The statement came as Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the permanent representative of Brazil to the UN and the rotating president of the Security Council for February, read a presidential statement during an open-door meeting on the region.

"The Council calls on the international community to lend its full support to all Sudanese people as they build a peaceful and prosperous future," the statement said.

The 15-nation Council congratulated the parties of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), inked in 2005, which ended a 20-year civil war between the north and south of the largest African country and mandated that a referendum on southern secession be held.

Welcoming the statements of Sudanese President Omar al Bashir and Vice President Salva Kirr which accepted the final results of the referendum, the Council called on "all member states to respect the outcome of the referendum."

Peace and stability hinges on the "full and timely implementation of the CPA," the statement said.