Cymru dros Heddwch yn Israel a Phalesteina

Wikimedia Commons

Mae Cymru a’r byd yn gwylio mewn arswyd o flaen y sefyllfa ddyngarol sy’n datblygu a’r gwrthdaro sy’n gwaethygu yn Israel a Phalesteina ym mis Hydref 2023, yn dilyn yr ymosodiadau digynsail ar gymunedau Israel yn gynnar yn y bore ar 7 Hydref gan derfysgwyr Hamas.

Wrth i ymateb milwrol llywodraeth Israel gynyddu, mae miliynau lawer bellach yn cael eu dal yn un o’r argyfyngau dyngarol mwyaf difrifol mewn hanes hir o wrthdaro yn y Dwyrain Canol.

Mae miloedd o sifiliaid Israelaidd wedi cael eu lladd a’u llofruddio, a channoedd yn rhagor wedi eu cymryd yn wystlon yn yr ymosodiadau gwaethaf (ac annisgwyl) a welwyd ar Israel ers Rhyfel Yom Kippur ym 1967. Mae Llywodraeth Israel a’r fyddin wedi ymateb gydag ymgyrch o fomio adeiladau a seilwaith yn Ninas Gaza, a thorri cyflenwadau hanfodol bywyd fel dŵr, trydan, tanwydd a bwyd i Llain Gaza gyfan, llain anghysbell o arfordir 25 milltir wrth 5 milltir, sy’n gartref i dros 2 filiwn o bobl, un o’r ardaloedd mwyaf poblog ar y ddaear. Ar 13 Hydref, cyhoeddodd Israel gyfarwyddyd i dros 1 miliwn o drigolion adael a ‘symud i’r de’ o fewn 24 awr, cyn ymosodiad disgwyliedig ar y tir.

Apeliadau Dyngarol

Mae nifer o apeliadau dyngarol wedi cael eu lansio i gefnogi miliynau lawer o sifiliaid diniwed sy’n cael eu dal yn y croestanio – gan gynnwys Cronfa Achub y Plant (SCF), y Groes Goch Ryngwladol, a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) – ac mae arweinwyr Seneddol Cymru wedi galw am Heddwch yn wyneb y sefyllfa sy’n gwaethygu.

Ymateb Dyngarol i Ddad-ddwysáu’r Gwrthdaro

Mae WCIA yn ymuno â chymdeithas sifil ar draws y byd i gondemnio gweithredoedd eithafwyr milwriaethus Hamas yn gwbl ddiamwys wrth ymosod, herwgipio a llofruddio dynion, menywod a phlant yn Israel.

Rydym yn sefyll mewn undod gydag Israeliaid cyffredin, Palestiniaid a phobl o bob cenedl sy’n cael eu heffeithio gan y gwrthdaro. Mae WCIA yn ymuno â’r gymuned ryngwladol i alw ar Hamas i ryddhau gwystlon ac i roi’r gorau i bob trais. Rydym yn ymuno â galwadau ar i Lywodraeth Israel amddiffyn ei ffiniau a’i diogelwch hefyd, yn unol â chyfraith ddyngarol ryngwladol a rheolau rhyfel, ac i ddiogelu coridorau ar gyfer cymorth dyngarol i sifiliaid a ddaliwyd yn y croestanio, fel y mynegwyd gan Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol y Cenhedloedd Unedig, António Guterres mewn anerchiad i’r wasg ar 9 Hydref 2023

“I recognize the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people. But nothing can justify acts of terror & the killing, maiming & abduction of civilians. I reiterate my call to immediately cease these attacks & release all hostages.

I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with int’l humanitarian law. Civilians must be respected & protected at all times. Civilian infrastructure must never be a target.”

Antonio Guterres, Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol y Cenhedloedd Unedig

Bod yn Ddynol: Cefnogi Lleisiau dros Heddwch yn y Croestanio

Rydym yn galw ar sylwebyddion ar bob ochr, yn enwedig ymhlith actorion gwleidyddol, y wasg a’r cyfryngau, i wneud gwahaniaethau clir rhwng gweithredoedd eithafwyr Hamas, poblogaeth Palesteina a’r gymuned Arabaidd ehangach; ac yn yr un modd, gweithredoedd Llywodraeth Israel, poblogaeth ehangach Israel, a’r gymuned Iddewig ryngwladol.

Mewn amgylchedd cyfryngau cymdeithasol a newyddion sy’n megino polareiddio, mae WCIA yn annog sylwebyddion ac unigolion i glywed lleisiau’r rhai sy’n galw am heddwch ac am atebion heddychlon, fel:

“Whether this current war results in another status quo in Gaza, as past wars have, or a reoccupation of Gaza by Israel, this violence will not aid the aims of safety, equality, freedom, and peace for all people between the river and the sea. In the words of renowned theologian, political analyst, and former FOR executive director, A.J. Muste, ‘There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.””

Ariel Gold, Y Gymrodoriaeth Gymodi Ryngwladol

Adnoddau a Safbwyntiau ar y Gwrthdaro rhwng Israel a Phalesteina

Mae WCIA wedi curadu ystod o ddolenni ac adnoddau i gefnogi pobl ar draws Cymru i archwilio a deall y gwrthdaro presennol a’r hanes hir y tu ôl iddo yn well. Mae’r adnoddau hyn yn cael eu dewis yn fwriadol i gyflwyno ystod eang o safbwyntiau, ac nid ydynt yn cynrychioli barn swyddogol WCIA; rydym yn ceisio rhannu ffyrdd y gall pobl yng Nghymru ddysgu mwy am faterion byd-eang, gweithredu a dangos undod.

Cymunedau o ymsefydlwyr yn y Tiriogaethau Palesteinaidd Meddianedig, sydd wedi dadleoli miloedd lawer o ddinasyddion Palesteina (Wikimedia Commons)

Sefydliadau Dyngarol ‘ar lawr gwlad’ yn Gaza

Safbwyntiau Cymdeithas Sifil

  • Cyngor Arweinyddiaeth Iddewig y DU
  • Cyngor Mwslimiaid Cymru: Canllaw i Rieni ac Ysgolion (2021)
  • Canolfan Dreftadaeth Iddewon Cymreig
  • Cymunedau a Chynulleidfaoedd Iddewig yng Nghymru
  • Ymgyrch Cydsefyll gyda Phalesteina
  • Btselem – Canolfan Wybodaeth Israel ar Hawliau Dynol
  • Na’amod – mudiad o Iddewon yn y DU sy’n ceisio rhoi terfyn ar gefnogaeth ein cymuned i feddiannaeth, ac i urddas, rhyddid a democratiaeth i’r holl Balesteiniaid ac Israeliaid.
  • Uned y Myfyrwyr Iddewig (UJS) DU
  • Y Gymrodoriaeth Gymodi Ryngwladol (FOR) Datganiad Rhyngwladol

 

Ffynonellau a Safbwyntiau Newyddion

Proffiliau Gwledydd a Gwybodaeth Ddyngarol

Cefndir Hanesyddol i’r Gwrthdaro

Mae gan wrthdaro Israel – Palesteina wreiddiau yn mynd yn ôl canrif lawn, i Ddatganiad Balfour 1917, pan oedd Palesteina yn Fandad Prydeinig. Sefydlwyd Gwladwriaeth Israel ym 1948, ar ôl i erchyllterau Holocost yr Ail Ryfel Byd danio galwadau am famwlad Iddewig ddiogel. Fodd bynnag, creodd methiant y ddwy broses i gynnwys poblogaeth bresennol Palesteina wrthdaro meddiannaeth a pharhaol dros dir, adnoddau, crefydd a rheolaeth wleidyddol. Ers hynny, mae achosion olynol o wrthdaro wedi symud ffiniau tiriogaethau cydnabyddedig Israel a Phalesteina Feddianedig, y mae cystadlu ffyrnig am eu meddiant.

