Sinn Féin's Bairbre de Brun has said republicans need to begin working, with others in their communities, on improving the quality of life in their areas in preparation for a united Ireland.
Sinn Féin's European Parliament candidate told a conference in Armagh republicans needed to reach out to others and campaign for the integration ofservices on both sides of the border.
The former Stormont Health Minister told colleagues: "A basic tenet of Irishrepublicanism is the need for national self-determination.
"Resolution of the national issue will also require republicans to reach outto others and campaign around the need for integration.
"Even if there was a united Ireland in the morning there would still be a disjoint to be tackled between different systems north and south.
"These would impact, in particular, on areas that straddle the presentborder. We cannot await the achievement of a united Ireland before taking thenecessary remedial steps.
"In order to address the difficulties and start to do away with the barrierswe need to begin the process of harmonisation and integration now."
Ms de Brun was attending a conference marking the recent launch of Sinn Féin'sstrategy for harmonising services and improving the quality of life along theborder.
She said progress had already been made through the north-south bodies.
But the former West Belfast Assembly called for communities on both sides ofthe border to be given a say in shaping integrated plans for their areas.
"We come to this process of national reconciliation and conflict resolutionfrom a position that economic and social rights can no more be divorced from thepolitical conflict than political rights," she said.
"Democracy must come from the bottom up. It must empower local communitiesand have an economic as well as a political basis.
"People have the right to access minimum standards of service provision inareas such as energy, telecommunications, health, education, transportation andemployment.
"They also have a right to be involved in the planning, development andprovision of these services.
"Community empowerment is a key element of social inclusion, tacklinginequality in the social, economic, linguistic, political and culturalspheres."
Ms de Brun said this could be achieved by giving groups a role in problemsolving.
PA