In his first address to the UN Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that ensuring peace in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the top of his agenda. He called on the Council to face a range of larger issues that threaten peace worldwide, including extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS, saying that responding to such threats is "one of the primary purposes of the United Nations, and a particular responsibility of the Security Council".

According to Mr. Ban, the United Nations faces an "unprecedented demand" for peacekeeping, covering 18 missions and engaging in 30 peacekeeping operations, with a record number of 100,000 personnel in the field, "and climbing". He said that "this globalized presence requires ever closer cooperation between the Security Council and the Secretariat--including of course the Secretary-General".

Mr. Ban pledged to work closely with the African Governments and the international community, as well as with his special envoy to Darfur to address the humanitarian crisis there, which was "growing worse". He underlined the need to establish a lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the largest UN peacekeeping operation is based, and would discuss these issues at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa at the end of January.

The Secretary-General said he would "inject new momentum" into the search for peace and stability in the Middle East by rededicating efforts into the work of the so-called Quartet (United Nations, European Union, United States and Russian Federation) in resolving the disputes between Israel and Palestine, as well as helping Lebanon to rebuild and secure a "peaceful, democratic and fully independent future". Addressing political and security challenges in Afghanistan and Iraq is also necessary for the stability in the wider region, he added.

Reaching development goals should be a top priority because extreme poverty "breeds a hopelessness that allows for neither mercy nor dignity", Mr. Ban said, and "is preyed on by zealots and extremists to fulfill their agendas and ambitions". Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and human rights violations threaten peace and stability, as do HIV/AIDS and other pandemics because they devastate a country's capacity and governance.