SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FINAL RESULTS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
REFERENDUM

• The
  Secretary-General today welcomed the
  announcement of the final results of the
  referendum on the right of self
  determination of the people of Southern
  
  Sudan. The results, which showed that
  98.83% of all voters chose independence, are
  reflective of the will of the people of
  Southern Sudan. The peaceful and credible
  conduct of the referendum is a great
  achievement for all Sudanese.
   

• The
  Secretary-General commends the Comprehensive
  Peace Agreement (CPA) partners, the
  Government of Sudan led by President Omar
  Hassan Al Bashir, and the Government of
  Southern Sudan led by President Salva Kiir
  Mayardit, for keeping their commitment to
  maintain peace and stability throughout this
  crucial period. The Secretary-General urges
  the CPA partners, the Government of Sudan
  and the Government of Southern Sudan, to
  build on the momentum generated by the
  successful conduct of the referendum to
  reach an agreement on post-referendum
  arrangements, including Abyei, expeditiously
  and in the same spirit of cooperation.
   

• The
  Secretary-General calls upon the
  international community to assist all
  Sudanese towards greater stability and
  development, reiterates the commitment of
  the United Nations towards this end and
  assures continued UN assistance and support
  to the CPA partners.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BRIEF
SECURITY COUNCIL ON HIS LATEST TRAVELS

• The
  Secretary-General is back in New York today,
  having wrapped up nearly two weeks of travel
  to Switzerland, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom
  and Germany. He is expected to brief the
  
  Security Council on Tuesday afternoon on
  his travels and the discussions that he has
  had. After that, at around 4:30 pm, he
  expects to talk to reporters at the Security
  Council stakeout.
   

• He
  ended his travels over the weekend in
  Munich, where he
  
  told a security conference that we do
  not know how the events in the Middle East
  will end. But they are driven, at bottom, by
  human insecurity: poverty, diminished or
  disappointed expectations, the lack of good
  governance and a deficit of democracy.
   

• In
  Munich, he and the other principal members
  of the
  
  Quartet met and took note of dramatic
  developments in Egypt and elsewhere in the
  Middle East region in recent days. The
  Quartet members considered the implications
  of these events for Arab-Israeli peace and
  agreed to discuss this further in upcoming
  meetings as a matter of high priority. The
  Quartet agreed to meet again at the level of
  Principals in mid-March on the way ahead.
   

• Asked about the
  source of the Secretary-General’s
  information in Egypt, the Spokesperson said
  that the Secretary-General has been briefed
  from numerous channels, including from UN
  staff in Cairo.
   

• He noted that the
  Secretary-General has said that there have
  been several Arab Human Development Reports
  which have helped to analyse the situation
  in that region, and that the United Nations
  also stands ready to help as needed.
  Ultimately, Nesirky added, it is up to the
  Egyptian people to determine their future.

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY
CONCERNED BY CLASHES AROUND CAMBODIA-THAILAND
BORDER

• In a
  
  statement issued on Sunday, the
  Secretary-General said he was deeply
  concerned by reports of repeated armed
  clashes between 4 and 6 February 2011
  between Cambodia and Thailand around their
  common border area, which has reportedly
  claimed a number of lives and led to the
  displacement of civilians and destruction of
  property.
   

• The
  Secretary-General appeals to both sides to
  put in place an effective arrangement for
  cessation of hostilities and to exercise
  maximum restraint. He also calls on them to
  continue their efforts to finding a lasting
  solution to their dispute through
  established mechanisms and arrangements and
  a spirit of dialogue and good neighbourly
  relations. The United Nations remains at
  their disposal to assist in these peaceful
  efforts.

D.R.CONGO: U.N. ENVOY
TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL OF IMPROVEMENT IN
MILITARY COORDINATION

• The
  
  Security Council discussed the situation
  in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  today. Roger Meece, the Secretary-General’s
  Special Representative for that country,
  briefed Council members this morning in a
  formal meeting.
   

• 
  Meece said that recent initiatives by the UN
  Mission (MONUSCO)
  have led to an improvement in the
  coordination of military activities with
  Congolese Government forces.
   

• 
  Meece also reported a significant increase
  in the number of arrests of Government
  soldiers and police accused of sexual abuse.
  However, illegal armed groups continue to
  prey on civilians, often using rape and
  other violence as weapons against the
  population.

A.U.-U.N. MISSION TO SEND
ASSESSMENT MISSION IN NORTH DARFUR VILLAGES THAT
HAVE SEEN RECENT FIGHTING

• The
  UN/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
  
  sent a patrol this past Saturday to the
  North Darfur villages of Tabit and Tukumara
  to assess the effects of recent intense
  fighting in the area and meet with local
  leaders. The fighting has reportedly forced
  most of Tukumara’s population to flee to
  nearby mountains for safety.
   

• 
  UNAMID says that it will conduct an
  assessment of local humanitarian needs in
  the next few days and help repair a vital
  water pump destroyed during the fighting.

TOP U.N. OFFICIALS CALL
FOR END TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, CUTTING

• The
  heads of the United Nations Population Fund
  (UNFPA)
  and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  have jointly
  
  called for stepped-up global efforts to
  abolish female genital mutilation and
  cutting.
     

• The
  practice, they say, has serious immediate
  and long-term health effects and is a clear
  violation of fundamental human rights.
  Worldwide, up to 140 million women and girls
  have undergone the process.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS TO CHILE:
The Deputy Secretary-General is in Santiago,
Chile, to chair the annual meeting of the
Regional Coordinating Mechanism in Latin America
and the Caribbean. This year's meeting, to be
held on 8 and 9 February, will focus on defining
a regional perspective in preparation of the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development or Rio+20.

U.N. SEEKING TO
ASSIST PAKISTAN IN COORDINATION WITH GOVERNMENT:
Asked about aid to Pakistan, the Spokesperson
said that the United Nations has been seeking to
assist Pakistan in coordination with the
Government of Pakistan.

U.N. ENVOY TO
SOMALIA VOICED DISAPPOINTMENT OVER EXTENSION OF
TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT:
Asked about UN disappointment concerning the
extension of the Transitional Federal Government
of Somalia, the Spokesperson said that the

Special Representative for that country,
Augustine Mahiga, had made clear the
disappointment concerning the TFG’s extension.
He noted the importance of continuing the
process of assisting Somalia at a difficult
time.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
FOR SRI LANKA PANEL STILL UNDER DISCUSSION:
Asked about the work of the advisory panel
dealing with Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson noted
that it is not essential for the panel to visit
Sri Lanka in order to carry out its work.
Discussions are continuing concerning any
arrangements for panel members to travel to Sri
Lanka.