Mae’r ymdrechion i adeiladu heddwch ar sail ‘Ateb Dwy Wlad’ wedi dod yn bryfoclyd o agos ar adegau mewn hanes, yn enwedig yn Uwchgynhadledd Camp David 2000; ond yn aml mae’r ymdrechion heddwch wedi cael eu dryllio gan erchyllterau terfysgol — fel sydd wedi digwydd eto yn 2023 (wrth i Gytundeb Abraham a Chytundeb Heddwch yr Unol Daleithiau / Israel / Saudi fod wedi bod yn datblygu.

Cyfeiriadau defnyddiol

International Community response to Israel Gaza Conflict: Purple = Israel allies; Orange = Palestine allies; Green = Neutral. Source: Wikipedia

Beth y Gallaf ei Wneud?

  1. Rhoi arian tuag at apeliadau dyngarol sy’n cefnogi dioddefwyr yr ymosodiadau, a’r gwrthdaro cynyddol (dolenni uchod)
  2. Cefnogi mudiadau ac elusennau cymdeithas sifil sy’n eiriol dros ffyrdd heddychlon o gyflawni cyd-ddibyniaeth rhwng pobl Israel a Phalesteina
  3. Addysgu – dysgu am hanes hir gwrthdaro Israel / Palesteina, ac ymdrechion tuag at Heddwch ar sail Ateb Dwy Wlad.



The 1935 Peace Ballot in Wales

By Rob Laker, History Masters Researcher, Swansea University (student placement with WCIA’s ‘Peace Heritage’ programme).

[efsbutton size=”” color_class=”” align=”left” type=”link” target=”false” title=”Download Printable PDF Booklet” link=”https://www.wcia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-1935-Peace-Ballot-in-Wales-by-Rob-Laker-WCIA-Peacemakers-Feature.pdf”]

The 1935 Peace Ballot was a UK wide poll of Britain’s electorate designed to measure the public’s opinions regarding the key debates in international relations at the time. Despite lacking government sponsorship, the Ballot received extraordinary attention across the United Kingdom – nowhere was engagement higher, however, than in Wales, which quickly came to be recognised as a leading light in the cause of internationalism.

“1,025,040 people in Wales voted in the Peace Ballot of 1935… 62.3% of eligible registered voters”

Between the wars, a new form of outward-looking patriotism had become an important part of Welsh national identity, as ordinary people worked actively to create a Wales which existed at the centre of the international community. Local branches of the Welsh League of Nations Union were active in every corner of Wales, running cultural events such as ‘Daffodil Days’ – the since forgotten annual custom of selling daffodils in aid of the League – and coordinating networks of local activists. This pride in their nation’s role in the quest for international harmony manifested itself in Welsh responses to the Peace Ballot, producing an overwhelming endorsement for the cause of internationalism.

The UK Ballot

By the end of 1933 it seemed that the international order was unravelling: the World Disarmament Conference had failed to produce results, Germany had withdrawn from the League of Nations, and the organisation had proved itself unable to resolve the Manchuria Crisis.

Internationalists in Britain, however, were anxious that the government remain committed to the League, and so the League of Nations Union set about organising the Peace Ballot in order to demonstrate the British people’s unwavering commitment to internationalism. Between the end of 1934 and the middle of 1935, half a million volunteers canvassed door to door, collecting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses on five key questions:

1)    Should Great Britain remain a member of the League of Nations?

2)    Are you in favour of all-round reduction of armaments by international agreement?

3)    Are you in favour of an all-round abolition of national military and naval aircraft by international agreement?

4)    Should the manufacture and sale of armaments for private profit be prohibited by international agreement?

5)     Do you consider that, if a nation insists on attacking another, the other nations should combine to compel it to stop –

       a) by economic and non-military measures?

       b) if necessary, military measures?

Credit – Northern Friends’ Peace Board, c/o Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) 

Despite being independently conducted, the Ballot – which received 11.6 million responses nationwide – has been described as Britain’s first referendum, and was highly effective in stimulating engagement with the key issues dominating international politics. The poll did not disappoint its organisers, for the result was an emphatic endorsement of internationalist policies from the British public.

  • An astonishing ninety-seven percent of voters felt that Britain should remain in the League
  • while ninety-four percent believed that it should outlaw the arms trade
Read more

WLNU Postbox in the Temple of Peace today.

The Welsh Case

In Wales, the organisation of the Ballot fell solely on the shoulders of the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU), a challenge which it took up with great enthusiasm. Vast reserves of internationalist sentiment, which permeated every corner of Welsh society, were an important part of interwar society. To believe in Wales was, in this period of salient hope, to actively pursue the cause of peace, thereby locating the Welsh as a ‘force for good’ at the crux of global anxieties.

Google Map of Communities who organised Daffodil Days between 1925-39, collated by Rob Laker for his feature article on Daffodil Days of the WLNU . Zoom, or click on pins, to find individual communities. Further info on local activism can be gleaned from Welsh League of Nations Union reports (digitised by WCIA on People’s Collection Wales).

Lord David Davies of Llandinam  (painted by Sam Morse Brown:  National Museum of Wales collections)  

As a result, Lord David Davies (who co-founded the Welsh League of Nations Union with Rev Gwilym Davies) was determined that Wales should produce a spectacular result in the Ballot which he viewed as the very ‘essence of democracy’.

Drawing upon a committed network of volunteers across Wales, supplemented by an army of canvassers (paid at the personal expense of Lord Davies), WLNU representatives went door to door in nearly every Welsh town and village collecting responses.

The responses proved to be an affirmation of Wales’ internationalist credentials, as over one million adults voted in the Ballot – which at the time, represented 62.3 percent of the Welsh electorate (24 percent higher than the average across Britain as a whole).

As of 6th June 1935, the top twelve constituencies in Great Britain with the highest percentage turnout were all in Wales, in some of which over eighty percent of the total electorate responded to the ballot (RH).

In a few cases, turnout was particularly spectacular. In Llanerfyl (Montgomeryshire), for instance, all 304 of its adult inhabitants responded to the poll, likely a testament to the zeal of local activists.

Turnout was in fact much higher in villages than in large towns across the board, and despite hosting the headquarters of the Welsh League of Nations Union, Cardiff produced some of the lowest turnouts of the poll.

