Highlighting the United Nations at 80 in Northern Ireland

UNA-NI invited all local councils and the two universities to highlight the 80th anniversary of the United Nations on UN Day. We in UNA-NI are grateful that several have agreed to light up their civic buildings in UN Blue on that special day.

In 2020, UNA-NI invited all eleven local councils to light up their buildings in UN blue, to highlight the UN’s 75th anniversary and they did so. We later learned that, at a European level, the number of buildings exceeded all expectations with more than 400 buildings lit up on UN Day. 20 of those buildings were in Northern Ireland, so we helped to turn Europe UN Blue.

We have asked local people to photograph their civic buildings in UN blue and send the photographs to us at unassocni@gmail.com We will then carry them on our website at unani.weebly.com and forward them to UNA-UK for further recognition.

Sincere thanks go to Jane Kinninmont, for taking part in a panel of speakers on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence on 19/10/25. This was a 30-minute interview, talking about the UN. The time-limited link is here.

On UN Day itself, we were pleased that BBC Radio Ulster's Thought for the Day highlighted the UN. Bishop Trevor Williams, who is a member of UNA-NI, kindly agreed to give the thought. The link is here.

As a gift, a special prayer was written for us in N. Ireland for the 80th anniversary of the UN. We have circulated it widely to all the churches and faith groups in N. Ireland and hope that it will be used at this time. The wording is as follows:

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Wise and gracious God, we thank you for the United Nations, a gift to the peoples of the world. For eighty years, individuals have devoted themselves to its purposes, in the safeguarding of human rights; diplomacy, peace making and peace keeping; the eradication of disease; and the provision of food and healthcare for refugees. In an age of complex global challenges, may all nations learn from the past and look to the future, with a shared vision of lasting peace, inter-country co-operation, and a commitment to the welfare of all your children. Guide and bless us that in solidarity with one another, through our words and actions, love and compassion will triumph over hatred and despair, so that the darkness of division will be scattered by the light of hope in a brighter future in the years to come.
Amen.