The
2012 Initiative for an Academi
Heddwch plus
historical summary of campaigning for
a Welsh Peace Institute, which fell apart.
Stephen
Thomas records that the WCIA initiated the idea of a Welsh Peace
Institute in 2008 (e-mail* to Ben Gregory, Kelvin Mason, Jill Evans
MEP and Jill Gough CND Cymru).
Stephen introduced it at the Peace Festival in Bangor 18-19th October, where Jill Evans spoke in support [1]. Jill saw the Military Academy to be built in St Athan as the catalyst for the idea of a Peace Academy [2], a view echoed by Adam Price MP who had nevertheless argued for Wales to win the project in the Westminster committee [3]. Peter Sutch of Cardiff University formulated an alternative educational/academic concept* in Nov. Nic Wheeler of UCW Aberystwyth was interested, came to the 4th July 2009 Cynefin y Werin meeting, but later backed off.
Stephen introduced it at the Peace Festival in Bangor 18-19th October, where Jill Evans spoke in support [1]. Jill saw the Military Academy to be built in St Athan as the catalyst for the idea of a Peace Academy [2], a view echoed by Adam Price MP who had nevertheless argued for Wales to win the project in the Westminster committee [3]. Peter Sutch of Cardiff University formulated an alternative educational/academic concept* in Nov. Nic Wheeler of UCW Aberystwyth was interested, came to the 4th July 2009 Cynefin y Werin meeting, but later backed off.
A
coordinating group met in Bangor alongside the October 2009 Festival
and agreed to take it up through Cynefin y Werin, with a first
meeting in Aberystwyth on 14th March 2009 (reported by
Kelvin Mason in Peace News, April 2009 [4]). Invitations* to
a working group ‘Project Meeting’ on 4th July
were sent out by Jill Gough (CND Cymru) on behalf of Cynefin y Werin.
It heard cases from Robin Gwyndaf and John Cox on the title, adopting
'Academi Heddwch' but preferring 'Peace Institute' as the English
form. The meeting agreed on mobilising around a Petition to the
Senedd Committee and was keen to seek broad support, from
organisations far from 'peace' groups, and to avoid any
identification with CND. Campaigning for the Academi would be
non-partisan and aim for support from all political parties. Several
people volunteered to form an interim steering group to progress the
Petition.
The
Petitions Committee application [5] submitted in Sept. 2009 with 1500
signatories led to a cool response* from Rhodri Morgan, who suggested
a university-based collaborative institute, focussing on social
science based research. Nevertheless, the Petitioners continued to
press for a broader concept:
“a
Peace Institute concerned
with Peace and Human Rights, comparable with those supported by state
governments in Flanders, Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe”
Representatives
of the Flanders Peace Institute were brought over to give oral
evidence* to the Committee in Feb.2010). Public meetings in
Carmarthen and Bangor heard addresses from the Flanders
representatives, with a lecture in Aberystwyth. With the new
Assembly elected in 2010, Carwyn Jones was asked for his view* – in
August 2011, he endorsed Rhodri Morgan’s position, declared there's
no WG funding, but still asked for a detailed and fully costed
proposal.
Stephen
Thomas was losing patience with the Petitions Committee by Sept.
2011, and suggested* another way, for Cynefin y Werin to sponsor
peer-reviewed credible research into Welsh situations and issues, and
disseminate this publicly. But his proposal was given limited
circulation and shelved by those still hoping of Senedd progress, so
another year was lost.
Then
in October 2011 the Petitions Committee decided on hearings into the
Petition and put out a call for evidence. Robin Gwyndaf played a big
role in encouraging Welsh organisations to respond to the Petitions
Committee call for evidence, as is evident in the ~70 submissions and
his personal evidence with a published article (see
http://Academiheddwchcymru.blogspot.com). The final output from the
Petitions committee was very disappointing when it came in January
2012.
It
stalled the Senedd process with their decision to:
- Forward the petition and information gathered so far to the Cross-Party Group on Human Rights and request that the working up of a concept for the establishment of such an institution is placed on future agendas;
- Forward the consultation responses gathered to the petitioners to work up a concept in parallel and suggest that they lobby individual Members to hold a Member-led debate in Plenary on the subject.
Neither
of these happened; John Cox hoped (*, p.78) a
Senedd All-Party
Group on Peace would
be formed in 2013, which “may
make it possible to progress this matter”.
Stephen
Thomas sent out an invitation (4th
October, below) to the 9th October 2012 meeting,
(held
following the presentation of the anti-Drone petition, led by Mererid
Hopwood).
