Thank you for the invitation to give this lecture and thanks to Wales and the World Union for the special work you do in creating close links between Wales and the World.

Every year we come together in the National Eisteddfod to celebrate our varied and wide culture. It’s a chance to strengthen our identity as a nation and also to look beyond our borders. In the week when we remember the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we look out to the world and stretch our hands in friendship in order to contribute towards peace and better understanding of each other. The word "peace" has a special significance in the Eisteddfod and I believe that the Eisteddfod itself reflects our devotion as Welsh people to contribute towards building a peaceful and just world.

I¹d like to congratulate the President of the Eisteddfod Court, R, Alun Evans, on his powerful message in the service in the pavilion on the Sunday, and the Archdruid Robyn Lewis too for his observations during the Crowning Ceremony. They reflect the feelings of the majority of the people of Wales. And while some have been very ready in the past to accuse the Eisteddfod of being safe and institutional - two of our chief officials prove that the Eisteddfod still believes and fosters those principles of peace that have been such a part o our tradition as a nation.

Because that is our tradition. If we look back at our history there have been people that were pioneers of peace:

Henry Richard, The Apostle of Peace devoted his life seeking peaceful means of solving conflict. He was described as the "greatest pacifist of the nineteenth century". As Secretary of the Peace Society he was in the forefront in peace conferences in Brussels, Paris and Frankfurt and as a member of parliament he used every opportunity to promote the cause of peace.

The Children of Wales have been sending a message of goodwill annually to the children of the world ever since 1923 when the Reverend Gwilym Davies sent the first message calling for the end to war and fighting. Urdd Gobaith Cymru adopted the message in 1925 and today it is translated into 12 languages. This year the message calls on the politicians of the world to listen. It says: " In our modern age today we see that oppression and war, prejudice and racism are growing day by day. We feel that failure to live together is the root of many of these problems. The basis of successful living together is communication and talking. So we beseech the leaders of the world to listen and talk before taking action,"

David Davies, Llandinam, suggested in the National Eisteddfod in Neath in 1918 that a branch of the World Congress of the League of Nations be established in Wales and established the Temple of Peace in Cardiff in 1938 which is still the home of the United Nations Society but also the home to a number of movements that work for peace and justice. The people of Wales were enthusiastic in their backing for founding the United Nations based on the principle that countries should solve international quarrels in a peaceful way.

In 1991 a small group of women walked from Cardiff to Greenham Common to protest against Cruise Missiles. When they arrived, in an attempt to draw attention to the danger of nuclear weapons, they set up a camp that became a symbol of peace and non-violent activity throughout the world.

CND Cymru has been one of the biggest and most influential movements in Wales.

21 years ago came the Wales non-nuclear Declaration ­ a declaration democratically made by every County in Wales ­ of our intention of being a country free from weapons of mass destruction and instead a country that believed in peace. It was an expression of hope and trust in people¹s ability to influence the future of mankind. This declaration too was known throughout the world.

There are many other examples of Welsh movements working internationally.

And during the last year the people of Wales have raised their voice once more for peace and against the military attack on Iraq ­ hundreds and thousands of people protesting on the streets, writing letters, holding prayer meetings, distributing leaflets ­ doing everything possible to prevent war. This was the largest peace protest ever. Then peace and justice groups have sprung up like seeds of hope throughout Wales, not only to object to the war but also to foster international understanding and change attitudes towards conflict and oppression.

The war was illegal without the backing of the United Nations and it was unnecessary. Though we all agreed that Saddam Hussein was a dangerous and cruel despot war was not the answer to the crisis of the people of Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction are too dangerous in the hands of any leader and that¹s why we have international agreements to control them and international bodies to ensure cooperation. That is why the arms inspectors were in Iraq ­ doing disarmament work in a peaceful way. And by now it¹s clear that we¹ve been dragged into war against the will of the majority, without any evidence that arms were a threat to us.

The war couldn’t bring peace and justice to the thousands in Iraq who lack clean drinking water, food, education nor health care.

I went to Iraq with a group of Europeans MPs this February and met many of those people especially children. Half the population of Iraq are under 15 years of age. Despite being in the verge of war, we were given a warm welcome by the people. We were there to see the humanitarian situation in the country for ourselves. It was worse than we feared. I saw hospitals in a pitiful condition, without equipment or staff nor the necessary drugs to treat people. I spoke to doctors who literally had to see people dying before their eyes and being unable to help them. I saw the most horrendous pictures of malformations at birth in Basra as the result of the use of depleted uranium explosives in the last Gulf war in 1991 ­ and the district authorities without equipment to test the soil to see where the contamination was worse as such technology was banned by sanctions. Increases of 13 times the number of leukaemia sufferers in the area and a fivefold increase in other kinds of cancer.

