The entire community will suffer if the skills and experience of women are not harnessed to meet future challenges in Northern Ireland, according to the Women's Coalition in its New Year message.
The coalition's two Assembly members, Ms Monica McWilliams and Ms Jane Morrice, said the North still had a "long way to go" in securing equal representation for women at all levels of society.
"Let's make 2001 a year of progress in bringing more women into politics, into public bodies and boards, into elected positions," they said. "This is a challenge for society as a whole."
They said everyone deserved to share the prosperity that the Belfast Agreement had brought to Northern Ireland. The peace process should not be sacrificed for the sake of a few divisive issues.
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons must be a voluntary activity, they said, calling on those in contact with paramilitaries to use their influence to bring it about "vigorously and without delay".
The statement added: "The use of guns as political and oppressive weapons must be consigned to the pages of history in Northern Ireland."
It said Assembly members from all parties and Civic Forum representatives had gained valuable experience in 2000 and should strive to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities in the new year.
"It is easy to neglect the success, and focus on the difficulties of the last year. For every hurdle that we struggled with in the political process, there were many that we overcame.
"Now we must accelerate the pace of building a new Northern Ireland with the foundations on human rights, equality and social justice."
