The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, has signalled his determination to place respect for human rights at the centre of the organisation's role in world affairs.
Promising to "restore the UN to its rightful role in the pursuit of peace and security", he told world leaders gathered in New York for the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly: "Massive and systematic violations of human rights - wherever they may take place - should not be allowed to stand."
As Australian troops arrived in East Timor, Mr Annan said: "If states bent on criminal behaviour know that frontiers are not an absolute defence, if they know that the Security Council will take action to halt crimes against humanity, then they will not embark on such a course of action in expectation of sovereign impunity.
"The inability of the international community in the case of Kosovo to reconcile . . . universal legitimacy and effectiveness in defence of human rights can only be viewed as a tragedy."
He said there were many people around the world who needed "more than just words of sympathy". He said the main challenge facing the UN in the next century will be its role in protecting civilians in war.