Background and Objectives:
This project is a continuation of the Safer Cities pilot project in Abidjan in the three municipalities of Adjame, Tre chville and Yopougon from 1998-2001. This pilot initiative resulted in the development of a culture of prevention among the population, local authorities and key stakeholders. It also resulted in the development of a new field of expertise in Côte d’Ivoire and the development of social prevention practices.
However, the first phase also showed that the impact of prevention would be more significant if addressed from the metropolitan angle, (the relationship between the police and the population, for example) and those good results replicated in other municipalities of Abidjan. The project, in its initial phase, also played an important role in peaceful conflict resolution in the three municipalities. This was significant considering the difficult political and social conditions experienced by Côte d’Ivoire since 2001. It is within this context that the Belgian Technical Cooperation and UNDP have given their support to the continuation of the project in Abidjan (13 municipalities).
The objectives of the project are to:
Reinforce the capacities of the municipalities of Abidjan to prevent insecurity and crime;
Reduce delinquency, violence and crime in Abidjan;
Reduce the fear of crime among the inhabitants of the city.
Activities:
The project's approach and methodology include the following main phases;
The development of technical expertise;
The development of participatory diagnoses in the municipalities, completed by a city-wide victimization survey;
The setting-up of a city-wide Safety Coalition which will design a concerted plan of action;
The implementation of this plan of action with prevention policies addressing the causes of insecurity;
The institutionalization, at the metropolitan level, of an observatory of insecurity and a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation;
Formulation of a communication strategy.
Results:
Progress in all activities is proceeding slower than anticipated due to the political situation in Cote d'lvoire. However, the following has been achieved so far;
20 persons recruited to manage the project, with a coordinating team at the metropolitan level and assistant coordinators in each of the 13 municipalities;
Project's team trained (one national coordinator, 3 municipal coordinators and 13 assistants) on overall crime prevention approaches by two international experts;
Project launched at the metropolitan level and at the level of the municipality;
Created Ivorian Forum for Urban Safety (FISU) that holds an assembly every year to discuss prevention strategies for Ivorian cities;
Diagnosis of insecurity was conducted in each municipality and a metropolitan profile prepared;
Management procedures defined and operationalized for the micro-projects;
Two series of micro-projects selected at municipal level;
Local team and municipal elected leaders participated in international training events, including World Urban Forum III, the Canada-Africa exchange in June 2006, Africities 2006, and the European Forum on Urban Safety Conference in Zaragoza, 2006;
Design of an evaluation to be conducted in early 2007.