U.N. ENVOY STRESSES
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SUDAN REFERENDUM

• 
  Haile Menkerios, the head of the United
  Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),
  briefed the
  
  Security Council this morning on the
  self-determination referendum in the
  country.
   

• Mr.
  Menkerios emphasized the historical
  significance of the referendum, saying that,
  by recognising the validity and the
  legitimacy of the outcome, the Government of
  Sudan has most likely ended one of Africa’s
  most protracted and deadliest conflicts.
  Sudan, he said, has given us an example of
  how the spirit of peace can overcome decades
  of war.
   

• He
  also commended the parties for their efforts
  to prevent and contain the violence in Abyei.
  He urged the parties to redouble their
  efforts to keep the peace on the ground,
  while taking advantage of the political
  momentum they have built in other areas to
  conclusively address the deeper issues
  driving the Abyei conflict.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WARNS
NATURAL DISASTERS COULD MAKE 2011 AS COSTLY AS
2010

• 
  Addressing an informal thematic debate in
  the
  
  General Assembly on disaster risk
  reduction, the Secretary-General
  
  said that last year, more than a quarter
  of a million people were killed by
  disasters. It was one of the deadliest years
  in more than a generation.
   

• He
  warned that this year may prove to be just
  as costly. We have already seen grievous
  disasters in Australia and Brazil.
   

• 
  Lives can be saved by advance planning, the
  Secretary-General said, and by building
  schools, homes, hospitals, communities and
  cities to withstand hazards. Such measures
  to reduce risk will grow ever more important
  as our climate changes and extreme events
  become more frequent and intense.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO
TRAVEL TO ECUADOR, PERU

• The
  Secretary-General will travel this weekend
  to Ecuador, to pay an official visit to that
  country. He will meet with President Rafael
  Correa and other senior Government officials
  while in Quito.
   

• From
  Ecuador, the Secretary-General will travel
  to Peru, where he will meet with President
  Alan García and other Government officials.
  He also expects to pay a visit to see former
  Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar.
   

• The
  Secretary-General will be back at UN
  Headquarters on Wednesday.

 

SPOKESPERSON: U.S. AUTHORITIES DECIDE ON HOW TO
SPEND MONEY IN TAX EQUALIZATION FUND

• 
  Asked about money that has been accumulated
  in the Tax Equalization Fund, the
  Spokesperson said that the money, amounting
  at present to some $179 million, belongs to
  the United States. It is for the US
  authorities to decide what to do with the
  money, in consultations with the United
  Nations.
   

• 
  Regarding the money going to security
  expenses, Nesirky said that the Capital
  Master Plan (CMP)
  already includes a number of security
  improvements for the delegates, staff, and
  visitors who work at or visit the premises. 
  Those security improvements have been
  designed after consultation with the Host
  Country security authorities.
   

• They
  are covered by the budget of the Capital
  Master Plan, to which the U.S. contributes
  22%, and which was approved by the General
  Assembly in 2006.
   

• The
  Spokesperson said that the present
  discussion about additional security
  upgrades reflects heightened security
  concerns by the Host Country and UN security
  authorities. The United States, under its
  Host Country obligations, is funding these
  new security upgrades. The total anticipated
  cost of the new security upgrades is $100
  million.
   

• The
  amount left over in the Tax Equalization
  Fund is about $79 million.
   

• The
  US levies taxes on its nationals in respect
  of their UN earnings, and reimburses the UN
  for the same.  The balance represents the
  net amount due to the United States after
  such reimbursements have been taken into
  account.  In some financial periods there is
  a surplus, and in others a deficit. The net
  balance of $179.0 million has accumulated
  since 1 January 1996.
   

• 
  Asked about legislature being considered by
  the US Congress, the Spokesperson declined
  to comment on the legislative processes of a
  Member State. He noted the Host Country’s
  obligations regarding security matters.

 

SRI LANKA: WORLD FOOD
PROGRAMME FEEDING 500,000 FLOOD VICTIMS

• For
  the second time in less than a month,
  monsoon rains have forced tens of thousands
  of Sri Lankans from their homes in many
  parts of the country,
  
  says Josette Sheeran, Executive Director
  of the World Food Programme (WFP).
   

• The
  Programme, she notes, is now delivering
  life-saving food supplies to half a million
  people.
   

