Mr. President,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cote d’Ivoire,
Mr. Executive-Secretary,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Honorable Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. Allow me to express our deep satisfaction on seeing this high-level Conference on South-South Cooperation concluding successfully its deliberations.

2. We have come to the end of our Conference. The outcome has been extremely successful. We have agreed that developing countries have accumulated varied degrees of development capacities that can be shared and could be used through a platform. South-South cooperation deserves its own separate and independent promotion. Continue Reading »

Your Excellency Laurent Gbagbo,
President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Invited Guest
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. In my capacity as Chair of the Group of 77 and China, I would like to welcome all of you warmly to Yamoussoukro and to express to the Government and the people of Côte d’Ivoire our deep appreciation for their warm welcome and hospitality.

2. Allow me to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for his able leadership in promoting South-South solidarity and furthering the interests and aspirations of our Group from our common values of unity and solidarity.

3. I would like also to welcome warmly all delegations who accepted the invitation to join us at this historic gathering which takes place against the backdrop of preparations for the High-level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation. Continue Reading »

• DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA ;
• LADIES AND GENTLEMEN;
• DEAR GUESTS FROM COTE D’IVOIRE ;

We are particularly glad that Yamoussoukro, county town of the District, hosts from 10 to 13 June 2008, the XIIth session of the Conference of the Group of 77 at the United Nations and China.
As the Governor of the District, I take it as an urgent duty of mine to greet you and sincerely thank you for the distinguished honour by choosing to hold this important meeting in Yamoussoukro. The honour is even twice, as it is the first time that the conference is held on the African continent.

On behalf of the brave citizens of Yamoussoukro, I wish you the traditional “AKWABA”, which means a warm welcome; please be reassured of the immense gladness of Yamoussoukro, the Political and Administrative Capital city of Côte D’Ivoire.

Yamoussoukro, a lovely city, with the magical savannah scent, the cradle of a civilisation marked with generosity, hospitality, peace and love, stemming from ancient migrations; a blessed city with its prestigious Our Lady of Peace Basilica, great Mosque, Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Foundation, President Golf Club – one of the most attractive golf courses in Africa, holding 18 holes and integrated into the Hotel Président – and the Crocodile Lakes, is so proud to welcome you in.

Yamoussoukro also hosts the most prestigious academic institutions of the country, offering a wide array of Engineering programs, ranging from civil engineering and mining, agronomics, to business and administration, as well as a renowned high school, and for very soon the realization of the science & technology and agriculture research and development parks projects. The District of Yamoussoukro, a cosmopolitan city with its different communities originating from the sixty (60) or so ethnical groups of the country, and who live together in perfect harmony, has tremendous economic assets in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors altogether. Continue Reading »