His
motivation was the call from Cardiff UNA for a
one-day
conference (as broad-based as possible), to discuss the nature, role
and duties of a Wales Peace Institute and to agree arrangements for
its structure and funding'.
Stephen
wrote in his invitation email (4th October 2012)
..convening
a meeting of those at the Cardiff UNA gathering who expressed a
personal wish to be involved in the next step of the process (8
people). ...also invite those who gathered a couple of times last
autumn to give the Academi Heddwch project a push forward then.
Stephen
explained the intention was
the
creation of a diverging process from the
discussion process on the issue within certain parts of the
National Assembly for Wales
A
further meeting on 16 October set up a Steering group to organise the
‘broad-based’ conference under the name Academi Heddwch
Cymru/Wales Peace Academy for 23rd
March 2013 in Aberystwyth. An important target of this separate
initiative was to create a body that would establish the Academi
Heddwch as a project within the 2014 commemoration of the Centenary
of the start of World War I. However, conference preparations were
stalled in February by Cox and Gwyndaf opposed to an independent membership body that would bid for WW1 funds. A semi-formal committee was chosen to continue under Cox and friends. This hardly functioned and they let the WCIA include 'peace' projects in a large and successful bid for resources.
The WCIA accounts shows they did not even spend the money, with £238k remaining in 2018 in the "Wales for Peace" account. John Cox's committee had not functioned. while Stephen Thomas and Robin Gwyndaf had wound up Cynefin y Werin (opposed by Max Wallis), so there was no-one to salvage anything for pursuing the Academi Heddwch goal.
The WCIA accounts shows they did not even spend the money, with £238k remaining in 2018 in the "Wales for Peace" account. John Cox's committee had not functioned. while Stephen Thomas and Robin Gwyndaf had wound up Cynefin y Werin (opposed by Max Wallis), so there was no-one to salvage anything for pursuing the Academi Heddwch goal.
NOTES
*
denotes documents within John Cox's 84-page dossier ('summary'),
dated 1 Feb.2013
[1]
report of Bangor festival by Phil Steele
[2]
** see also Jill Evans’s speech in November 2009
[3]
“I did back the campaign to bring the training facility to Wales.
This was based on the economical benefits .here
[4]
Kelvin Mason report of Aberystwyth meeting in March 2009
[5]
Petition Wording: We call upon the
National Assembly for Wales to investigate the potential for and
practicality of Wales having a Peace Institute concerned with Peace
and Human Rights, comparable with those supported by state
governments in Flanders, Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe
National Assembly for Wales P-03-262 Academi Heddwch Cymru / Wales Peace Institute
Lead
petitioner:
Welsh
Centre for International
Affairs, Cymdeithas y Cynod, Cynefin y Werin and
CND Cymru. Number
of signatures: 1525
From
Stephen Thomas, Cynefin y Werin, 4th
October 2012
Annwyl
Bawb / Dear All,
As
some of you know, I spoke to the Cardiff and district branch of the
United Nations Association 10 days ago on 'The Prospects for an
Academi Heddwch/Peace Institute for Wales'. It was their choice of
topic for noting the International Day of Peace.
At
the end of that meeting a resolution was passed, with no objections:
'..welcoming a one-day conference (as broad-based as possible), to
discuss the nature, role and duties of a Wales Peace Institute and
to agree arrangements for its structure and funding'. It was hoped
that the conference could be arranged by Cynefin y Werin and
could take place 'before the revived enthusiasm for a Welsh Peace
Institute becomes dissipated with the passage of time'.
Cynefin
y Werin has acted - in the first instance by convening a meeting of
those at the Cardiff UNA gathering who expressed a personal wish to
be involved in the next step of the process (8 people). Cynefin y
Werin thought it correct and necessary also to invite to that
meeting those who gathered a couple of times last autumn to give the
Academi Heddwch project a push forward then.
Hence
your inclusion on the invitation to attend this forthcoming meeting
at: 2.30
pm, Tuesday 9 October at Coffee Mania Crema Café ,
Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay (city centre end of the building).
From
this it is aimed to obtain a structure to organise a
subsequent conference in (?) spring 2013. Cynefin y Werin has
committed itself to providing funding for that conference. It is not
intended to detract from what may continue of the discussion
process on the issue within certain parts of the National Assembly
for Wales: but at the very least the creation of a diverging process
was now felt to be worth pursuing.