We can interpret this as evidence that the success of the Ballot in Wales rested not just in the League’s popularity, but in the strength of Welsh community activism. It is highly likely that organisers in villages such as Llanerfyl (Montgomery) and Nantlle (Gwynedd) were able to achieve a 100 percent response rate because they operated in a tight-knit community, allowing them to rally support face-to-face, one neighbour at a time, in a way which proved more difficult in larger cities.

It is worth noting, however, that despite the strategy of going door-to-door in their local communities, activists were still able to obtain phenomenal results from many larger towns. In Port Talbot, for example, 82.8 percent of the town’s 27,000 adults voted.

Viewed in this light, the results of the Ballot are a testament to the strength and scale of the local networks upon which the Welsh League of Nations relied upon for support.

The way in which Welsh people voted also reflects the strength of their commitment to internationalism. In fact, just 1.7 percent of voters in Wales wanted to leave the League – around half the national average – while Welsh voters were consistently more often in favour of disarmament.

Wales had proved itself a ‘special case’. As historians such as Helen McCarthy have noted, the League of Nations Union was the largest ‘League themed’ society of any in Europe and easily enjoyed the most popular support. It is not unreasonable then, in light of the disparity between Wales and the rest of Britain in Ballot responses, to conclude that…

“in 1935 the Welsh ‘were the most ardently internationalist nation in Europe’.”

Digitised Wales Peace Ballot Records

This collection draws together leaflets, voting forms, campaigner bulletins, articles and analysis by the Welsh League of Nations Union for the 1935 Peace Ballot - a national canvass of public opinion on Peace in the context of the then-escalating European Arms Race. Although the Peace Ballot was an initiative by the UK League of Nations Union, Wales set out explicitly to 'lead the way' and 'top the polls,' to demonstrate the strength of feeling in favour of peace, 16 years after the end of WW1.

The bulletins gave a detailed breakdown of progress on the Ballot, returns from each county of Wales (with comparisons to England), and analysis / encouragement from key figures in Wales' Peace movements. The bulletins carried motivational 'Opinion Pieces' from leaders of Wales Peace movements, such as Gwilym Davies and David Davies; and in depth analysis of the returns received from constituencies all over Wales

Later bulletins and introduction of 'YMLAEN / ONWARD' newsletter, explore implications of the results for Wales' peace building movements, and impact upon domestic and international political affairs - in particular, the meeting of the 1936 League of Nations in Geneva, which was regarded as a failure on the part of national governments. A poster graphic illustrates the UK-wide results, and Wales' leading place within the polls - with 5 of the top 10 constituency returns being Anglesey, Aberdare, Swansea East, Rhondda West and Merthyr Tydfil.
1935 Peace Ballot – Briefing for Households 1935 Peace Ballot – Canvassers’ Briefing ‘Peace Calls for Plain Answers to Simple Questions’ – 1935 Media Article Bulletin 2, Jan 22 1935 Bulletin 3, Feb 6 1935
Bulletin 4, Mar 9 1935 Bulletin 5, Apr 9 1935 Bulletin 6, June 7 1935 Bulletin 7, Oct 1935: ONWARD YMLAEN / ONWARD Bulletin, May 1936

Outcomes for Britain

The will of the people was unequivocal – Wales and Britain wanted to remain in international circles – what this meant, however, remained open to interpretation.

The organisers of the Ballot presented the result to the prime minister and his cabinet, but it quickly became clear that, due to the binary nature of responses, that the format of the Ballot was a poor vehicle for dictating policy.

‘Remain may have meant remain’, and ‘disarm may have meant disarm’… but the Ballot gave no sense of the scale or manner of which these aims should be pursued.

This left little room for nuance, and instead general opinion was measured without details of its practical implementation. The failure of Ballot organisers to frame the poll’s questions within the myriad complexities of Britain’s international position, made integration of the Ballot’s result into policy making both confusing and impractical – and so the consequences of the Ballot in Britain’s foreign policy are hard to identify.

The Ballot may have failed to significantly influence policy, but the strength of the poll lay in its ability to measure popular opinion. It demonstrated that an overwhelming majority of the population supported Britain’s active involvement in the League of Nations, even if there was no uniform vision of what that involvement should look like.

Across Britain, League of Nations Union branches enjoyed a surge in membership and enthusiasm for the League which, despite the Abyssinia Crisis and the aggression of Hitler, was maintained right up until the outbreak of the Second World War.

UK wide returns against the 5 questions posed by the Peace Ballot.

 

Outcomes for Wales

WLNU Organiser Rev Gwilym Davies

The Welsh League of Nations Union had a very clear idea of what the result should mean for Wales. For Gwilym Davies (Organiser of the WLNU) the result of the Ballot was ‘the vindication of the democratic right of a free people’ and a demonstration of the ‘notable achievements’ of Wales in the cause for world peace.

In a bulletin on the subject of ‘facing the future’, Davies called for the ‘Welsh million’ to be converted into one hundred thousand new members across Wales. While this roughly eight-fold increase failed to materialise itself,

the WLoNU organisation more than doubled in size, reaching 27,545 paid members by 1937 – the highest at any point in the interwar period.

For Wales, Gwilym Davies published a Constituency by Constituency Analysis of the 1935 Peace Ballot voting returns – which can be viewed on People’s Collection Wales at: www.peoplescollection.wales/items/1247091

Clearly then, far from being a fleeting spike of interest, the Peace Ballot was the source of revitalisation of Wales’ identity as an international nation.

Furthermore, the setbacks suffered by the League of Nations in the mid and late 1930s – instead of leading to disenchantment – only made people in Wales more determined that the principles they had committed to in the Peace Ballot should be upheld. This wave of enthusiasm for peace through internationalism was carried right through to the outbreak of war in 1939 and beyond, later providing the support structures and the much of the personnel for the creation of the United Nations.

One such example is Gwilym Davies himself, Director and co-founder of the WLNU, who not only became president of the Welsh National Council of the United Nations Association, but is considered to be a key architect in the creation of world education & scientific body UNESCO.

Temple of Peace: Headquarters befitting a ‘Booming’ Movement

One of the most striking and longstanding results of the Peace Ballot in Wales is the Temple of Peace and Health, which was opened in Cardiff in 1938.

Envisioned by Lord Davies as ‘a memorial to those gallant men from all nations who gave their lives in the war that was to end war’, construction of the building was started in 1937 at a time when the organisation was rapidly expanding.

'A New Mecca'

Account from the Opening Ceremony, ‘A New Mecca’, from the Temple of Peace Archives

It was felt that, in light of the precarious international situation, it was more important than ever for Welsh internationalism to have a headquarters which suitably reflected its growing influence. Thus rose the Temple – a bastion of peace, intended to make good the sacrifice of those who fell in the ‘war that was to end war’.

Today the Temple of Peace still stands – an enduring legacy of the Ballot’s success. The organisations it now houses continue to work in the spirit of the Ballot’s organisers, inheriting the desire that Wales should be at the centre of the international community.

The WCIA – Welsh Centre for International Affairs, founded in 1973, is the modern iteration (the ‘grand daughter’, via UNA Wales) of the Welsh League of Nations Union. WCIA continue the work and vision of WLNU, and the million Welsh people who voted in the 1935 Peace Ballot, to build a better, more peaceful world.

