On the 26th October, the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Robin Newton MBE MLA, held a reception for UNA Northern Ireland in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings Belfast.
The event celebrated UN day and the conclusion of the 70th UN Anniversary and presentation of the UN Charter to the District Councils throughout Northern Ireland.
Two local schools took part in the event. Pupils from Our lady and St Patricks college spoke about their UN Ambassador scheme, unique to their college. This was followed by pupils from Wallace High School, one of our MUN schools who presented a copy of the UN Charter to the Speaker of the House.
The keynote speaker was Richard Nelmes, Deputy Director (Outreach) UNA UK who spoke on the theme ‘How can civil society make a difference at the UN’
Nearly 70 guests attended from a wide range of organisations, both local and international, along with representatives from the education sector and civil society.
At the end of the event, Guests had an opportunity to mingle and network and enjoy the food and refreshments provided by the Assembly.
Earlier in the day, Richard Nelmes, along with the chair and secretary of UNA NI Branch attended a luncheon with members of the All-Party Group for International Development, which provided an opportunity to engage with them about their work, and also promote the work of UNA.