We met Dr Waleed Majeed who has worked in Iraq with International Care since 1991. He said that the hospitals and clinics were decaying rapidly and that medical equipment like incubators were 20 years out of date. Lack of equipment caused serious problems. Sanctions against written material like medical books had made it impossible for health personnel to give the best and most modern treatment to their patients. I met a doctor under instruction who earned 11 dollars a month for working 24 hours with three days time off every fifteen days. He said he¹d have to work a hundred years on that salary before he could buy a house in Iraq.

I visited two hospitals in Baghdad and Basra to meet the staff and patients. It wasn’t easy to walk round wards seeing desperately ill children with families around them sitting on the bed and on the floor. I felt very uncomfortable. Until the mothers called me to them to meet their children. Like mothers in any land, they tried to protect their children in the only way they could. They asked me take their photos to show the world how they were suffering because of the lack of facilities and suitable care. 20 of necessary drugs were banned because of the "double usage" ­i.e. the risk that they could be used militarily.

I saw a school that had been closed because of the poor condition of the building, itself little more than a shed. Although the school was closed the children and parents turned up to meet us. The children were keen to speak ­ many could speak English and were very excited when I said I came from Wales. One of their great heroes was Ryan Giggs and they knew he was Welsh. For once I didn’t have to explain where Wales is and that we’re not a part of England. I was a very popular woman there. I met another Welshman in Iraq. From Abergavenny, he was responsible for the ECHO Scheme of the European Commission as well as other work, trying to repair the water and sewage systems in Baghdad. Untreated sewage was flowing directly into the Tigris which was the drinking supply for many people in the city. Disease-bearing water was responsible for a higher level of illness, especially among children, and diseases once under control were beginning to reappear.

I met with representatives of many voluntary movements that were working ceaselessly to improve the lives of the people while facing a huge challenge..

The people of Iraq were aware of the international developments. They knew that another was inevitable, but felt helpless to change the course of events. One mother told me "If they were going to bomb us, what else could we do?" They didn¹t say much what was going to happen, but one by one they asked why ­ "

I had the same question time after time in Palestine last year "Why does the world allow this to happen to us? I went there twice during the year and saw people living from day to day under rural oppression. One image that will stay with me for ever is Bethlehem ­ the most sacred and significant place for every Christian ­ under curfew. People were prisoners in their own homes. There was nobody on the street, no people, no cars. A strange silence lay over the whole town. Children couldn¹t go to school, nor people to work. Nor out to shop nor to church or doctor nor even hospital. The Church of the Nativity was shut. People who went out were in danger of being shot by soldiers. We succeeded in going through the checkpoint on our little bus and into town. We got out and walked along empty streets (confident that the soldiers would not shoot MEPs.) like a tragic scene in an old cowboy film with curtains moving as people looked out nervously to see what was happening. we went to meet some Palestinian MPs in their homes (as they too were under curfew) to hear that they had lived under these conditions for weeks. This was the kind of general punishment forbidden under article 33 of the Geneva Convention but the Israeli government ignored it and nobody did anything about it. This is the kind of double standard that arouses so much anger.

I went to Hebron also under curfew. Hebron is famous for manufacturing the most beautiful blue glass and we went to on of the factories that make it. A father and son ran the place but they said they¹re about to shut down as nobody can travel around and so there were no customers. Their shop was full of goods with a coating of dust over everything.

During our meeting with the Mayor and councillors of Hebron a man arrived all excited. He and his neighbours had just received a brief note to say that their houses were going to be destroyed by the army next morning and had orders o get out a once. In the face of all this we felt helpless.

But we aren’t, of course. There are strong links between Wales and many Welsh people go there to volunteer and come back to raise awareness in Wales about the situation. I work mainly with women¹s groups - from Israel and Palestine ­ who work together for peace. Two women, Amneh and Liora, came to the Plaid Cymru conference last year to speak about their experiences as peace workers. Liora from Israel said that she lived in Lloyd George Avenue and was very inerested in the Welsh language;­ more so after hearing about the Wlpan course based on the Hebrew one.

But in Jerusalem I met two Israelis who made the deepest impression on me. The 13 year old daughter of Rami and Nurit Peled Elhanan had been killed by a Palestinian bomber on her way to ballet class. Despite being full of grief after her death they were not full of hatred nor hopelessness. They joined a group of parents from Israel and Palestine who had paid the highest price in the struggle ­parents who had lost children. They said they’d never dream of revenging the death of their daughter by killing someone else’s daughter. With the group they’re working for peace and justice, better understanding and tolerance. Nurit is a writer and has written powerful articles, for example.

