Janet Finch-Saunders: In my contribution today, I wish to also put on record my support for the establishment of a Wales peace institute and, in doing so, I would just like to pay tribute to the two very valuable contributions that we have had, and to William Powell in particular for opening up the debate. A Wales peace institute would seek to raise awareness and allow the ability to provide extremely valuable research, the transferring of knowledge and dissemination of peace awareness, as well as intervention in the field, in support of the 1,525 people who signed the petition urging for the principle and establishment of a Wales peace institute.
I believe that it would be most fitting to support this initiative as we commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the first world war, supposedly the war to end all wars, and yet, it was one of the bloodiest and costliest wars of all time. Historically, Wales is known as a peaceful nation, but during times of need and heroism, Wales has been there with support. Between the years of 1914 and 1918, 272,924 Welsh men and boys were recruited with, sadly, many paying the ultimate sacrifice, defending their country and our freedom. A legacy, catastrophic loss of life and devastation such as this should never be forgotten. A Wales peace institute, through education, would seek to inform people of the sacrifice and of the destruction of war and would, hopefully, promote and encourage a culture of peace. A peace institute in Wales would explore, in detail, the root causes of war and crimes against humanity, allowing high-quality research and collaboration across many associated groups in order to, one day, promote world peace.
Conwy county peace group has very eloquently put the case forward as regards the importance of a peace institution in Wales. It says this:
‘As a constituent country/state of the United Kingdom, which has its own law making powers, we feel that Wales as an entity is analogous to Flanders in Belgium and to Catalonia in Spain, both of whom have their own Peace Institutes supported by their state governments.’
The Flanders and Catalonia peace institutions have stressed that it is crucial that a Welsh peace institution is to remain independent, although a strong bond with the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government should exist. This institution should be independent from but supported by the Assembly and the Welsh Government. In this respect, the constitution will be similar to that of the Flemish Peace Institute vis-à-vis the state Government of Flanders.
There should be the facilitation of more discussions between interested parties, such as the academic community and civic society, to enable further scoping work to be undertaken for the Wales peace institute. We boast some of the best facilities in Europe with regard to academic research. Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea universities would be able to assist in research and would help the institute. However, this will be much broader than pure academic study. There is a Welsh goldmine of opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge and experience established within our universities.
As William Powell has said, the petition is not directly asking for funding from the National Assembly or the Welsh Government. This is about the principle of forming a Welsh peace institute. This institute would be cost-effective, because it would be performing a unique and valuable function in relation to the National Assembly’s decisions on policy. As well as many other advantages, it would seek to examine the impact on Wales of UK defence and foreign policy decisions; it would have consultation status in respect of the national curriculum of Wales; it would make use of well-established academic facilities to provide extensive research into conflict and peace; and it would provide enhanced representation of Wales on the international stage as a respectful and peace-loving nation. The peace institute would look at much more than war and peace; as a body it would promote peace in all aspects of our society through a transformative education on peace, and through the examination of theory and practice. I support the calls for the establishment of the Wales peace institute.