WCIA, like their predecessors, believe that Wales is a nation which can create real and lasting change in the wider world. It is for this proud tradition – driven by the dedication and commitment of local people across Wales – that the galvanising effects of the Peace Ballot should be remembered today.

Blog article and research by WCIA Research Intern Rob Laker, on placement with Wales for Peace from Swansea University History Dept over Summer 2019 with ongoing research through 2020. Drawing on materials from the National Library of Wales and Temple of Peace Archives; and Annual Reports of the Welsh League of Nations Union 1922-45 on People’s Collection Wales, digitised by WCIA (with support of Swansea doctoral student Stuart Booker) for open access research. Final edit by Craig Owen, Wales for Peace.

Rob Laker, WCIA Archives Intern



Global Perspectives on COVID Pandemic: Solidarity, Community and Cooperation

Published on 25th March, in a fast changing international situation.

As the COVID Pandemic of 2020 has reached ‘lockdown’ for the UK and many other nations, the need for our communities – and community of nations – to work together has never been greater. Wales and the World are inextricably linked through global health: pandemics know no borders – and information is international. In an age of social media we are intertwined, and interdependent; we are Humankind.
Kindness, compassion and clarity will help us to face this world crisis, and support the most vulnerable, through cooperation and humanity – from the local to the global. Over coming weeks, WCIA will be sharing (via WCIA’s website, Twitter and Facebook feeds) ‘stories of solidarity’, links to reliable information / updates, and examples of inspiring civil society, individuals and community leadership from around the world.

View WCIA’s ‘Global Perspectives’ Blogs

 

Wales amidst a Global Health Crisis

Wales and Welsh communities must do all we can within a crisis of global proportions – and requiring global solutions. Summarised below are quick links to key sources of information and updates from around the world; ways that people can take action in local to global solidarity; learning from our heritage; and stories of solidarity from individuals around the world.

Quick References and Information Sources

UK & Welsh Government, NHS and Voluntary Sector

Global Health Bodies & Cooperation

Reference Resources and Useful Articles

temple of peaceWCIA and the Temple of Peace & Health

As with all venues and workplaces, the Temple of Peace is closed throughout the shutdown period and WCIA staff have been working from home since Monday 16th March (though as with many in this challenging time, our capacity is limited).

  • Venue bookings, and all WCIA events, have been postponed until the COVID situation becomes safer.
  • WCIA are sharing Stories of Solidarity (see below) from around the world; and useful resources (such as home learning and means to take action) via WCIA’s Twitter and Facebook social media feeds.
  • WCIA are supporting international volunteers on placements through UNA Exchange to self-isolate if in UK, and to find passages to their home countries where possible / appropriate.
  • Hub Cymru Africa and the Wales Africa Health Links Network are offering guidance to local linking organisations and charities supporting or whose work is affected by COVID.

Internationalism in Action: Taking a Global Stand

How are internationally-minded individuals in Wales able to contribute to understanding and combating the COVID crisis in any way… on top of looking after themselves and their loved ones in a lockdown? WCIA will be gathering and sharing actions and ideas of people Wales and world-wide via our social media channels, and here:

Community Action

Gemma from Hong Kong shares her experiences of COVID in WCIA’s Global Perspectives blog.

Global Learning

Global Action

Global Partnerships

Global Perspectives: Stories of Solidarity

Campaigner Glenda Fryer with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose leadership has been praised worldwide, shared her feelings as Kiwis entered a month long lock-down.

At the WCIA, we understand that the outbreak of COVID-19 is difficult for so many people across the world. In uncertain times like these, it is heartwarming to see communities uniting in solidarity, and even song in some cases. We are reaching out to people worldwide to share global perspectives on COVID-19, recognising the global nature of the issue, and some of the similarities and differences of experiences in different countries. We want to identify and share the positive stories emerging from the situation as a source of inspiration for people in these challenging times.

Personal ‘Stories of Solidarity’ from across the world, mapped.

Learning from the Past: Heritage of Cooperation

Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire – Canadian War Graves from 1918-19 Spanish Flu Epidemic (Geograph)

Not since the ‘Spanish Flu’ pandemic of 1918-1920, has the world experienced something of the scale the world is facing today in COVID19. Affecting as many lives globally as World War 1 itself, “Spanish flu” (so called, ironically, as Spain was the only WW1 nation that allowed uncensored reporting on it to save lives), ended up infecting 500 million – of whom 17-100 million died, making it the world’s worst epidemic since the ‘Black Death’ Plague of 1331-1353. In Wales, between 8,700 and 11,400 people are thought to have died.

Alongside Tuberculosis, the combined impact of World War One and Spanish Flu inspired the creation of Wales’ Temple of Peace and Health – home to WCIA today, and opened in 1938 as a beacon for the nation’s efforts to end the scourge of tuberculosis, and secure sustainable peace through global cooperation – initally through the work of the WNMA (Wales National Memorial Association for Eradication of Tuberculosis) and WLNU (Welsh League of Nations Union).

After World War 2, these movements evolved to support creation of the NHS (National Health Service) and the United Nations – two of humanity’s greatest achievements in facilitating cooperation for the common good. In the words of the Temple’s founder, David Davies:

“A ‘Temple of Peace’ is not of bricks and mortar: It is the spirit of man. It is the compact between every man, woman and child, to build a better world.”  

Has a generation taken our grandparents’ inheritance for granted? Over recent decades, support for and resourcing of these ‘institutions of humankind’ has fallen, health services and social care have suffered strident Austerity cuts, and many nations – the UK and US in particular – have turned inwards and away from the very bodies that enable international cooperation in times of crisis.

The COVID Pandemic will seriously test – and potentially reverse – many of these policy approaches. Working in global cooperation and solidarity with others, we will owe it to a generation who lose their lives, to come through this crisis to build a better world.

 

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford addresses the nation on 23 March.  



Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2023 

Organised by the Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC), the Cardiff Volunteer Awards was their annual award ceremony celebrating volunteering in Cardiff. Held in Cardiff on Wednesday 15 November, the ceremony recognised the many contributions and achievements of volunteers, community groups and organisations for their hard work and for going above and beyond to support everyone in our communities. 

Kicking off the evening was the fantastic Ebed Akotia who hosted the night’s event with incredible enthusiasm and respect for all the nominees and winners. There were a number of award categories this year including: 

  • Volunteer of the Year (Over 25 years) 
  • Young Volunteer of the Year (25 years and under) 
  • Volunteer Group of the Year  
  • Volunteer Coordinator of the Year  
  • Trustee of the Year  
  • Outstanding Community  
  • Inclusive Business of the Year  
  • VW Most Active Volunteer 
  • VW Most Active Provider 
  • Youth Led Grant Project of the Year 

Whether they were a nominee or a winner, their contributions were expressly thanked. The commitment and selflessness that all the volunteers have all demonstrated despite a very difficult year was applauded, and it was a privilege to see them get the recognition they wholly deserve. 