"We are the ones who travel from country to country to remind the world that the death of a child, any child, in Palestine or Israel, in Afghanistan or Chechnya, is a loss for the whole world: after the death of a child, any child, there’s no one else who can revenge the blood of a child as the child takes it to her little grave, with her little bones, the past and the future, the reasons for the war and it’s results"

"Today, Terrorism is the used to describe the murderous activities of the poor and the weak and the war against terrorism is the term used to describe the murderous activities of the strong and the rich, when the biggest democratic countries carry out the most awful deeds against humanity, using words like freedom, justice and the conflict of cultures to justify their crimes, we the ones who have lost people, suffer terrorism or anti-terrorism, we are the only ones left to tell the world that there is no such thing as civilised killing of the innocents nor barbaric killing of the innocents, only criminal killing of the innocents."

Nurit is a very special person and she was very fond of Wales. She came here a couple of years ago to see the home of Dylan Thomas in Laugharne. She had arrived early in the afternoon from London by train and everything was shut. As she had to wait until places opened she stopped a man on the street and asked if there was somewhere she could get a cup of tea. He took her home for a cuppa. The warm welcome of the Welsh people made a big impression on her.

Close links between people is important for destroying false borders that some people try and create between us. I¹ve been talking about my experiences with the people that I¹ve met. They say you must see for yourself before really understanding and my visits have not only opened my eyes they¹ve changed my life. It¹sclear that poverty and injustice are the great threats to peace today.

A million are without clean drinking water. More than 8% of children in poor countries die before their first birthday anniversary. 40% of the poorest have only 11% of the world¹s resources. Mae 34 millions of people in the world have HIV/AIDS. The difference between poor and rich grows every day. Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa calls this "world-wide apartheid". The natural resources of the world are being destroyed. A study by the National science Academy in June last year showed that we¹re using up 25% more of natural resources than the planet can re-create.

Globalisation is on the increase and profits a privileged few. Trade is not the aim of globalisation but control and power. There’s a threat that water, energy and vital public services are being privatised in order to create profit for international companies and they are not answerable to anyone, and not for the benefit of the poorest. The countries of the south are still in an endless circle of debt, the countries that suffer most are prevented from manufacturing their own HIV/AIDS drugs and GMO’s are being thrust not only on developing countries but also on us against the wishes of the people.

But the WTO is not the only means of controlling international trade. It’s possible to create a different system. That’s the aim of the World Social Forum which held its second meeting in Porto Alegre in Brazil this January. A Hundred thousand people met there from every corner of the world to discuss another and more effective way of working for a fairer world. "A different world is possible" is the slogan of the forum that by now has created a network of people throughout the world working to a new agenda. I was there from Wales and proud to be carrying the Dragon in the great parade through the city. Our dragon drew much attention and many people came to us to photo our unusual banner, including people form the USA with relatives and roots in Wales.

A declaration by The World Social Forum was made with a commitment to fight against poverty and inequality, against war and the destruction of the environment and to strive for " social justice, respect for rights, equality and peace". The declaration brings everything that threatens our safety together ­ military, economic and environmental.

In Porto Alegre, a parliamentary network was also formed which means tat we in Wales an work with MPs through the world for peace and justice. Many of us will go to Cancun in Mexico in September when the WTO meets to draw attention to the needs of developing countries and the need to act to improve living standards and human rights. We have a ten point declaration calling for the WTO to be responsible to the elected bodies, implement the agreements already made before moving on to take new powers, to support and strengthen necessary public services, ensure that every country is able to get the necessary medicines, no patent on forms of food, defend agreements on the environment, defend rural development and improve the rights of workers.

If people are not the central focus of any development policy there will be no improvement. This was clear in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg last September. I saw how health, clean water, help, biodiversity, human rights and cultural identity are essentially linked. That is sustainability; creating a society and a world of communities that are sustainable economically, environmentally, and culturally. This means respecting democracy, human rights, languages and cultures. As a small nation working towards sustainability, but very conscious of our duty towards the rest of the world , these thins are all important to us in Wales. If we look at languages, for example, of the six thousand spoken today at last half of them are dying or in danger. Over the last three centuries, languages have vanished on a dramatic and increasing scale. So we can see that our strategy in Wales to keep the language alive and a language of society in a world-wide context. Welsh and our culture make a priceless contribution to the biodiversity of the world.

In the meetings our group from the Parliament had arranged there was much interest in the Welsh experience. Professor Henri Strydom from the "Language Board" or rather languages of Africa, spoke about the language policy of South Africa, and we had much in common. He said the S.A. Constitution gave official status to 11 languages and they have a duty to foster the use of the national languages. But a recent survey showed that very little was being done in reality and that many local government officials say that "everybody speaks English anyway" ­- sounds familiar! Most parents send their children to English schools believing they¹d have an advantage in education and career as a result. In South Africa, said Professor Strydom, the language was the topic discussed the most except for the country¹s constitution – ­again, sounds familiar. I went to a school that teaches through 4 languages ­and some people in Wales make so much fuss about bilingual education!

