In a New Year message the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, has called on Protestant and Catholic politicians to rebuild fractured trust as efforts begin to revive the stalled peace process.
Mr Murphy delivered his New Year message as London prepared to launch a review of the Good Friday agreement.
The 1998 deal was meant to usher in a new era of power-sharing.
However, endless rows over the pace of disarmament by the IRA threaten its survival.
The power-sharing assembly has not met for more than a year, since allegations of IRA spying prompted Britain to suspend it.
Electoral gains for Sinn Féin and the DUP in November ended hopes of a speedy restoration.
"For all of us involved in the political process the greatest challenge will be to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland a working assembly," said Mr Murphy in the New Year statement released by his office in Belfast.
"That's what people voted for and that's what all the parties - irrespective of their difficulties - want to see."
Today is the deadline for rival parties to submit ideas on how the agreement could be improved.
Mr Murphy is expected to formally announce a scheduled review of the deal in the coming days.