Collaboration with Other Organisations
We continued our membership of CADA (Coalition of Aid and Development Agencies). We took part in CADA's One World Festival in October 2020 by holding an online event, presented by well-known Northern Ireland Storyteller Liz Weir. The title 'One World, Many Voices' was told by Liz through her stories which highlighted global themes, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for example, the environment and conflict resolution.
Celebrations for UN Day - 24 October 2020
We always aim to celebrate UN Day and in 2020 we were even keener to do so as 24 October 2020 started the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and of UNA.
Aware that we were unlikely to hold in-person events, we approached all 11 local councils and the two universities to invite them to light up their buildings in UN Blue on UN Day. An approach to one MLA also led to permission for the building at Stormont to be lit up in UN Blue. In the end more than 26 civic buildings throughout Northern Ireland were lit up in UN Blue on UN Day.
To mark the special anniversary, several MLAs met with UNA Committee members for a photo call on the steps of Stormont. A separate photo call was held with the Lord Mayor or Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council with two of UNA-NI's Committee members.
UN at 75
BBC Radio Ulster’s programme, ‘Sunday Sequence’, interviewed Natalie Samarasinghe, UNA-UK’s Director, who gave a well-balanced portrayal of the ‘UN at 75’ as part of a panel of speakers. On 26 October 2020, Natalie was the contributor for BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Thought for the Day’. Both these programmes were an opportunity to promote the work of the UN and its relevance in today’s world.
We met with the NI Teachers Council, involving representatives of all five teaching unions to present our proposals for engaging schools in dialogue and activity for the UN 75th anniversary year, commencing on UN Day. Following the meeting, each of the five unions received our resource pack including the UN’s global consultation survey on the future of the UN; a list of videos and other resources that can be used in schools to support both primary and secondary curricula; and a draft letter for teachers and principals. At our meeting, it was agreed that each of the unions could endorse the letter and that it could be distributed through their own websites and networks.
We were also happy to respond to an invitation from the Ulster Teachers Union to submit an article on the work of UNA NI for the union newsletter, which was subsequently published.
In January 2021, there was another opportunity to talk about UN 75 on BBC Radio Ulster during the programme ‘Your Place and Mine’ when the presenter Anne Marie McAleese interviewed UNA-NI’s Chairperson, Patricia Irvine, who spoke about the early days of the formation of the first UNA-NI Branch in Belfast back in 1945.
Model UN at Queen’s University Belfast
We continued to strengthen our links with Queen’s Model UN by supporting each other’s online events. We were pleased that Tara Grace Connolly was selected as one of the two youth delegates who are assisting the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade during Ireland’s two-year term of office on the United Nations Security Council. Committee members were delighted to hear Tara Grace speak at an event held by the Queen's Model United Nations Group. Tara Grace, a vibrant, enthusiastic young lady, spoke of how privileged she felt to be the first person from Northern Ireland to be selected for the role. She and her fellow delegate, Conn McCarrick from Dublin, will represent the views of young people at the UN Irish Mission and will play an important role in building awareness of the work of the UN and Ireland’s role on the global stage.
We held our AGM a short while ago and we have plans for the next year. We aim to bring the United Nations more closely to the people of Northern Ireland through information-sharing, awareness-raising and debate. We invite you to help us promote a safer, fairer and more sustainable world through a strong, credible and effective United Nations.