An agreement between the OSCS and CIRES to strengthen solidarity and social cohesion

The Observatory for Solidarity and Social Cohesion (OSCS), a public administrative agency under the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Cohesion, and the Fight Against Poverty (MSCSLP), signed an agreement yesterday, Thursday, August 13, 2020, with the Ivorian Center for Economic and Social Research (CIRES). A partnership agreement to pool their efforts through their respective expertise in order to strengthen solidarity and social cohesion in Côte d’Ivoire.

The OSCS, represented by its Director General, Mr. Coulibaly Tiohozon Ibrahima, and CIRES, represented by its Director, Mr. Ibrahim Diarra, initialed and signed the document, which will enable synergistic collaboration between the two organizations. The signing ceremony took place at the CIRES headquarters.

The OSCS, an organization that conducts monitoring and early warning activities through a mechanism operated by 4,091 monitors across the country and 24 regional commissions, assists in decision-making by providing strategic information on strengthening solidarity and social cohesion. The OSCS works in collaboration with stakeholders involved in strengthening solidarity and social cohesion. This is achieved through various initiatives such as defining and updating indicators of solidarity and social cohesion, promoting social values, conducting studies and supporting research on solidarity and social cohesion, as well as assessing progress in terms of solidarity and social cohesion in Côte d’Ivoire.

The OSCS’s partner, CIRES, is a research institution affiliated with Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, which contributes to the economic and social development of Côte d’ Ivory Coast through applied research, by carrying out various tasks, including identifying economic and social problems in Côte d’ Ivoire and the subregion, and conducting studies to propose appropriate solutions to the identified problems. CIRES, ranked as the 13th think tank in Sub-Saharan Africa for 2019 according to the annual ranking conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S.; as a hub of experts in economic and social research, organizes high-level seminars and forums, and provides specialized training in fields relevant to the nation’s economic and social development.

It is in this convergence of visions and in light of their respective strengths that the OSCS and CIRES are committed to jointly conducting studies, surveys, and polls with the aim of gathering data and updating indicators of social solidarity and cohesion. Training and participation in conferences, workshops, and meetings on specific topics are also part of the objectives of this agreement.

The signing of this agreement between the OSCS and CIRES, which seals a two-year collaboration, responds to the need to work together to strengthen solidarity and social cohesion, which the entire nation aspires to for harmonious economic and social development.