Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared Wednesday that the world is in crisis and urged global leaders to take action to save the planet, prevent conflicts, and support Mideast and North African nations in their quest for democracy.
In his annual address to presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from the 193 U.N. member states, the U.N. chief singled out Syria for "special concern," accusing President Bashar Assad's government of reneging on promises of reform and demanding an immediate end to six months of violence.
During this year's ministerial meeting of the General Assembly the spotlight will be shining on the Palestinian bid for U.N. membership.
Ban said the Palestinians deserve a state, Israel needs security and the stalemate over reviving negotiations must be broken. He pledged the U.N.'s "unrelenting efforts to help achieve that peace through a negotiated settlement."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a timetable for Israeli-Palestinian peace, with talks to resume in a month and a final deal to be reached in one year — part of a stepped up effort to push Palestinian leaders to abandon an application for full U.N. membership that the U.S. and Israel staunchly oppose.
Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama urged a resumption of negotiations, saying there was no shortcut to the goal of two states — Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace.
"Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted," Obama said. "That is the path to a Palestinian state."
But Ban's speech, and many others, focused on other global problems.
With hundreds of leaders and diplomats arrayed in the General Assembly chamber, the secretary-general said the global economic crisis "continues to shake businesses, governments and families around the world," increasing joblessness, widening social inequity and leaving "too many people living in fear."
"How can we help our people find greater peace, prosperity and justice in a world of crisis?" Ban asked.
To answer that challenge, the U.N. chief urged world leaders to take action to save the planet, through a binding agreement to address climate change and to speed economic growth to lift people out of poverty.
He also called for the deployment of political mediation missions to try to prevent costly conflicts.
This year, U.N. peacekeepers were "sorely tested" in Ivory Coast when the world body "stood firm for democracy and human rights," he said. "Working closely with our regional partners, we made a difference in the lives of millions of people."
Urging support for countries moving from authoritarian rule to democracy, Ban said this year's dramatic events in the Mideast and North Africa "inspired us."
"Let us help to make the Arab Spring a true season of hope for all," the secretary-general said.
General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar welcomed South Sudan as the U.N.'s newest member and said that the issue of Palestine was "particularly crucial" during the current session. He said he is committed to proceeding in an impartial manner if the Palestinian issue comes to the assembly.
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, who was elected last October, made her first appearance and became the first woman in the 66-year history of the United Nations to be the first speaker in the General Debate, the official name of the annual ministerial session.
To loud applause as she stepped to the podium, Rousseff said she shared "this emotion" with more than half the people on the planet who are women. "This will be the century of women," she said.
In his speech, Ban also urged world leaders to "dramatically advance our efforts in every sphere by working with — and working for — women and young people."
Mexico's President Felipe Calderon highlighted another global problem — "the challenge of unscrupulous criminals who do not respect borders and who afflict citizens of many nations."
"Organized crime today is killing more people, and more young people, then are all the dictatorial regimes together at present," he said. "And today thousands of people, tens of thousands of people in our Latin American continent particularly between Mexico and Andes are dying because of criminals."
And Calderon warned that "the power of crime is stronger than are many governments.