Abidjan — In an official visit from 20 to 24 June 2016 in the two West African countries, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, on the invitation of the governments of these countries, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation (UN) and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr Carlos Lopes, chaired a public conference on Monday, 20 June 2016 at the Banquet Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Abidjan-Plateau.
Placed under the theme "The Role of Eco-Diplomacy in the Structural Transformation and Industrialisation of Côte d'Ivoire", the conference enabled the host of His Excellency Abdallah Albert Toikeuse Mabri, the Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to address about a hundred members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Côte d'Ivoire.
Summarising the conference which he chaired, Mr Lopes said: "I talked on structural transformation in Africa and the role of the Diplomatic Corps in supporting efforts towards structural transformation and industrialisation. I then had interesting conversations with the Diplomats on issues of finance, tax, migration and regional integration".
Talking about the choice of the theme, Mr Lopes said it "is important to discuss structural transformation and industrialisation in African countries, which has been an issue for a very long time now" before assessing the current socio-economic situation of the African continent, in general, and Côte d'Ivoire, in particular. Thus, diplomacy has a major role to play in this structural transformation process of the continent. That is why he added that "diplomacy helps States to maintain peaceful relations. Safeguarding national interests is one of its most important missions. Political, economic, cultural and scientific ties, as well as collective efforts in the fight for human rights or in peaceful conflict resolutions can be linked to diplomacy. Diplomacy is bilateral when it involves two States, and multilateral when it brings many States together, often within the institutional framework of an international organisation. It is especially based on negotiation, which commonly ends up in agreements between States, such as international Conventions or Treaties, which are used to preserve the interests of two or more States". In the same vein, the Executive Secretary of ECA added that "it is hard to determine the major landmarks at the level of diplomacy in developing countries or even emerging countries".
The relevant questions that Mr Lopes answered clearly and precisely, and the warm discussions that came up during the Conference made the experience special in so many ways.
It should be noted that Mr Abdallah Albert Toikeuse Mabri, Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Foreign Affairs, who also took part in the Conference, in his opening address and closing remarks, appreciated the vitality of the cooperation between ECA and Côte d'Ivoire. He wished that such cooperation would be strengthened even further.
The Executive Secretary of ECA also seized the opportunity of his stay in Abidjan to take part in the Global Forum on Shared Creation, alongside the Ivorian Prime Minister, Mr Daniel Kablan DUNCAN; Mr Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the UN; the African Union Commissioner in charge of Trade, Mme Fatima Acyl; the Economist, Michael Porter, Researcher and Professor at Harvard University and Mr Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlé. This meeting was organised by Nestlé under the theme "Investing in the Sustainable Development of Africa".
In a presentation before over 500 participants from the areas of business, education, the Civil Society, as well as researchers and diplomats, Mr Lopes mentioned "the creation of strong economies and communities in Africa" before talking about important issues such as "inclusion, respect for the environment and good governance, which are essential for Africa's development". He also asserted that "using good statistics and regional integration could also propel the continent forward".
