Part of the ‘Wrexham Talks Research’ 2025 programme
Academi Heddwch Cymru (AH) is Wales’s national peace institute and the only national peace institute in the UK. It is an alliance of the 9 universities in Wales, the peace movement in Wales, and associated bodies. It is funded by but independent of the Welsh Government.
AHC is chaired by the Rt. Revd. and Rt. Hon. Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and is based at the Temple of Peace and Health in Cardiff. Its role is to conduct high quality research and through this inform public understanding and debate on key issues relating to peace in Wales and beyond. It is part of the global network of peace institutes.
Peace appears to be in short supply. From the war in Ukraine to long-standing insurgencies such as that of Boko Haram in Nigeria, conflicts abound internationally. Peace however is about more than the absence of war. It is about societies living without fear, about creating social resilience while preserving individual rights, and about promoting social justice, fairness, respect and equality. But this broader understanding of peace also appears to be under threat. From the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol to the summer riots in the UK in 2024, tolerance within society appears to be diminishing and fear increasing.
What can we in Wales do about this? In 2024, Academi Heddwch suggested that, by building on its culture, history and recent legislation, Wales could become a ‘nation of peace’. This would have a positive impact upon our society, upon how we govern ourselves, and provide Wales with a distinct identity on the international stage.
This lecture will explore what it means to be a nation of peace, why Wales should become one, and how it can do so.
