UNA-NI - Trustees’ Report
The United Nations Association Northern Ireland registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland as Charity Number: NIC 103663 in October 2015. Since registration, UNA-NI has continued to convene regular meetings of the Trustees and has planned and delivered several events in support of its aims and stated public benefit.
UNA-NI was established for the promotion of a safer, fairer and more sustainable world through a strong, credible and effective United Nations.
We believe that UNA-NI meets the public benefit requirement by:
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connecting people within Northern Ireland to the work and values of the UN;
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informing people locally of the UN goals internationally;
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explaining how the UN works and what it can realistically achieve;
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offering opportunities for debate on how to make the UN more effective.
In other words, we aim to bring the United Nations more closely to the people of Northern Ireland through information-sharing, awareness-raising and debate. We believe that this is of public benefit. The direct benefits which flow from the work of UNA-NI are through its annual programme of events, details of which are outlined below. All of these events were provided free of charge.
Fishing Exhibition in Armagh Robinson Library for UN International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture Launch – 07/09/22
Armagh Robinson Library’s temporary exhibition highlighted the subject of fishing to coincide with the United Nations International year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. Members of UNA-NI helped to launch the exhibition along with Brian Russell, a local fly-fishing guide. A representative from UNA-NI said, “We thank Armagh Robinson Library for choosing this theme to reflect the UN International Year. This special year is helping to encourage people to buy and consume products from small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, and to learn more about the value of small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers. We note that the exhibition will remain on view for World Fisheries Day on 21 November which is a day to highlight the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems and to ensure that there are sustainable stocks of fisheries throughout the world.”
Pictured in the photograph from UNA-NI were from right Patricia Irvine, Carol Conlin and Ruth Taillon, along with representatives of Armagh Robinson Library and, far left, Brian Russell.
Climate Change Talk – ‘From one COP to the Next!’ – 10/10/22
The United Nations Association Northern Ireland in association with Armagh Robinson Library organised an event as part of the 2022 One World Festival NI. The in-person talk was given in the Library on Monday 10 October 2022 from 10.30am to 11.15am by Emer Rafferty, Climate Activist and Northern Ireland’s first Young Climate Ambassador for the Conference of the Parties (COP 26).
Held ahead of United Nations International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Emer covered the outcomes and challenges from COP 26, leading to COP 27. She looked at the progress in reducing disaster risk and the loss of life, livelihood and health. Cities are in the front lines in dealing with disasters and are vulnerable to increasingly frequent and extreme weather hazards, such as storms, climate change impacts, including water shortages, environmental degradation and unsafe constructions.
Speaking ahead of her talk, Emer said, “I will be keen to let people know what worked well in the world of COP, and where improvements are needed. I will also want to let everyone know what actions they can take, both as individuals and as members of society, to confront the climate emergency.”
Armagh Robinson Library welcomed the opportunity to host one of the events as part of the One World Festival which ran from 10 to 15 October 2022. The festival was organised by CADA NI, the Coalition of Aid and Development Agencies in Northern Ireland, which is the umbrella organisation of overseas aid and development agencies with an active presence in Northern Ireland. The following photographs show the range of school students who attended the event along with UNA-NI representatives and the guest speaker Emer Rafferty:
Students from Royal School, Armagh, St Patrick’s College Armagh and St Patrick’s School, Keady
Representatives from UNA-NI and the One World Festival with Emer Rafferty
We welcomed a full house (50) to the event with Year 10 students and their teachers.
Online Talk by Guest Speaker Ambassador Fergal Mythen – 05/12/22
We were very pleased to welcome more than 20 people to the online talk given by Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations. His talk titled, ‘Ireland’s Priorities for and Experience of the UN Security Council’ received many positive comments. It was a morale boost for UNA members to hear the encouraging comments the Ambassador made about United Nations Associations at local and international levels.
Committee Meetings
The Committee has met online on three occasions and once in person to carry out the business for UNA-NI.
Images courtesy of Ian Maginess