Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales Deputy President Jill Evans MEP has accepted an invitation to become an Ambassador for Social Forum Cymru. The Social Forum will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend of 28 April to 1 May and there will be an imaginative launch event in Aberystwyth on Saturday 25 February.

Jill, who is also Chair of CND Cymru, said that she was enormously pleased to receive and accept the invitation:

“I am delighted to be an Ambassador for Social Forum Cymru. I went to the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2003. It brought together over 50,000 people from over 4,000 organisations to discuss peace, justice, human rights and international co-operation. It took place in the shadow of the impending attack by one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world on one of the poorest.

“As we prepare for the Social Forum in Wales we see the catastrophic results of that invasion and occupation of Iraq, which makes our event all the more important. The "Call of the World Social Movements" from Porto Alegre set out our common aims under the slogan "Another World is Possible".

“This year Social Forums are being held all over the world to discuss and develop our alternative agenda - against poverty and for peace and social justice. Once again Wales will play a leading role internationally. I look forward to welcoming speakers and participants from other parts of Europe as well as from all over Wales to this exciting weekend.”

A spokesperson for Social Forum Cymru said:

“We are very pleased that Jill Evans has agreed to become an Ambassador for Social Forum Cymru, not only because of her involvement with CND Cymru and her personal contribution to previous peace festivals, but also because of her wider commitment to social justice.

“We want Wales to play its full part in bringing about change, and we believe that, in her role as Ambassador, Jill can help to make Wales’s voice heard.”