The Alliance Party has unveiled wide-ranging proposals to deal with sectarianism and claimed that the now-suspended Executive failed to take the issue seriously.
The proposals include a new flag for Northern Ireland which is capable of fostering widespread support.
Mr David Ford, the party leader, said yesterday the flag was not the most important issue raised by Alliance. There are more than 30 proposals aimed at increasing communal integration.
The party claims it is alone in refusing to pigeon-hole the people of Northern Ireland into "two communities" and having this written into the rules of the Assembly.
The proposals are constructed to encourage integrated education and argue that community integration should become the basis of policy in all sectors of life.
Alliance wants: An "Integration Monitor" to be appointed by the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister and who would produce annual reports on the cost of segregation; a new flag for Northern Ireland; a target of 10 per cent of children being educated in integrated schools by 2010; pro-active intervention by the PSNI when paramilitary flags and emblems are erected; developing and defining a common Northern Ireland identity that everyone here can relate to; amendment of fair employment monitoring regulations, and; a Charter of Freedom from Sectarianism.
Mr Ford said: "Sectarianism is not something restricted to a few interface areas in and around Belfast, but is deeply ingrained throughout society."
He said people were taught from an early age to be suspicious of each other.
"It is not enough to merely encourage people to respect and tolerate each other, we must work to change mindsets that pigeon-hole others as being different." He said state bodies such as the Housing Executive, which is responsible for social housing, should have an explicit objective of promoting integration.