Petitions Committee backs establishment of Welsh Peace Institute

24 October 2013

The National Assembly’s Petitions Committee has backed a call for the establishment of a Welsh Peace Institute.

It has recommended that the Welsh Government look further at how it can help assess the feasibility of such an organisation and how it might be run and funded.

The Committee looked at the issue after receiving a petition submitted by the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, Cynefin y Werin, Cymdeithas y Cymod and CND Cymru which had been signed by 1525 people.

The petition called for:

“…the National Assembly for Wales to investigate the potential 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.”

“The evidence we have heard has convinced us that there would be value in exploring further the role, function and scope of such an institution,” said William Powell AM, Chair of the Petitions Committee.

“We acknowledge the current economic climate, and appreciate that funds may not be available for the Welsh Government to undertake this work, but that they could assist in the facilitation of the exploratory work.

“We would like to thank the petitioners, and all those who have given their time to help aid our consideration of this petition.”

More information about the petition can be found here.

More information about the National Assembly’s petitions system can be found here.