UN General Assembly
2003

must rise to this difficult challenge and continue to play an even more central and proactive role in managing world affairs, particularly with respect to the maintenance of international peace and security. The challenge before us is to make the world peaceful and secure. That is a particular concern of small States, which must rely on the international rule of law, on the strict observance by all States of the purposes and principles laid down in the Charter of the United Nations, and on the collective security mechanism of the Security Council in order to guarantee their right to a secure, sovereign and peaceful existence. We must therefore work to strengthen the rule of law worldwide as well as the capacity of the United Nations to engage both in conflict prevention and in the management of global crises that disrupt international peace and security. It is also of paramount importance that all Member States commit to and uphold the multilateral approach in our collective efforts to attain those ends. Nowhere is there a more pressing need for peace