A French colony until 1960, Côte d'Ivoire subsequently enjoyed considerable economic and social development. However, in the 1980s, the Ivorian economy entered a cycle of stagnation before collapsing in 2002, leading to serious deterioration of social conditions.
In 2002, an attempted coup turned into a national rebellion and in 2011, the results of the presidential election plunged the country into chaos.
The consequences of these years of political instability have been catastrophic for the economy and population of Côte d'Ivoire. Once the most developed country in West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire has fallen to 163rd place in the United Nations Human Development Report. The country’s infrastructures, once very developed, have been severely affected by the conflict.
Young people in the country have particularly suffered through the crisis. The war resulted in many children being separated from their families, displaced from their homes, not attending school, living through trauma, falling victim to alcohol, drugs and delinquency .... Some found themselves acting as heads of households, obliged to take care of their younger brothers and sisters despite their own young age and lack of resources.
To provide a future for the nation, it is vital to provide vulnerable Ivorian youth with education, support and guidance so that they regain their rights and their place in society. Recognizing this challenge, the Ivorian government developed a National Program for the Development and Promotion of Sport for Peace Education, for which it requested Peace and Sport’s cooperation. This program aims to use sport as a means of disseminating a culture of democracy, peace-promotion and developing a sector for job creation and social inclusion for young people.
