The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed a US-backed climate deal in Copenhagen as an "essential beginning".
He was speaking after delegates passed a motion recognising the agreement, which the US reached with key nations including China.
But Mr Ban said the agreement must be made legally binding next year.
Earlier, the meeting failed to secure unanimous support, amid opposition from some developing nations
Several South American countries, such as Nicaragua and Venezuela, were among a group saying the agreement had not been reached through proper process.
"The conference decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of December 18, 2009," the chairman of the plenary session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declared on Saturday morning, swiftly banging down his gavel.
US-LED COPENHAGEN DEAL
- No reference to legally binding agreement
- Recognises the need to limit global temperatures rising no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels
- Developed countries to "set a goal of mobilising jointly $100bn a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries"
- On transparency: Emerging nations monitor own efforts and report to UN every two years. Some international checks
- No detailed framework on carbon markets - "various approaches" will be pursued
Updated: 06:40 GMT, 19 December
Mr Ban told journalists: "Finally, we sealed the deal."
"It may not be everything we hoped for, but this decision of the Conference of Parties is an essential beginning."
But the UN Secretary General said at the plenary session: "We must transform this into a legally binding treaty next year.
"The importance will only be recognised when it's codified into international law."
Delegates at the climate summit had been battling through the night to prevent the talks ending without reaching a final deal.
 | THE COPENHAGEN ACCORD Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader |
The Copenhagen Accord is based on a proposal tabled on Friday by a US-led group of five nations - including China - that President Barack Obama called a "meaningful agreement".
The accord includes a recognition to limit temperature rises to less than 2C (3.6F) and promises to deliver $30bn (£18.5bn) of aid for developing nations over the next three years.
It outlines a goal of providing $100bn a year by 2020 to help poor countries cope with the impacts of climate change.
The agreement also includes a method for verifying industrialised nations' reduction of emissions. The US had insisted that China dropped its resistance to this measure.
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Earlier, the proposal had been rejected by a few developing nations which felt it failed to deliver the actions needed to halt dangerous climate change.
The main opposition to the five-nation accord had come from the ALBA bloc of Latin American countries to which Nicaragua and Venezuela belong, along with Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia.
During the two-week gathering, small island nations and vulnerable coastal countries had been calling for a binding agreement that would limit emissions to a level that would prevent temperatures rising more than 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels.
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