Being based in Cardiff, WCIA works with many volunteers, community groups and organisations within the city, so we were very honoured to be present and to have the opportunity to thank these individuals for all their incredible support and help acknowledge the impact they have made to their communities. 

WCIA over the years has been fortunate enough to have individuals volunteer with us in all areas of our work, making a difference to our communications, heritage, peace and climate programmes. Not only this but we been able to send hundreds of individuals from Wales to volunteer abroad, helping and learning from many other communities all around the world.  

For a full list of the nominees and winners of the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2023 please visit their website  https://c3sc.org.uk/cva-2023/ 

Or if you are interested in volunteering, whether that’s here in Wales or abroad please visit our website – https://www.wcia.org.uk/global-action/ or get in touch with us on volunteer@wcia.org.uk 



Talking Taith and the new curriculum with North Wales Teachers

Thursday 16 December, WCIA was invited to attend the Conference for Secondary Humanities Teachers in Abergele.  It was a fantastic opportunity for teachers to listen to presentations and to share emerging practice on how they’ve embedded the new Welsh curriculum into their schools and classrooms. It was inspirational to hear the ingenuity with which humanities teachers across North Wales have been finding novel ways of joining up their disciplines and teaching methodologies to best equip their students with the key skills and competencies to be ethnical citizens of the future. 

Those in attendance we lucky to hear from Huw Griffiths, an architect of the new curriculum, who spoke of how Cynefin (habitat/community) has played a central role in how we envision Welsh communities as well as how we educate Welsh students, as well as addressing ways in which schools can look to examples of history of Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to more holistically teach their subjects. 

This was followed by sessions on how we teach diversity and anti-racism in the Humanities as well as a plenary session on networking amongst the teachers. 

WCIA was fortunate enough to attend the conference and host a market stall, highlighting to teachers some of the many free to access educational resources that can supplement their teaching, helping to foster critical thinking, debating and the articulation of arguments.  Furthermore, in WCIA’s role as Taith Champion for the school’s sector, we were able to let teachers know what funding opportunities are available for them and their schools to undertake an international exchange.  

If you’re interested in learning how WCIA’s educational resources can help you in the classroom, click here.  Or, if you’re a school or youth organsiation who would like to learn more about how the Taith funding scheme can help you access international opportunities contact amberdemetrius@wcia.org.uk (schools) or danielmapatac@wcia.org.uk (youth sector).    



Temple of Health – ‘the First NHS’: Celebrating NHS75 for the Temple of Peace’s 85th Anniversary

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Book Launch Press Release
Feature ‘Temple of Health’ – A Forgotten Story?
‘The First NHS’ – Buy the Book

On 23 November 1938, Wales’ Temple of Peace & Health – WCIA’s home today – was opened by Minnie James of Merthyr Tydfil (who had lost 3 sons to WW1), representing war bereaved mothers of Wales and the world. The Temple was to be the nation’s memorial to the fallen and – as a ‘living memory’ to honour their loss – headquarters to movements that woudl lead Welsh efforts to build peace, health and international cooperation for future generations.

The Temple was gifted to the nation by David Davies of Llandinam alongside his sisters Gwendoline & Margaret Davies of Gregynog, who had all served in France in WW1 and were so horrified by their experience of war that – as with many of their generation – they dedicated much of their lives and fortunes to peace building. The task of designing a bricks and mortar ‘peace building’ had been entusted to then rising art deco architect Percy Thomas, whose work on the Temple earned him the prestigious RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture – of its time a truly world leading building, that remains iconic today.

At its opening the Temple became HQ to two organisations who had been leading efforts for human cooperation throughout the interwar era: in the ‘Peace Wing’, the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU) – whose campaigns for international cooperation have been extensively explored by WCIA peace heritage volunteers over recent years. The ‘Health’ wing housed the snappily titled King Edward VII Wales National Memorial Association for the Eradication of Tuberculosis (thankfully usually shortened to WNMA!), who heritage and history has been far less explored – until now.

On 23 November 2023, 85 years to the day after the grand opening ceremony of the Temple, WCIA are delighted to host a reception and book launch of ‘The First NHS’ by Emma Snow, with a panel of speakers who together with the audience will explore the largely forgotten history of the Temple’s – and Wales’ – ‘Health Heritage‘. This is particularly poignant, and a contribution towards the current programme of events marking the 75th Anniversary year of the NHS from 5th July 2023 – 2024.

The event will run from 7-9pm (with arrivals, drinks and refreshments from 6.30) in the Temple’s ‘Hall of Nations’. The panel of speakers will bring Emma Snow’s story of ‘The First NHS’ alive by representing voices from the past, through a series of monologues from 1910 to 1948; followed afterwards by their own personal and professional reflections, from being in similar or equivalent roles today. The event and their contributions will be recorded for heritage posterity and future reference. Speakers include:

The speakers panel will be followed by the oportunity for audience inputs and Q&A, followed by nibbles and networking and the opportunity to chat to panellists and authors individually.

This promises to be a memorable evening and very much a one-off occasion, and we’d be delighted to welcome Temple Friends, NHS health workers, friends, students and the purely curious to join us in celebrating the Temple’s 85th and NHS75 anniversaries over a glass of bubbly.

Register for the Event (free)
Buy the Book ‘The First NHS’

Newsreel Clip of 1936 Opening

Emma Snow’s Book ‘the First NHS’ – Press Release Info from Pen & Sword Publishers

View Pen & Sword Press Release

“A fascinating and personal story of the beginnings of the NHS, reminding us of its vital importance in the current climate of crises and loss of confidence.”

Dr Russ Hewson, NHS Consultant Intensivist and Anaesthetist

We all think the NHS was first dreamed up by Nye Bevan when he became minister of health in 1945. Yet experiments with the NHS and welfare state in fact started many years before. Inspired by a doctor who coined the phrase “national health service” in 1910, John Tomley and David Davies took steps to pilot the first ever national health service, focusing on TB in Wales, the WNMA. Through the findings of the WNMA’s work, as well as John’s work as a local health commissioner and UK leader of the largest health service providers, the friendly societies, John campaigned for effective treatment for TB, including prevention and a national health service.

John successfully led the campaign for the government’s Welsh TB Inquiry, which led directly to the Beveridge Report and the founding of the NHS and wider welfare state in 1948. His family then forgot about his work, due to the ravages of a genetic disease, so John’s story has never been told. Meanwhile the NHS, which John helped to found, also led to a cure for this disease for his great-great-granddaughter.

The moral of this surprising tale? If John can do it, any of us can. We have what John described as the “golden keys’ in our hands. By understanding the crucial information John gave us from his life’s work, the importance of fighting all the Beveridge Report’s Five Giants at once, we can tackle the social determinants of health today, and change people’s lives for our generation and future generations.

“Emma Snow has a lifelong interest in, and knowledge of, the history of the NHS, through its precursors and early gestation in Wales. The key involvement of John Tomley too long has been neglected. This fascinating and detailed narrative provides a new and accurate perspective of the greatest of all the United Kingdom’s contributions to social policy and public benefit.”

Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE, KC – Former MP for Montgomeryshire

About the Author

Emma Snow is chief executive of health and social care charity Community Opportunity, works in change management for an NHS acute trust, and is an independent member of Oxfam GB’s Audit & Risk Committee. Emma has two decades’ experience in the health and social care sector. She has been director of finance for national charities including the Refugee Council and Terrence Higgins Trust, as well as a trustee of charities including Anti-Slavery International and HDYO. Emma lives with her husband and daughter in the Cotswolds.



Remembrance 2023 at the Temple of Peace: A48 Theatre and Temple Tours

Tickets for ‘Aviatrix’ performance
Register for Nov 15 Temple Tour
PHOTO ALBUM FROM PERFORMANCE

WCIA marked Remembrance 2023 with a week of events at the Temple of Peace, including two ‘Temple Tours’ focusing on the story behind the Wales Book of Remembrance – housed in the Temple’s Crypt – and on Wednesday 15 November, A48 Theatre’s performance “AVIATRIX“, exploring the experiences of women who signed up as RAF pilots in WW2.

A48 Theatre’s 2022 performance ‘Far from Home’ at Wales’ Temple of Peace

The play ‘Aviatrix’ – by Cardiff-based playwright, Jim Blythe – tells the true story of 5 women – all very experienced fliers – and their fight to be recognised as R.A.F. pilots. A parallel story recounts the last moments of renowned Aviator, Amy Johnson, who was also changing attitudes to the potential and status of women. This is a Cabaret-style production touring to venues related to the themes of the play, from RAF St Athan to the Temple of Peace, Wales’ memorial to the fallen of all wars. Purchase Tickets here.

Local Media feature on ‘Aviatrix’ (via A48Theatre Twitter)

Temple Tours: Wales’ WW1 Book of Remembrance

WCIA’s home, Wales’ Temple of Peace & Health, was built as Wales’ memorial to the fallen of World War One, and houses the Wales WW1 Book of Remembrance – the rollcall of 40,000 fallen men and women of Welsh birth, parentage and serving with Welsh regiments over 1914-18 – within a purpose-built Crypt, symbolically in the heart of the Temple’s foundations. For decades following the Temple’s creation it was a place of pilgrimage for 7,000 visitors a year, remembering their loved ones, who would come to participate in a ‘Turning of the Page’ ceremony. With 1,205 pages in the book, each page of names would come up every 3 1/2 years, so for those whose loved ones came up for display – advertised several weeks beforehand thrugh the Western Mail – it was a special and very moving day that would often bring them together them with families of fallen comrades. The ‘Turning of the Page’ was followed by a 2nd ceremony in the Hall of Nations above, called the ‘Pledge to Peace’, where visitors would share ideas for action to further international cooperation, inspiring many mass participation peace campaigns by WCIA’s predecessor bodies, the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU) and UNA Wales (United Nations Association).

Our first Remembrance Temple Tour, on November 9th, re-enacted this ceremony, with visitors Tamsin – a Communications Consultant – leading the address, and Cardiff History student Nawajesh performing the ‘turning of the page’, reading out names from the Army Cyclist Corps in remembrance. Many thanks to both for volunteering and continuing this longstanding tradition.

Visitors can register here for Remembrance Temple Tour on 15 Nov, as well as other tour dates over coming months.



Peace Schools Conference 2023 in Senedd ‘from Classroom to Community’

The Senedd on 8 November hosted the 8th annual Wales Peace Schools conference, welcoming over 100 children and teachers from 10 schools across South Wales, alongside community youth group leaders, to explore the theme ‘From Classroom to Community’ over an action packed day of creative and participatory workshops, sharing learning and projects undertaken by schools from primary to further education levels. The event was financially supported by Academi Heddwch, and with staff support from Quaker Peace & Social Witness.

Click to view thread from X / Twitter on Peace Schools Conference.

Participating ‘Peace Schools’ included Primaries Stebonheath (Llanelli), St Gwladys (Bargoed), Clytha (Newport), Alaw (RCT), West Park (Porthcawl), and secondaries Bryngwyn (Llanelli), Cwm Rhymni (Caerphilly), Cynffig and Pencoed Comps (Bridgend).

The action packed agenda included skill share workshops, a ‘marketplace’ showcasing schools’ projects, presentations from Young Peace Amabassadors and exchange students, an ‘art for peace’ session, futures thinking exercises, as well as a number of keynote speakers.

Senedd Members (MS’) themselves contributed to the event over the day, opened by Cross Party Group for Peace Chair Mabon ap Gwynfor, and with Education Minister Jeremy Miles giving the keynote address over lunch – also taking the time to chat to young peace ambassadors about their work, and what they would like to see from Welsh Government.

Many pupils took the opportunity to do a tour of the Senedd, to watch the Welsh Assmbly ‘in action’ from the viewing gallery, and to find out howe they as young people can influence and feed in to the workings of government in Wales. Ogmore MS’s Huw Irranca Davies and Luke Fletcher had in-depth discussions with pupils from Pencoed Comprehensive around local to global issues, from climate change to the current conflict in Gaza, and explored how pupils might help uncover ‘peace heritage’ stories form the local Bridgend area as part of learning projects over the year ahead.

Alaw Primary School from Rhondda Cynon Taff were ‘surprised’ with a short video from an event just days before, the unveiling in Aberystwyth of a purple plaque to commemorate 1923 Peace Appeal leader Annie Hughes Griffiths, which previous Alaw Primary pupils had campaigned for following a curriculum project they did on ‘Annie’s Diary’. Alaw had invited Annie’s Granddaughter and children’s author Meg Elis into school to share her Mamgu’s story, and she was so moved by their commitment to peace building, drive to have a voice, and initiative to campaign for a memorial long before the ‘official campaign’ garnered publicity, that she want to extend a heartfelt ‘thankyou’ to Alaw – and to see the results of their efforts!

Alaw’s project is a lovely example of the sort of ‘grassroots’, children and youth-led initiatives that Peace Schools across Wales have developed, and the ‘marketplace’ at the conference gave the opportunity to showcase examples of their work and share ideas for projects.

WCIA have produced 2 guidance documents for policy makers and teachers involved with grassroots delivery of the curriculum ‘from Classroom to Community’: a Peace Education Policy paper, and ‘Mapping Peace Education to the new Welsh Curriculum‘.

Further resources, short videos and clips from the Peace Schools conference will be available here over the next couple of weeks.



Purple Plaque unveiling and Book Launch in Aberystwyth for Women’s Peace Appeal Centenary

The Purple plaque to Annie Hughes Griffiths was unveiled by her great granddaughter Gwenllian at Laura Place, Aberystwyth

On 3 November 2023, Aberystwyth played host to two major events marking the centenary of the 1923-24 Welsh Women’s Peace Appeal to America: unveiling of a ‘Purple Plaque’ commemorating 1923 appeal leader Annie Hughes Griffiths, and a book launch at the National Library of ‘Yr Apel / The Appeal’, with the 10 co-authors sharing the ‘journey of rediscovery’ of the story behind the appeal.

Welsh TV Channel S4C have produced a short feature about the day’s events, which can be viewed here or below.