In the Summit itself 200 world representatives came together to discuss the future. But the same number of big business companies were there and their presence was very obvious, effectively lobbying for policies that would put profit and financial control before the welfare of the people ­ and this was in the name of sustainable development. They privatise sustainable development.

The Summit in a way was a microcosm for the world situation. The meetings were held in the Sandtown district; a wealthy area. It was within a stone¹s throw of Alexandra township, one of the poorest places I’ve ever seen with ­thousands living in shacks without running water nor the facilities we take for granted. It was an obvious contrast for everybody. The Summit leaders were discussing policies that should improve the lives of the people in Alexandra.

But perhaps the most frightening aspect was that some of the most important world leaders weren’t there. George W. Bush, for example. He was too busy ­ and this was soon after he withdrew the USA from the Kyoto Protocol and had stated that he intended doing the same with weapons agreements.

At the same time he and Tony Blair were travelling the world trying to persuade or compel other countries to back them in their "war against terrorism", putting energy and much money to start the war on Iraq. That was the priority.- war rather than a just, sustainable world. The Summit achieved little. The people in Alexandra won’t see any change nor the people of the developing world. But the people of Iraq saw the results.

Imagine for a second, if you can, how different would the result of the Summit in Johannesburg had been if the same money and effort had been channelled to fighting poverty and disadvantage. The world would be a safer place for all.

I¹ve spoken about the importance of making direct links with people in other parts of the world and I’m in a privileged position in the European Parliament as a representative of Wales. We met people not only from Europe but from beyond. As a member of the Parliamentary Committee of Europe on Lithuania, I’ve visited the country many times in recent years. The mother of the European Commission representative from Vilnius came from Cardiff and he had spent all his childhood holidays in Wales. But also, the wife of the Ambassador had competed at the Llangollen Eisteddfod as a young woman.

When I went to Washington with the Committee on Human Genetics to meet specialists in this new technological field, many of them came to me after the meetings to say their families came from Wales and to ask where I lived. This happened so frequently that the chairperson of the group from the European Parliament would present me before everyone else as a Welsh woman.

On the Womens Inernational Day in March of last year I heard a woman from Egypt speaking in a meeting of the Women’s Human rights Committee of which I’m vice-chairman. The topic of the meeting was the fight against oppression and she said it was impossible to differentiate between her struggle for peace and the struggle for her country and language. It¹s on the social level we have to work she said, to be effective on the international level.

And that¹s why the peace movement and the movement for international justice have been so strong and effective in Wales. Tremendous work is being done at community level that contributes to creating a better world. Many movements are doing innovative work. In a sense we in Wales, are people living at the edge in a land that’s on the edge. But as people we play a part on the world’s stage as well.

The late Professor Gwyn Alf Williams was fond of telling the story how Wales was first ever announced as a nation in Europe. The Great Conference of the World Church was held in Constance in 1415. The English delegates had proposed a change in the voting system from being based on bishoprics and regions to one based on nations. A French delegate rose to object to the English plan to include Wales as part of the English nation. Wales is a nation on its own, said France.

We’re a nation that can’t fulfil its potential as yet, but are one of the small nations throughout the world with the same contribution to make. Six member states in Europe are smaller than Wales. 60 nations in the world are members of the United Nations with smaller populations than Wales and I’m sure if Wales had a seat in th United Nations that we would not have supported the war against Iraq.

We have much to contribute to the world and much to learn and the World Union and the World is a great example of how to do this in a practical way. We must, as Welsh people, be faithful to the principles of the people who have gone before us, work to strengthen the United Nations as the only international body with the right and authority to rule world-wide matters. The opening words of the charter of the United Nations speaks of the people of the world. It reads:

"We, the people of the United Nations, are determined to save future generations from the horror of war that brought endless sadness to mankind twice during our lifetimes, to re-confirm our faith in basic human rights, in the respect and value of the individual, in the equal rights of men and women and large and small nations, and to establish circumstances whereby justice and respect for the implications that arise from agreements and international law are maintained."

We must re-claim the United Nations for the people ­ help it be a body that speaks for the people of the world. That is not impossible. I’m sure that many felt in 1948 that what they were founding was an impossible aim. But they succeeded.

During the time I spent in Iraq and Palestine and South Africa I saw how destructive oppression and poverty are. Oppression and poverty are at the root of the oppression suffered in these lands. And when the Archdruid asks "Is there peace?" this year and every other year, we must remember that only by preventing oppression and defeating poverty that true peace will be secured.

Jill Evans MEP
Plaid Cymru