Few voters in either community in the North want a return to the bad old days, writes Tony Kennedy.
To a large extent the days of the Troubles are becoming history, despite the continuing political difficulties in the North. Last month's IRA statement was a welcome development and, when followed up by action, should help to ease continuing unionist distrust over the IRA - and thus Sinn Féin's - commitment to purely peaceful politics.
Regardless of the electoral switch which saw centre parties outpolled last May, few voters in either community want a return to the bad old days before the ceasefires of 1994, and the 1998 agreement delivered the potential for Northern Ireland to move away from sectarian violence and towards economic revival.
The incalculable benefits of the peace process are often ignored because of the failure to make the devolved Assembly work.
From 1970 to the mid-1990s, an average of 12 people were killed each month in Northern Ireland through sectarian violence. Over 3,500 people killed from a population of only 1.6 million is a staggering figure and its impact is still visible in the community today through the deepening of community divisions, the perpetuation of old grievances and the creation of new ones.
Although the peace process delivered changes almost unimaginable in 1994, the current political issues of decommissioning, demilitarisation and policing need to be fully resolved in order to retain the momentum toward true peace in Northern Ireland.
Despite the deadlock over powersharing in government, many of the healthy changes growing out of the agreement, ratified by referendums in Northern Ireland's unionist and nationalist communities, can and should continue.
The two main parties, Sinn Féin and the DUP, must pursue their respective agendas in ways that not only preserve but also strengthen the gains of peace. It is their responsibility in equal measure to ensure that the peace process is now moved forward.
The challenge now is to create a vision that serves all the people of Northern Ireland, not just individual constituencies.
The recent outbreaks of sectarian violence, chronicled well in the media, must not be left to fester. A teenager has the right to walk freely in his neighbourhood without fear of attack, and a family have the right to feel safety and comfort in their own home. It is the duty of both unionist and republican politicians to ensure their electorates live in a society free from violence, bigotry and intolerance.
At community level, work needs to continue with youth groups, school students, elderly citizens, teenagers and children to encourage reciprocal respect, understanding and friendship.
Government action in this area can frequently arouse suspicion, whereas a non-government organisation, with no perceived hidden agenda, can be successful.
Co-operation Ireland has been working in this area for 25 years. We enjoy the endorsement of many influential community groups, which means our cross-Border projects have more impact on local communities. The results of the work are evident in increased contacts and understanding, for example, between community groups from Protestant east Belfast and Drogheda.
However, the work undertaken by Co-operation Ireland and sister organisations would be much more effective if it took place within a clear policy framework.
Co-operation Ireland believes that all cross-Border work, whether at the public policy, programme, project or civil society level, should work towards the same overarching objective or vision.
We define that objective as to encourage a process of ever closer relations between the two parts of the island, so as to remove the hindrances that the Border presents to economic co-ordination, social cohesion and cultural reconciliation, and to ultimately lead to an Ireland at peace with itself.
This objective will require a concerted focused effort with clear, targeted goals. Our vision will be fully achieved only when the governments develop a clear policy for building a shared future on the island of Ireland, fully supported by strategies and targets at departmental level, and the recognition that this can only be achieved in partnership with civil society organisations at the grassroots level.
Tony Kennedy is chief executive of Co-operation Ireland