Purple Plaque commemorating Women’s Peace Appeal leader Annie Hughes Griffiths

‘Purple Plaques’ honour women who have made a remarkable contribution to Welsh society and culture – and over a hundred people turned out to witness the unveiling of a plaque to Annie Hughes Griffiths on her former home in Laura Place, Aberystwyth, by her great graddaughter Gwenllian in the company of Annie’s present day family descendants, of whom Meg Elis has co-authored a chapter of the book ‘Yr Apel’ on her Mamgu (grandmother’s) experiences in 1924 America.

Flickr Album of Purple Plaque Unveiling

Videos of Purple Plaque Ceremony & Speakers to follow

Book Launch of ‘Yr Apel’ at National Library of Wales

‘Yr Apel / The Appeal’, published by Lolfa of Talybont and co-authored by 10 contributors closely involved with the centenary campaign, tells the story behind the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition campaign of 1923, the 1924 ‘Peace Tour’ of America working with American Women’s movements and Welsh diaspora communities across the United States, and the ‘journey of rediscovery’ of the petition memorial from 2014 onwards as volunteers Wales-wide pieced together the hidden history behind this remarkable document and social movement.

Flickr Album of Purple Plaque Unveiling

Videos of Book Launch + Speakers to follow

Annie ‘Cwrt Mawr’ Performance Tour by Mewn Cymeriad

In addition to these 2 events in Aberystwyth, Welsh theatre company ‘Mewn Cymeriad’ have over Oct-Nov been touring ‘their ‘Annie Cwrt Mawr’, a 1 woman show by Siwan Jones starring Anni Dafydd ‘bringing to life’ the story of Annie Hughes Griffiths, who led the 1923 women’s appeal campaign and 1924 Welsh Peace Tour of America.

S4C Feature



WCIA welcome AESIS International Conference to Temple of Peace exploring Impact of Social Sciences Research

On 19 October WCIA were delighted to welcome to the Temple of Peace, international and UK-wide visitiors participating in the 7th International Societal Impact of Social Science, Humanities and Arts Conference, organised by AESIS – the network for Advancing and Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science.

The conference has travelled to Copenhagen, Washington, Toronto, Brussels, and Stockholm, and this year AESIS have brought it back to Cardiff University, where it all began in 2017. 

WCIA hoped to offer our international visitors a flavour of Wales’ rich ‘peace heritage‘, and hopefully plenty of stimuli for their conference discussions around how academia can work with civil society and third sector organisations, in Wales and the wider world, to pursue greater social impact for research. As a tangible example, Outreach Coordinator Lowri Jenkins shared the story of the women’s peace peace appeal of 1923, a ‘hidden history’ lost to time and memory but found recently within the Temple Archives, and now the subject of a sunstantial NLHF funded entenary campaign involving communities and academics Wales-wide through Academi Heddwch.

Often, academia and civil society operate in very seperate silos; most charities – particularly modest bodies, as is typical in Waldes and many smaller nations -do not have the financial resources (or funding streams), people power or network contacts to commision academic research. However, in an environment where funders increasingly expect to see social impact and return on research investment, this offers an ‘open opportunity’ for universities to pro-actively engage with organisations who often work at the grassroots with communities and volunteers, and through nationwide civil society networks (with varying degrees of formality) that can only be engaged through collaboration and cooperation.

We wish all the very best to the hundreds of conference participants as they return home from Cardiff to advance their academic impacts – Diolch!



Llwybrau at Heddwch cyfiawn ym Mhalestina – Syr Vincent Fean

WCIA Chief Executive Susie Ventris-Field introduced the speaker – Sir Vincent Fean KCVO.

– – –

Sir Vincent Fean is a former British diplomat who held a number of positions including British Consul General to Jerusalem and Ambassador to Libya, and also served as Chair of the Balfour Project until 2022. Sir Vincent continues to act as a Trustee of the Project.

The aim of the Project is to find a solution to the Israel–Palestine question that guarantees justice, security, and equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians. In particular, the Project strives to achieve three goals: a) highlight the historical role played by Britain in the 19th, 20th and early-21st centuries in shaping Israel, in light of the Balfour Declaration and subsequent British policy, b) support Palestinians and Israeli to build a peaceful future based on equal rights, justice and security, and c) work towards the UK Government’s recognition of the State of Palestine.

– – –

The speaker set the tone for his talk from the start by being very pragmatic about the issue at hand. The inescapable reality, he asserted, is that “Israel is a fact”. One cannot, therefore, campaign to establish a Palestinian state without acknowledging the existence of the State of Israel.

Furthermore, and perhaps somewhat pessimistically, noting that over 200 Palestinians and almost 30 Israelis were killed between January and August 2023, Sir Vincent foresees that “we are not going to see peace… soon”. There are many reasons for this, both historical and contemporary.

The speaker first and foremost highlighted Britain’s failure to ensure that the Balfour Declaration’s second promise (highlighted in bold below) be kept:

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

Arthur Balfour

Whilst successive UK Governments have striven to ensure the establishment and survival of a national home for the Jewish people, Fean underscored that in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War (colloquially referred to as the “Nakba” or “catastrophe” across the Arab World), the rights of Christian and Muslim Palestinians in the region have steadily eroded.

He also underscored the damage done by the current hard-line right wing Israeli coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and the influence of once fringe – now influential – politicians and civil servants who stand for “gradualist and accelerated” Zionism. The coalition, which has endeavoured to exclude Palestinians from playing a role in Israeli politics, has pursued a policy of allowing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank to continue expanding and annexing the territory.

The UK Government eventually condemned the annexation in 2020, following a cross-party petition signed by 127 MPs to impose sanctions on Israel for the illegal settlements, though no further action was taken. During his talk, Sir Vincent impressed upon his audience that in his opinion, the Sunak regime could do more to put pressure on Israel but is highly unlikely to do so since Whitehall appears to follow (almost habitually) the example set by the White House’s foreign policy towards Israel. Indeed, the Biden administration, and the Trump administration before it, have done little to nothing in the way of condemning Israel’s increasingly expansionist settler colonialist policy on Palestinian territory – a stance largely emulated by their UK counterparts. As it stands, it appears that the UK Government, unless pressured by forces outside of the British–American political sphere, is unlikely to make any radical changes in policy.

The UK is not only reticent to impose sanctions upon Israel due to the inherent political risk of taking a foreign policy stance on Israel that directly contradicts US policy. The UK has committed to signing a landmark deal that is set to deepen economic, technological and military ties with the State of Israel. Quoted on the State of Palestine Mission website, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot described the deal as “an abdication of the UK’s responsibilities under international law and the UK’s unique historic responsibility for the Palestinian issue.”

