Over 120 heads of state are meeting in New York for the 64th session of the UNs' General Assembly [AFP]

The UN secretary general also called for an end to the bloodshed in the Middle East and the war in Afghanistan and cited nuclear disarmament, the fight against poverty, prevention of sexual violence against women and the need for democratic reform in countries like Myanmar.

"If ever there were a time to act in a spirit of renewed multilateralism, a moment to create a United Nations of genuine collective action, it is now." Ban said in his opening speech on Wednesday.

"Amid many crises - food, energy, recession and pandemic flu, hitting all at once - the world looks to us for answers," Ban told the 192-nation assembly.

He called for greater efforts to achieve peace in Darfur and Somalia and urged a revival of negotiations to achieve a Middle East peace with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace.

And he pledged to see the Afghans "through their long night" and stand as well with the people of Pakistan.

Climate change

A day after about 100 heads of state and government in the largest-ever summit on global warming exchanged views on how to reach a new global accord to combat climate change, Ban again exhorted the leaders to "rise to the greatest challenge we face as a human family".

"This year I have traveled from the ice rim of the Arctic to the steppes of Mongolia," Ban said.

"I have seen, first-hand, the effects of climate change on our planet and its people."

The UN chief also urged leaders to "make this the year we agreed to banish the bomb," to address the "red flags of warning" about a global economic recovery and make a fresh push to achieve anti-poverty goals, especially reducing maternal and child mortality rates which remain very high.

The UN chief warned that "no nation, large or small, can violate the human rights of its citizens with impunity."

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