations the civil society coalition recommends in part: promoting civic and moral education in primary school; eradicating violence, political indoctrination, drug use and cheating in schools and universities; controlling population growth; modernizing the informal employment sector; reducing gender disparities in education; and reinforcing legal means to fight violence against women.

Philippe Légré, head of the opposition party Mouvement des Forces d'Avenir, said the consultations were like a pressure valve.

"These 'consensus days' allowed us to raise all the troubles Côte d'Ivoire is facing and to propose solutions from which future leaders can be guided and inspired."

He added: "Civil society must realize that politicians are not the enemy; at the same time, politicians must not have a negative view of civil society."

While politics will not answer the country's many ills, a successful, peaceful presidential election is indispensable to the stability that will be necessary for development, civil society members said.

"If the election [scheduled for 29 November] for whatever reason is postponed again it will threaten the [Ouagadougou] political agreement, which has allowed for the current peaceful environment," said Rinaldo Depagne, senior West Africa analyst with the International Crisis Group.

"If the election takes place it will be a major step to the end to the crisis, but just one step. There is a long way to go to restore stability even after an election."

The current government of President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel leader turned Prime Minister Guillaume Soro – formed as part of the March 2007 Ouagadougou peace accord – was to have led a return to stability and hold a presidential election within 10 months.

PRSP http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2009/cr09156.pdf

IMF/World Bank note on PRSP http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2009/cr09157.pdf

Ouagadougou accord

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/KHII-72J3KY-full_report.pdf/$File/full_report.pdf

np/sa/cb

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org

IRIN news