Founded on November 10, 1973, the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation has since 1997 become the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research.
Its ultramodern headquarters was built in Yamoussoukro from 1977 to 1987 and inaugurated on December 5, 1997 by the symbolic handing over of the keys to the then UNESCO General-Director, Mr. Frederico Mayor.
The Foundation works under the aegis of UNESCO to achieve its objectives and missions in the service of peace.
Goals and Missions
The Foundation proposes to spread the message of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny to present and future generations, to publicize his work, his political and philosophical thinking based on the permanent quest for peace. It has as its objective according to its statutes:
- To contribute to the search for, safeguard, preservation and promotion of peace in Africa and in the world in the spirit of the Constitution of UNESCO and the Charter of the United Nations;
- To be a center for reflection and research on peace and to contribute to a better knowledge of the history of African peoples and their struggle for freedom and justice;
- To be a place of exchange, dialogue, conciliation and human brotherhood.
The main missions of the Foundation are:
- The establishment of a culture of peace at the national and international levels;
- Preparation, training and citizenship training at all levels;
- The establishment of mechanisms and institutions for the establishment and strengthening of peace;
- The creation of a framework for dialogue, exchanges between nations, communities, generations, civil society and non-governmental organizations.
Structures and Means
The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research is a private foundation with an international vocation recognized as a public utility.
It is in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which annually awards the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Prize for Peace Research for . It has legal personality and financial autonomy.
The organs of the Foundation are:
- The High Council of Sponsorship,
- Board of directors,
- The General Secretariat,
- Two Research Departments,
- The Financial and Administrative Department.
The human resources of the Foundation fall into two categories:
- Scientific staff composed of researchers recruited on a full-time or temporary basis to carry out the Foundation's research programs.
- Administrative staff, technicians and service workers.
The financial resources come from the income of the activities of the Foundation and from the special endowment that the Ivorian State grants annually for the maintenance of the buildings and the operation. The Foundation may receive donations, bequests and other gifts deemed admissible by the Board of Directors.
Activities
Under the authority of the Secretary General, Professor Jean-Noël Loucou, the Foundation organizes scientific, cultural and educational activities, coordinated by its two research departments: The Department of Peace Research and the Department of Historical Research.
- Publications
To publicize its research and contribute to the meeting and confrontation of ideas relating to peace, the Foundation proposes a series of publications aimed at researchers and specialists, and at the general public. It publishes a quarterly newsletter, Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research Newsletter, an annual academic journal Dialogue and Peace and books (F.H.B Editions)
- The International Documentation Center (CID)
It provides users with books, periodicals and a rich archive. This Internet-connected center can be accessed from outside via the Foundation's website.