The two Sinn Fein Ministers have pledged to make the Northern Ireland Executive a forum where peace, justice and equality will be achieved for everybody.
Speaking before the first meeting of the Executive at Stormont yesterday, Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brun said they were conscious of the responsibility they had, not only to their own electorate but to all the people of Ireland.
The Minister of Health, Ms de Brun, said her appointment was a great privilege. She described the refusal by the two DUP Ministers, Mr Peter Robinson and Mr Nigel Dodds, to attend the Executive meeting as "slightly diminishing" the whole-heartedness of the decision people had taken about working together and being part of a joint Executive.
"But nonetheless, we have an Executive made up of four very different parties and we will be reaching decisions together. I doubt very much whether the DUP have decided not to reach any decisions. I would find that very unusual. We have four parties all reaching decisions together in a common way and we have to go forward together on issues that affect people's daily lives," Ms de Brun said.
The Minister of Education, Mr Martin McGuinness, described yesterday's events as "tremendously important". "It is the beginning of a new era of equality, justice, freedom and peace for all our people.
"I am very conscious that we are now going into a meeting that will be 50:50 representation so we are, on an ongoing basis, steadily achieving the equality to which our people are entitled," he said.
Mr McGuinness said he was very conscious of the responsibility on all Ministers to work constructively and productively with one another. "We are looking forward to working with people like David Trimble, Peter Robinson and others from the unionist community," he added.
"This is an important day for our people. We are no doubt living in very interesting and very hopeful times. The responsibility of all political leaders in this equation is to ensure that this Executive lasts and lasts and lasts, does the business, knuckles down to the job, faces up to all the difficult issues that need to be addressed in relation to health, education, social services, transport and all aspects of life on this island.
"We all know there is much inequality. There are many disadvantaged people, there are people in working-class areas who are looking at us today with a tremendous sense of hope," he added.