Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has met residents from interface areas of Belfast and those who have suffered in the spate of sectarian attacks in Co Antrim.
Mr Ahern said the meetings would help sharpen the offensive against sectarianism.
After talks with residents from Belfast's Springfield Road and the Parkside-Tiger's Bay area, he said: "This was an important opportunity to hear directly from the communities and individuals who have been directly affected by recent events.
"It is vital for those of us involved in the ongoing political process to hear at first hand the concerns and experiences of the people and communities who suffer fear and intimidation."
The Government was committed to challenging sectarianism, he added, and his talks would help identify how this could be achieved.
"I assured all those I met of the Government's commitment to work for the peaceful and stable future that the people of Northern Ireland deserve," he said.
At Stormont, members of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the PDs attended seminars on North-South co-operation hosted by the SDLP.
Party leader Mark Durkan said their talks covered all areas of co-operation which could bring tangible benefits on a mutual basis to everyone on the island.
"Working better on a North-South basis can deliver better policies, can deliver better programmes and better results for people as consumers and as public service users, as business people and as taxpayers. That should motivate all of us, unionist and nationalist alike."
He said the benefits of co-operation would be felt throughout society, not just in Border areas.
Liz McManus of the Labour Party said: "Everyone on this island can benefit from North-South co-operation. Both parts of the island face a lot of challenges, social and environmental challenges. It is important to build a link that is of benefit to everybody."
Addressing unionists, Ms McManus added: "That link includes all parties, it's not an exclusive arrangement that we are seeking."
Referring to unionist suspicion of all-Ireland contacts, Mr Durkan said: "What we are trying to do here is not get an outcome for nationalists, we're not talking about structures just for nationalists or made in the image of nationalists and we're not talking about outcomes in terms of services, jobs or investment that work only for nationalists."
He said that a fully operational Belfast Agreement would mean the problems of the Shankill and Woodvale areas would end up on the desks of local politicians rather than direct rule ministers.