A UN spokesperson says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thinks 2019 was a "year of hope" despite crises across the globe.

Stephane Dujarric held his final regular news conference for the year at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

Dujarric said the secretary-general saw a lot of crises over the past year, including the "horrendous fighting" and loss of life in Syria.

He said Guterres was "clearly disappointed" at the outcome of the UN conference on climate change.

But Dujarric said the secretary-general thinks 2019 was a "year of hope" because of the mobilization among young people around climate change and other issues.

The spokesperson said the drive of young people to make the world better and keep political leaders accountable is something that gives great hope.

The coming year will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the UN.

The world body will start implementing plans in January to solicit opinions from people around the world through social media and other methods.

NHK