14 September 2011 -- Good morning all. I am very delighted to see you today and look forward to a fruitful engagement.

So much has happened in connection to Darfur since the last time we met in February. I will only elaborate on some of these major developments in my opening remarks. However, I will certainly address more issues in our question-and-answer session.

As you know, on 14 July, we witnessed the commitment of the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement, to build a common future and a shared vision for Darfur and its people. The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur provides a unique opportunity for a new beginning. It plants the seeds for an enduring peace and paves the way forward for a better future for all Darfuris.

Since the signing of the agreement, UNAMID has been working closely with the parties on the implementation of the DDPD. The Cease-Fire Commission has initiated its work on 22 August and the mission is preparing the dissemination of the DDPD in consultation with all concerned.

In my capacity as Joint Chief Mediator ad interim, I have just returned from Doha where last Sunday I participated in the
inaugural meeting of the Implementation Follow-Up Committee. We were very encouraged by the fruitful discussions at this meeting. Some of the discussed items addressed ways to advance the peace and recovery processes in Darfur, the support package for DDPD implementation, and a road map for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace in Darfur, including targeted actions by international partners.

Alongside this, efforts to further stabilise Darfur and initiatives to promote early recovery and development of Darfur are ongoing. We strongly believe that giving the people of Darfur the security to return to their homes and opportunities to build livelihoods is the best guarantee of enduring peace.
To this end, I was in Cairo last week, where I met Dr Nabil Al-Arabi, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. We agreed that UNAMID and the Arab League, working closely with the Government, will jointly develop some 12 model villages, each serving at least 25 000 returnees in Darfur.

In addition, UNAMID, in the context of its mandate to protect civilians and help secure an enabling environment for the
peace process, continues to pursue actions on the ground to support the recovery process and advance security on the ground. Opening-up greater access for humanitarian interventions in Darfur remains a top priority of UNAMID and its UN Country Team partners. In this regard, we are very pleased with the progress achieved in the context of “Operation Spring Basket”, which opened up corridors for humanitarian access to previously inaccessible regions, such as Jebel Marra.

We believe that UNAMID has significantly stabilised the situation in Darfur. Our figures have shown that the number of
armed attacks in all three Darfur states has fallen by as much as 70% over the past three years, which has resulted in more displaced people returning to their homes.

I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the uniformed men and women of UNAMID for their robust posture, nearly doubling the daily amount of patrols performed. I also salute them for their commitment to advance the protection of civilians, assist with creating the needed security environment for the return of displaced populations to their homes and to rebuild their livelihoods.

This said, while there is room for congratulations there is scope for improvement. In this context, the past several months have seen setback as well. Since I last spoke with you, three Peacekeepers have been killed in the completion of their duties. My condolences and thanks go to the family of the deceased and their beloved. The kidnapping of an Italian humanitarian worker (INGO Emergency) on 14 August 2011, is unacceptable and we continue to engage the Government of Sudan to ensure that the worker is safely released and the perpetrators are brought to justice. The Mission has also encountered intermittent restrictions of its movements and access to specific areas of Darfur by the both the armed movements and government forces.

However, despite these challenges our commitment is strong. The only failure is to give-up. We will continue to advance all the pillars of our mandate as well as engage all parties for the consolidation of the peace process.

In this connection, I reiterate my call to the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) the Sudanese Liberation Army- Minni Minawi and the Sudanese Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid to join the peace process and contribute to building of a better tomorrow for all Darfuris. This is not the time to posture. This is not a time to unite for war. This is a time to unite for peace. Too many have suffered and too much is at stake. Entire communities are looking at you for leadership to take Darfur forward.

Thank you.

I now open the floor for questions.

Click here for the JSR Gambari’s questions and answers session with the press.