Please
let me know if you are able to come Tuesday next week; and of any
matters that you wish to input to the process if you are not going
to be there.
Hwyl
/ Regards
Stephen
PRESS
ITEMS
Wales
Peace Festival18-19
October 2008
Phil
Steele’s report re Wales peace
Festival Speaking out
in Wrexham
Peace & Justice News
Stephen
Thomas of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, after an
interview on Radio Cymru, kicked off the first day with a lucid
discussion of peace building, credibility and reform within the
United Nations. Jill Evans MEP, Chair of CND Cymru, raised issues of
nuclear proliferation and security in the Middle East, with
special reference to Palestine. She floated the idea of founding a
Wales Peace Institute, a proposal which received support from the
floor. See here
A
small meeting was held upstairs at the Anglesey Arms to discuss the
future of the Wales Peace Festivals, the future direction of Cynefin
y Werin, wider collaboration with other movements and organisations
in Wales, and the idea of a Wales Peace Institute. It was agreed to
progress these discussions at a meeting in Aberystwyth in the New
Year. Kelvin Mason of Aberystwyth Peace Network chaired the meeting,
James Maiden of Cynefin y Werin took the minutes. see here
Instituting peace in Wales News | March 2009
.
A meeting of the Cynefin
Y Werin networkin March will aim to take this idea forward. ...
Peace Institute a step closerhttp://peacenews.info/node/4131/peace-institute-step-closer News | April 2009
...
that Saturday afternoon, and top of the agenda was a
Wales Peace Institute.
Some of us had been working towards this meeting since the …
The PeaceInstitute- Jill Evans MEP - Plaid Ymlaen - Plaid Forward
Nov
20, 2009 –The
catalyst for the idea of a peace
Academy was
the shock and...
Cymdeithas
y Cymod, the Welsh Centre for International
Affairs,
Cynefin
y Werin and...
A
peace institute for Wales?http://peacenews.info/node/4117/peace-institute-wales
News
| December 2009
...
calling for the National Assembly of Wales to create
a Peace Institute comparable
with those in Flanders, Catalonia, Finland, Norway and …
CNDCymru » Wales Peace Institute – Presentation to Feb 19, 2010
A
Wales
Peace Institute could
advise and inform the Assembly on policies...Y
Senedd Meeting
with
Nelly Maes and Tomas Baum all welcome...Stephen
Thomas of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs commented:
‘Much work is already being done in various parts of Wales in the field of encouraging peace and preventing violent conflict. There is teaching at schools and universities, academic research, and campaigning on peace matters. It is fitting to seek to strengthen the efforts of so many organisations and individuals, through the co-ordination that would be provided by a national Peace Institute.’See here
Lecture
by the President of the Flemish Peace
Institute.
24 February 2010. L-R: Mr. Penri James;...The lecture was part of a
visit to Wales
in
support of calls locally for a Wales
Peace Institute.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/interpol/research/research-centres-and-institutes/ddmi/events/seminars/title-91698-en.html
L-R: Mr. Penri James; Jill Evans, MEP; and Professor Nicholas Wheeler, DDMI Director. Photo by Syd Morgan.
Bringing
the message of the Flemish Peace Institute to Wales
News
| April 2010
Nelly
Maes, president of the Flemish Peace
Institute,
spoke at the David Davies Memorial Institute(DDMI)
in Aberystwyth ... part of a visit to Wales in support of calls for a
Wales
Peace
Institute.
On 23 February, Maes and Tomas Baum, director of the Flemish …
A Nonviolence Research Network? News | October 2010
Regular
readers of this page will know that the Cynefin
Y Werin network
is pursuing a major project to establish a Peace Institute … Regular
readers of this page will know that the Cynefin Y Werin network is
pursuing a major project to establish a Peace Institute (Academi
Heddwch), working with academics and others in Wales. The Peace
Institute is likely to be based on the model of the Flemish Peace
Institute. Delegates from Cynefin Y Werin have visited Brussels and
speakers from the institute undertook a speaking tour of Wales. The
Wales project has the rhetorical support of the Welsh Assembly
government but the prospects of any material support from that
quarter seem extremely unlikely.
From
Peace Institute to Palestine Solidarity
News | November 2010
...
posted its official decision on the ambition for
a Peace Institute (Academi
Heddwch) in Wales. “The committee agreed to: undertake ..
Re-energisinga network: Cynefin y Werin Feature | August 2011
...
The task of pursuing these questions was taken on board by Cynefiny
Werin
(Common
Ground) “a network of organisations which promotes equality, ...
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