UNEP Cote d'Ivoire

About us

Côte d'Ivoire, a country with exceptional biodiversity, vast mineral deposits and significant income, in particular from cocoa exports, has placed environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources at the center of its vision of sustainable development and conflict prevention. The UN Environment Program is supporting the Ivorian government in achieving this vision by conducting independent and scientific analysis of the country's environment through sampling and analysis, remote sensing and institutional assessment.
In September 2015, UN Environment released a post-conflict environmental assessment of the state of the environment in Côte d'Ivoire. The report addresses several environmental issues directly or indirectly related to the various phases of the armed conflict in the country, such as the degradation of forests, national parks and the Ebriye lagoon; unplanned urbanization; industrial and artisanal mining; as well as the risks of an oil spill on the coast of Côte d'Ivoire. The report also includes recommendations for practical, institutional and legal responses to identified issues.
In January 2018, UN Environment published an independent scientific environmental audit of sites affected by the release of toxic waste from the Probo Koala ship in and around Abidjan in 2006. The main purpose of the audit requested by the Ivory Coast government was to determine whether these sites continue to pose a risk to the environment or public health. The report presents the results of all analyses carried out and the conclusions drawn. The full report of this audit presents the results of laboratory analyses and conclusions drawn. It also offers several targeted recommendations to the Ivorian authorities.