Our world faced many trials and tests in 2022 — some familiar, others we might not have imagined just one year ago.

There may be plenty of reasons for despair.

Geopolitical divides have made global problem solving ever more difficult — sometimes impossible.

The cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard and inequalities are growing, affecting the world's women and girls the most.

Most of the world's poorest countries find themselves on what one could call, "debt row" — staring down the abyss of insolvency and default. This year alone their debt service payments skyrocketed 35 percent, the largest increase in decades.

The poor are getting poorer.

But I end this year with one overriding conviction: This is not a time to sit on the sidelines, it is a time for resolve, determination, and — yes — even hope.

Because despite the limitations and long odds, we are working to push back against despair, to fight back against disillusion, and to find real solutions.

Not perfect solutions — not even always pretty solutions — but practical solutions that are making a meaningful difference to people's lives.

Will not relent in the pursuit of peace in Ukraine. Peace in line with international law and the United Nations Charter.

Climate change is another area where good news can be hard to find.

We are still moving in the wrong direction.

And yet, we are not retreating. We are fighting back.

We are fighting back to help emerging economies shift away from coal and accelerate the renewable energy revolution.

We are fighting back to restore trust between North and South.

We are fighting back to cut through the fog of greenwashing.

We are fighting back to ensure protection plans for humanity in the face of worsening climate disasters and natural ecosystems.

I have pulled no punches on the imperative for all of us to confront this existential threat. And I will not relent.

I call on every leader to step up — from governments, business, cities and regions, civil society, and finance. They must come with new, tangible, and credible climate action to accelerate the pace of change.

I am more determined than ever to make 2023 a year for peace, a year for action.

We can't accept things as they are. We owe it to people to find solutions, to fight back and to act.

At times, discreetly but always with determination — we will fight back.

To promote peace and security. To advance the Sustainable Development Goals and address inequalities. To reform a morally bankrupt international financial system.

To ensure human rights for all as we mark next year's 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And to deliver a livable planet to our children and grandchildren.

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Excerpts from the UN Secretary-General's opening remarks at End-of-Year Press Conference, 19 December 2022.