Banner outside mosque in Bethlehem – Wikimedia Commons

Complicating the matter further, is the political moratorium the international community appears to have placed on solving the Israel–Palestine issue due to the prioritisation of other crises across the globe. It appears that policymakers in the West are more interested in the war in Ukraine, and even in the Arab World it seems that Palestine is taking a back seat in favour of the recent conflicts in Yemen and Sudan. The sense of urgency surrounding the need to find a long-lasting solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine appears to be waning, despite a clear escalation in tensions. Sir Vincent made a point of noting the irony in this waning sense of urgency, commenting that in his opinion, the Russian annexation of Crimea and the Israeli annexation of the West Bank are largely analogous, insofar as they are both examples of states breaching the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Most worryingly, the former diplomat noted that the West’s inconsistency in condemning and taking action against such invasions is a concern for small states in the Global South that are worried about neighbouring countries invading. Are we only taking sides against Russia because its war with Ukraine is on our doorstep? How would we act if China decided to invade Taiwan – would we act at all? Would we intervene if war for water resources took place on the Kyrgyz–Tajik border, or would that viewed as beyond our sphere of influence? What about Azerbaijan’s recent military intervention in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh leading to the displacement of over 40,000 ethnic Armenians?

In the first three decades of the 21st century, we have already witnessed conflicts around the world that have killed hundreds of thousands, destroyed national infrastructures, crippled once stable and prosperous economies, and weakened longstanding political alliances. Francis Fukuyama’s globally renowned thesis put forth in the End of History – that is, that wars will become fewer and further between after the defeat of communism and fascism and the spread of political and economic liberalism across the globe – has been contradicted time and again. Britain’s inconsistent policy on these conflicts, however petty or justified they may have been, is, as Sir Vincent asserted in his talk, likely to push smaller states towards forming alliances other global hegemonic powers that are perceived as more sympathetic to the insecure states’ interests – something which will only weaken Britain’s influence on the global stage in the future.

Moving on to whether it is in Israel’s interests to recognise the Palestinian state, the former Chair of the Balfour Project was direct – a resounding “yes”. For Israel, its interests lie in security, and strong relations with its immediate neighbours and the wider international community. Increasingly deleterious relations between Israel and Palestine will only result in further attacks on Israeli territory and deaths of non-military targets. More annexation means more international condemnation and a steady deterioration of Israel’s image abroad, especially across the Muslim World which extends beyond the Middle East and North Africa into Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. A mending of Israel’s relations with Palestine will only improve the current situation on the ground and improve the image of the current Israeli regime in the eyes of the all-important Gulf states (those that have yet to sign normalisation agreements such as the Abraham Accords), potentially leading to normalisation of relations and future diplomatic and economic ties.

For the UK, should governments continue to let the issue “fester” this will not only contradict its own political values, but potentially remain a sticking point to future relations with Israel’s neighbours.

Looking forward, Sir Vincent remained hopeful that future governments will take the issue more seriously, recognising Palestine as an independent state, and taking a harder stance on Israel’s military raids and annexation.



Academi Heddwch yn y Taiji ar gyfer y Symposiwm Iechyd a Heddwch

At the beginning of September, Dr Bethan Sian Jones represented Academi Heddwch Cymru at the Norwegian Taiji Centre’s International Symposium Celebrating Taiji for Health and Peace which was held at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.  

In May this year, Academi Heddwch Cymru and the WCIA, with the support of the Welsh Government, welcomed 40 members of the Norwegian Taiji Centre to Wales as part of their 40th Anniversary Jubilee Celebrations. A conference was held on the 19th of May at the Temple of Peace and Health to bring ‘New perspectives and learning on the nature of peace’, with the Taiji practice aiming to support Wales on its journey to becoming a Nation of Sanctuary and a Nation of Peace. The delegation was welcomed by the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, who opened the event.  

The Director of the Norwegian Taiji Centre, Pamela Hiley, who is originally from Wales, organised a Symposium in Norway at the beginning of September as a follow up from the conference in Cardiff for which I was privileged to receive an invite. The conference followed a distinctive structure consisting of lectures, round cluster discussions and interactive Taiji practice. The keynote speakers included: 

Ingeborg Breines – peace pedagog, former President International Peace Bureau – “How to talk and act for peace and security in times of war” 

Major General Kristin Lund (retired) – former leader of United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Middle East – “My experiences from armed conflict – does gender matter in conflict resolution?” 

Åse Holmberg – family therapist – Associate Professor at VID.  – “Giving resonance and room to spirituality in systemic practice” 

Bjørn Haugland – CEO Skift – Climate Friendly Business in Norway Now 

Egil Lo – the President Buddhist Federation of Norway – pursuing peace – appreciating opportunities 

Bjørn Pettersen – Mt.Tron University of Peace – Whence? – Whither? – Why? Our Spiritual Dimension of Being 

Welcome addresses were made by Pamela; Dr Bethan Sian Jones; Torkel Snellingen, Vice Chairman of the Norwegian Chinese Friendship Association, Oslo and Li Xikui, Vice President of China Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Beijing PR China. The attendees were guided through interactive Taiji practice with Pamela and her two sons; Bjarte Hiley and Allan Hiley. The event was closed with a blessing by Pamela and Sami Shaman, Eirik Myrhaug.  

The conference was an eye-opening experience, and great connections were made. It was also a privilege to share with an international audience the vision and work of Academi Heddwch Cymru, including the centenary of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-24. Academi Heddwch would like to extend its thanks to Taith for providing this amazing opportunity.  



Stori Gwirfoddoli Alex

This is Alex , from Barry in South Wales. This year Alex embarked upon a fantastic experience in
the Netherlands with long-standing partners De Amicitia and SIW Internationale Vrijwilligersprojecten (SIW
International Volunteer Projects). Both organisations aim for young people to discover their impact abroad, achieved by bringing volunteers into contact with different cultures. Read Alex’s story here.

Case-Studies-Leaflet-AlexDownload


Cyhoeddi WCIA fel Hyrwyddwr Taith ar gyfer y Sector Ieuenctid

WCIA is delighted to have been chosen as Taith Champion for the youth sector across Wales.

Taith aims to take Wales to the World and the World to Wales, and is a fantastic opportunity for young people aged between 16-25 to take part in an international exchange. Gaining valuable experiences, insights, skills and knowledge that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

The Taith Champions role is designed as a new iteration to the Sector Organising Bodies pilot initiative, which is now coming to an end. The call for Taith Champions invited organisations from eligible sectors with Wales-wide reaching networks and demonstrable experience in engaging with and supporting organisations within their sectors to apply.

Susana Galván, Executive Director of Taith said: “We are very much looking forward to working with WCIA… who, in their role as Taith Champions, will complement the work of the Taith Programme Executive, focusing specifically on engaging those organisations with little or no experience and with less resource available, and those working with the most disadvantaged, those from underrepresented groups and those with disabilities and/or Additional Learning Needs.

Susie Ventris-Field, WCIA Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to continue working with CWVYS and the Taith team to ensure as many young people as possible, from across all backgrounds, have the opportunity for life-changing international exchange between Wales and the world. We believe these opportunities provide a unique personal development opportunity for young people, and create intercultural links, lifelong connections and solidarity between people across the world, ultimately contributing to peace. We’re committed to working with youth sector organisations to enable them to develop and deliver Taith applications that are tailored to the young people they work with, and to help them to build both the systems and confidence to successfully coordinate international mobilities.”

If you’re involved in the youth sector in Wales, whether that be as an organiser, facilitator, youth work or member, and would like to learn more about how Taith can help your group participate in an international exchange. Get in touch with us at danielmapatac@wcia.org.uk to learn more