United States Embassy (Abidjan)
3 January 2008
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
1. The press in Cote d'Ivoire today reported on the upcoming visit of a US Congressional delegation in the country as part of a cocoa certification program designed to protect children working in the cocoa sector. The papers also reported on the pay-related and work conditions strike by workers of Cote d'Ivoire's Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC) and other workers in the cocoa industry. A few reports were about recent rebel incidents in Bouake
2. "Americans are expected in Cote d'Ivoire as part of the cocoa certification program," says a story in Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily). According to the paper, the announcement was made yesterday in Abidjan by Acquah Assouan, Executive Secretary of a committee tasked to oversee the child labor issue in Cote d'Ivoire. The paper said the three-member delegation, which will be headed by Senator, Tom Harkin, will use the occasion to see realities on the ground, regarding the situation of children working in the cocoa plantations. According to the paper, "American lawmakers have expressed their wish to see for themselves how the protocol seeking to ban child labor in the cocoa sector has been applied on the ground."
3. Fraternite Matin also reported that at the initiative of two American congressmen, representatives of chocolate and cocoa companies signed an agreement called "Harkin-Engel Protocol," in September 2001. The aim of the Harkin-Engel Protocol is to eliminate the use of illegal child labor in the cocoa industry in West African countries. According to the paper, Cote d'Ivoire -- the world's top cocoa producer - signed this protocol. The paper further commented that "Cote d'Ivoire is committed to fight the child labor phenomenon in the cocoa plantations."
4. On the same issue, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) reported that "The certification of the Ivorian cocoa production process must be done by Americans." The paper talked about the visit of the US Congressional delegation to Cote d'Ivoire from January 7-9, 2008. According to the paper, this is the first visit by a US delegation since the inception of the Harkin-Engel Protocol -- in a bid "to see realities on the ground." The paper also reported on the delegation's agenda, which includes visits to some cocoa farms, a meeting with a local cocoa industry, a roundtable discussion with government and private institutions working in the sector, and meetings with President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro.
5. In a related development, L'intelligent d'Abidjan (a privately-owned daily) reported that ASA [Afrique Secours Assistance] has called upon the Ivorian government to quickly pass the law banning child labor in Cote d'Ivoire, According to the paper, during a conference in Guiglo in western Cote d'Ivoire, representatives of ASA expressed concerns about the situation of children in Cote d'Ivoire. The paper also quoted ASA as saying that, "About 46 per cent of children in Cote d'Ivoire are victims of child labor."
6. In another development, Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said registrations of cocoa for export have been crippled, as workers in this sector are on strike. The paper also reported that the industrial action has seriously disrupted the cocoa business in Cote d'Ivoire. According reports, workers are demanding better pay and conditions and also changes in the senior management of institutions controlling the cocoa industry.
7. Meanwhile, Fraternite Matin reported that the new boss of the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC) is calling on the striking workers to end their action, which started on December 27, 2007. The call was made as the management and workers met to find solutions to their demands.
8. Finally, on a political issue, Fraternite Matin quoted the spokesperson of the New Forces as saying, "There is no room for coup d'Etat and rebellions in Cote d'Ivoire." According to the paper, Sidiki Konate was reacting to recent event in New Forces' stronghold of Bouake where supporters of the former rebel leader Ibrahim Coulibaly known as "IB" were reported to have tried to stage a coup. The paper also published excerpts of a communique released by the New Forces in which the movement rejected "any killings in Bouake on December 27, 2007."
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