• The
  floods last month already damaged the rice
  harvest, the staple food in Sri Lanka. Given
  the volatility of food prices around the
  world, Ms. Sheeran said that such
  disruptions in the production of staple
  commodities in developing countries are
  worrying.

 

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS TEAM
GATHERS INFORMATION ON RAPES BY CONGOLESE FORCES

• The
  UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
  Congo (MONUSCO)
  says that its human rights investigators
  have gathered information on 8 new cases of
  rape committed by Congolese Government
  troops on December 31- 1 January in the
  North Kivu villages of Bushan and
  Kalambahiro. This brings to 40 the number of
  documented rapes in the two villages. Seven
  other women have suffered other types of
  sexual violence during the attack, the
  Mission said.
   

• 
  During last week’s trip to the region, the
  Mission’s human rights officers also
  provided assistance to the local military
  prosecutor and to aid groups working with
  victims of sexual violence.
   

• 
  Asked about efforts to curb rapes in the DRC,
  the Spokesperson said that the
  Secretary-General and Margot Wallstrom
  attended the recent African Union summit in
  Addis Ababa and spelled out measures to deal
  with rapes in the country. Among other
  things, there have been enhanced patrols and
  the use of technology like satellite phones
  to allow for information sharing on rapes.
   

• 
  Nesirky added that rapes are wholly
  unacceptable, and there need to be steps to
  deal with the climate of impunity.

 

CYPRIOT LEADERS TO
INTENSIFY TALKS

• The
  Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders
  had a “good discussion” today about the way
  forward, the Secretary-General’s Special
  Adviser, Alexander Downer, told reporters in
  Nicosia.
   

• The
  leaders
  
  met with the Secretary-General last
  month in Geneva. Consistent with those talks
  in Geneva, the leaders today decided to
  intensify the process over the coming weeks,
  agreeing to meet every Wednesday.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ENVOY
HOLDS TALKS WITH REPRESENTATIVES ON “NAME ISSUE”

• 
  Matthew Nimetz, Personal Envoy of the
  Secretary-General, met separately with e the
  representatives of Greece and the Former
  Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Tuesday
  and today.
   

• He
  will hold an informal meeting with both
  representatives today.
   

• The
  purpose of the meeting is to give the
  parties an opportunity to present – to Mr.
  Nimetz and to each other – the respective
  positions of their Governments with respect
  to the differences between them.
   

• The
  meeting also seeks to ascertain whether
  there are areas that should be explored
  further and to determine the next steps in
  the process with the overall goal of
  reaching a speedy resolution to the “name”
  issue.

 

U.N. TO HONOUR HOLOCAUST
VICTIMS

• On
  Thursday, the United Nations will mark the
  International Day of Commemoration in memory
  of the victims of the
  
  Holocaust. The ceremony will be held in
  the General Assembly Hall from 10:00 a.m. to
  12:00 p.m. and is open to journalists with
  their UN grounds pass.
   

• The
  ceremony was originally scheduled to have
  taken place on 27 January, but had to be
  cancelled because the UN Headquarters was
  closed that day because of heavy snow.
   

• The
  theme of this year's memorial ceremony is
  "Women and the Holocaust: Courage and
  Compassion".
   

• The
  Secretary-General will deliver remarks in
  the ceremony hosted by Kiyo Akasaka, United
  Nations Under-Secretary-General for
  Communications and Public Information. There
  will also be statements made by Joseph Deiss,
  President of the 65th Session of the General
  Assembly; Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister
  of the State of Israel; and Ambassador
  Rosemary DiCarlo, US Deputy Permanent
  Representative to the UN.

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

MIDDLE EAST QUARTET RECOGNISES EGYPT’S
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEACE IN THE REGION:

Asked about the Secretary-General’s remarks
about the key role that Egypt has played in the
Middle East peace process, the Spokesperson said
that the Secretary-General and, recently, the
Quartet have recognised Egypt’s contributions to
peace in the region.

 

GABONESE
OPPOSITION POLITICIANS REMAIN IN U.N. COMPOUND:

Asked
about the situation in Gabon, the Spokesperson
said that a number of opposition politicians
remain at the UN compound. The UN Resident
Coordinator continues to work with the
authorities on the ground to resolve the issue.