The Secretary-General deplores yesterday’s destruction of the Shepherd’s Hotel in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for new settlement units in the heart of a Palestinian neighbourhood, which only serves to heighten tensions. It is deeply regrettable that growing international concern at unilateral expansion of illegal Israeli settlements is not being heeded.

Climate change, the international financial system and South-South cooperation would be among the most important issues to be addressed by the “Group of 77” developing countries and China in 2011, Jorge Argüello (Argentina), its incoming Chairman, said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General will address a wreath-laying ceremony this afternoon at UN Headquarters to mark the first anniversary of the Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010. After a symbolic silence of 47 seconds - the duration of the quake - the Secretary-General will express solidarity with the people of Haiti, as well as the families of 102 United Nations colleagues who lost their lives.

Last night, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-Jin, went to the PK-18 area of the Abobo neighborhood of Abidjan to monitor the security situation there. The situation in Abobo has been tense in the last few days. Mr. Choi’s delegation to Abobo is intended to assure the protection of the civilian population who face the risk of human rights violations from forces in Laurent Gbagbo’s camp.

Speaking to reporters earlier today in the United Arab Emirates, the Secretary-General said he was closely monitoring developments in Lebanon and he reiterated his strong support for the independent work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The independent judicial process should not be linked with any political debate, he said, cautioning against prejudging the outcome of the investigation.

General Assembly President Joseph Deiss (Switzerland) expressed worries today over the escalation of violence and mayhem in Côte d’Ivoire resulting from Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to step down after losing that West African nation’s November presidential election to Alassane Ouattara.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-jin, said today that the political impasse in the country was continuing, that outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo was still refusing to relinquish power following his request for a power-sharing arrangement with newly elected President Alassane Ouattara, and that there was “no common ground for dialogue”.

This morning, the Security Council heard from the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Haile Menkerios, about the referendum for Southern Sudan that has just concluded. In an open briefing, Menkerios said that the conclusion of the referendum marks an historic milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

In the wake of a unanimous Security Council decision this morning to strengthen by 2,000 troops the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Côte d’Ivoire — where a power struggle persisted over the presidential election result — the possibility of genocide and related crimes were of grave concern, said United Nations experts during a press conference at New York Headquarters today.

Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Security Council on Haiti in an open meeting today. He said that, after a year marked by the devastating earthquake of 12 January last year and the cholera epidemic, it is vital that the current political crisis is brought to a swift end and the focus shifted to the challenges of reconstruction and recovery.