Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

It seems only yesterday since we were last together. As you know, this was to be our opening press conference of the year. We were to look ahead toward the big issues of 2009. This is the year of climate change. The economic crisis is still very much with us. So is the food crisis. We face grave challenges to peace and security.

But today, the big issue is the situation in Gaza. Today is Day 17 there. My message is simple, direct and to the point: the fighting must stop. To both sides, I say: Just stop, now. Too many people have died. There has been too much civilian suffering. Too many people, Israelis and Palestinians, live in daily fear of their lives. And in Gaza, the very foundation of society is being destroyed: people's homes, civic infrastructure, public health facilities and schools.

We have a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and enduring ceasefire. In the name of humanity and international law, this resolution must be observed. I expect the parties now meeting in Cairo to do what is required. They must agree to the elements of an immediate ceasefire. At a minimum, that means a halt to rocket attacks by Hamas militants and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It is time to stop. It is time to stop the killing and the destruction.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you know, I leave for the region tomorrow. My goal is to step up the pace of our joint diplomatic efforts and ensure that urgent humanitarian assistance reaches those in need. It is one thing to speak to world leaders, as I have done daily in seeking to resolve this crisis. And it is another thing to be present oneself.

It is my duty as Secretary-General to uphold the UN Charter and its principles. We have 10,000 staff on the ground in the occupied [Palestinian] territory and in Israel. I want my visit to be a tangible expression of support for their work under the most difficult and dangerous circumstances. I salute their bravery and their dedication to the UN's mission.

Most of all, I want to demonstrate my deep concern and empathy for the innocents caught in these terrible circumstances, both in Israel and the Occupied Territory. More than 900 Palestinians have died. About 4,000 more have been injured. They have no place to hide, no place to run.

I will begin my trip in Cairo and move on to Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. My trip will conclude in Kuwait. The Arab League summit offers us an opportunity to take stock of our progress and chart the next steps ahead.

At each stop, I will repeat my call for an immediate and durable ceasefire and insist that Security Council resolution 1860 be respected fully. To repeat, this means an immediate end to military operations in Gaza -- an end to Israel's offensive and a halt to the rocket attacks by Hamas. The international community must come together to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. By the same token, border crossings into Gaza must be re-opened in full. Innocent civilians, whether in the Occupied Territory or southern Israel, cannot live in a state of fear or under a de facto state of siege. Let normal life resume. That is the only path to lasting peace.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me close on a broader note, briefly. The coming year will be challenging in the extreme. This is the year of Climate Change. We have only 11 months to the summit in Copenhagen. To galvanize action, I will be engaging world leaders on the crunch issues involved in the negotiations, beginning later this month at the World Economic Forum in Davos and working toward a high-level meeting on the margins of the General Debate in September. Amid all our difficulties, let us remember: this is the one true existential threat to our planet.

Later this month, on January 26, I will co-host with the Spanish Prime Minister a high-level meeting on food security in Madrid. The crisis in agriculture and development might not be breaking news. But it has not gone away. Just last week, the government of Kenya announced that it would declare a food emergency. Ten million people -- a quarter of the country's population -- is at risk from food shortages and drought.

The year ahead will bring grave peace and security challenges: Darfur, the DRC, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. We also face on-going humanitarian crises in Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Who knows what else 2009 will bring?

If all this demonstrates anything, it is the indispensability of the United Nations. Today more than ever, the challenges we face as a global community are collective in nature. Never before has the United Nations been asked to do so much, even as the resources available to do the job now are proportionately less.

The global economy compounds all these problems. It puts a premium on those dread words I use so often: reform, efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, accountability and belt-tightening. You can be assured that I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that the UN rises to this great and unprecedented moment.

We are on the cusp of a great transition. In this new era, the community of nations must work harder than ever before -- and work together -- to make the UN all that it can be, and all that it must be.

Thank you.