Since the attack against humanity on September 11th 2001, when, through television coverage, nearly three thousand innocent people were killed in front of our eyes - pictures that we have seen over and over again during the past few weeks - everyone said that the world had changed. Well maybe, but perhaps not that much.

Over 30,000 people die of hunger every day - even though there are enough resources not only to feed, but also to provide a home, education and work for every single person on our planet. Poverty and injustice remain our biggest enemies. The opportunity to start winning the battle against these was lost at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development earlier this month. With political will, world leaders could have begun to overcome the disaster that threatens millions of people - they could have begun to bridge the gap that separates poor countries from rich countries. Political will was not the only thing missing - some of the leaders themselves were too busy to attend, George W. Bush amongst them.

The events of the following weeks have shown just how wrong are the priorities of those people who, like the President of the United States, held back progress at Johannesburg.

The most powerful country in the world has been putting enormous effort and resources into starting a war. Its leader - along with his best friend Tony Blair - has been travelling the world in an attempt to mobilise the support of other countries. Imagine just how different the result of the World Summit could have been had the same dedication been applied to fighting poverty and injustice.

Is this evidence that the world has changed? No. It is the same old story.

My visit to the Alexandra Township in Johannesburg was a microcosm of what is happening worldwide. The World Summit was held in Sandton - an area that is exactly like an elite suburb in any rich country in the world. A stone's throw away was one of the poorest places that I have ever seen - the sort of poverty that thankfully, is completely alien to us in Wales. Thousands of people lived practically on top of one another in fragile shacks without clear water, without sanitation. The contradiction was almost incredible.

In May this year, I went to Palestine with a group of politicians that included Eurig Wyn and Geraint Davies. I saw poverty and suffering that moved me beyond words and changed my life forever. I was angered by the abandonment and the injustice.

But I learned the importance of solidarity. I met people who lived under the incredibly difficult conditions. I received such a warm welcome. They didn't ask for material aid or support. All they asked was that I went home and told everyone what was happening to them.

I feel privileged that I can do all this in the name of Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales: an international party with passionate dedication to creating a fairer world. I'm glad that we have kept our beliefs and our aims and our principles. And that we have spoken out against injustice - even under difficult circumstances.

Just as Gwynfor Evans stood against the war in Vietnam, so we speak today on behalf of the majority of the people of Wales who oppose war against Iraq.

We are saying no to the Bush and Blair project for war against Iraq. Whatever the problem, killing innocent men, women and children can never be the answer.

War against Iraq would be disastrous and would cause even more instability in the Middle East. Of course Saddam Hussein is a dangerous man who has persecuted the people of Iraq - we were saying that in the eighties when the British government was selling him arms. We all want to see a democratic government in Iraq, but more bloodshed won't achieve that.

There is no reason for war, there is no justification for war, there is no support for war. No, Tony Blair. Not in our name.

We believe in the rule of international law. No-one is above that law. The campaign against terrorism cannot over-ride democracy and human rights. Because respect for human rights is one of the most important weapons in defeating terrorism. The International Criminal Court, established this year in The Hague, has the potential to be the most important human rights mechanism in many years. No one, including the United States, should be exempt from its jurisdiction.

We are part of a new worldwide movement campaigning for peace and against oppression and injustice. That movement was born out of, and in opposition to, the destructive so-called "war against terrorism". I have been involved in the establishment of a European Network for Peace and Human Rights, an international organisation to bring together peace groups all over the world. And in January this year the second meeting of the World Social Forum took place in Porto Allegre. This forum works for a people centred globalisation. A multitude of organisations came together around the World Summit in Johannesburg to demand real sustainability. And the peace movement in Wales plays a prominent role on the international stage. There are a lot of positive things happening to make real the slogan of the World Social Forum "Another World is Possible".

The past year has been a traumatic one. The conflict between India and Pakistan threatened to bring us to the brink of nuclear war. The war against Afghanistan led to the fall of the Taliban. But despite the new government in Afghanistan, have things really changed? What about the continuing control of the warlords? What about the bombings and assassination attempts on the president? What about the hundreds of prisoners who have been left to die locked in lorry containers? And the abuses against women still go on. Is that why all attention has been switched to Iraq - so that we don't ask questions?

Well we in Plaid Cymru do ask questions. We do care. We do campaign. As a Member of the European Parliament I have been able to speak for Plaid Cymru on an international level and take the message of our party to people across the world. We are putting into practise a Welsh internationalist policy: reflecting the values of the people of Wales and making our presence felt - speaking for Wales in the world. It is noticed and it is appreciated.

I am very grateful to our friends from Israel and Palestine, and from Kurdistan and Cuba for coming to our conference to tell us about their situation and what more we can do to help achieve peace. I can promise you that in this conference you won't hear fine words and then go home and hear nothing of us again. Our members are passionate and active supporters of your causes and we will take whatever action is within our power to help resolve problems.

So nothing much has changed in the past year. But there must be change. We can make a difference. On the world stage we are a small country which has been prevented from achieving its potential because we haven't had our own government. But we are gaining power and gaining influence. We need to work with others because it is in our interests as well as theirs to achieve justice. We see the future of Wales within the world. We work for peace. And without justice there can never be peace.