The Security Council adopted resolution 1999 (2011) today, on the admission of the Republic of South Sudan to the United Nations, without a vote, transferring its request to the General Assembly. The Secretary-General congratulated the Council, reiterating that a viable South will need a viable North, and vice versa.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General says he is extremely worried by the situation in the Horn of Africa, where more than 11 million people need urgent assistance amid their worst drought in decades. He called an emergency meeting with UN agency heads today at which they agreed to do all they can to prevent a deepening crisis.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has declared Somalia, which is facing the worst drought in six decades, as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world. António Guterres saw the desperate situation of Somali refugees first-hand at the Dadaab camp, which is the world’s largest, in Kenya yesterday.
The Secretary-General arrived in Juba, where he will attend the independence ceremony of the new Republic of South Sudan tomorrow. He first stopped in Khartoum, telling reporters there that, while the people of North and South Sudan will soon live in different countries, their futures will remain closely linked.
The Secretary-General held his third meeting with the Cypriot leaders today in Geneva, which he said was productive. Some of the difficulties hampering a comprehensive agreement were identified and the leaders agreed to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on core issues when they return to the island.
The Secretary-General expresses his disappointment that the parties to the conflict in South Kordofan State, Sudan, have not yet agreed to a cessation of hostilities and deplores the grave humanitarian impact of continued fighting, particularly in light of the end of the UNMIS mandate on 9 July.
The Secretary-General welcomes the orderly conduct of the parliamentary elections in Thailand and the promise by all parties to respect the will of the Thai people as expressed through the democratic process. He hopes the elections will be an important step towards genuine reconciliation and long-term stability.
A joint UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has confirmed that rape, pillaging and cruel and degrading treatment were committed in Nyakiele, in South Kivu province, between 11 and 13 June 2011, by troops led by a former Mayi Mayi commander, who reportedly deserted from an integration camp of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
The Secretary-General welcomes the signing yesterday in Addis Ababa of the agreement between the Governments of Sudan and Southern Sudan on border security and the joint political and security mechanism. He urges them to conclude and implement, as a matter of priority, a cessation of hostilities agreement.
The Secretary-General has welcomed the signing yesterday in Addis Ababa of the Framework Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, or SPLM-North. He commends both parties for the political will they have demonstrated in reaching the agreement and urges them to use the momentum created to conclude a cessation of hostilities in South Kordofan.