Canolfan Materion Rhyngwladol Cymru | |
Formation | 1973 |
---|---|
Legal status | Non-profit company |
Purpose | To inspire people to learn and act on global issues so everyone in Wales can contribute to creating a fairer and more peaceful world. |
Location |
|
Region served | Wales |
CEO | Susie Ventris-Field |
Chair | Peter Sargent |
Expenses (2017–18) | £1.1M |
Endowment (2017–18) | £1.2M |
Website | www |
The Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA) is a Welsh international affairs and strategy think tank, established in 1973 to promote the exchange of ideas on international issues, build international partnerships connecting Welsh people and organisations with the world, and encourage global action in communities and organisations across Wales. [1] It is based in the Temple of Peace in Cardiff.
It has been a charity trust since inception in 1973 and became a registered charity with the Charity Commission in 2014. [2] It had an endowment of £1.2m in 2017–18. [2]
The organisation's headquarters, the Temple of Peace in Cathays Park, was built in November 1938 by Minnie James of Dowlais, a bereaved mother of World War I victims, David Davies MP (later known as Lord Davies of Llandinam), and the King Edward VII Welsh National Memorial Association. The land was also gifted by the Montgomeryshire MP. [3]
In its early years it housed the King Edward VII Association, the United Nations Association (UNA) Wales, and in 1970 a successor organisation was proposed, which became the WCIA. [3]
The initiative for the foundation of the WCIA came in 1968 through a Western Mail editorial, which called for "Welshmen to look beyond the confines of Wales and Britain to extend their knowledge and understanding of the rest of the world." [3] Secretary of State for Wales, George Thomas MP was integral to bringing together the Association's Standing Conference. Among the early supporters were the Welsh Office, nearby local authorities, the University of Wales and education colleges, MPs, trade unionists, industrialists, churches, political parties, members of the media, and voluntary organisations. The opening ceremony was held on 11 October 1973 by Lady Tweedsmuir, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [3]
In 2014, the WCIA merged with CEWC Cymru (Council for Education in World Citizenship Wales) and UNA Wales (United Nations Association Wales). [4] [5]
The organisation's headquarters, the Temple of Peace, was previously owned by Public Health Wales, but was sold to nearby Cardiff University in 2017. [6]
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Wales national futsal team. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.
The Welsh National Temple of Peace and Health, known as the Temple of Peace and Health or commonly the Temple of Peace, is a non-religious civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It was designed by the architect Sir Percy Thomas. Since its foundation, the building has served a dual function as headquarters for health and international affairs organisations.
The United Nations Association Wales is an organisation campaigning in Wales to make the ideals of the United Nations a reality. It campaigns, lobbies and raises awareness on issues of disarmament, conflict prevention, sustainable development and human rights. It aims to promote informed debate on international issues, including the UN system itself.
Welsh nationalism emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self-determination, which includes Welsh devolution, meaning increased powers for the Senedd, or full Welsh independence.
The Council for Education in World Citizenship (CEWC) was an educational charity that was founded in England in 1939. It operated a number of "regional councils", which later became independent charities, in Wales (CEWC-Cymru) and Northern Ireland (CEWC Northern Ireland). By 2014, the charities in England and Northern Ireland were no longer operating, and the Welsh organisation had been merged into the Welsh Centre for International Affairs.
Urdd Gobaith Cymru is Wales' largest youth organisation. It provides sports, arts, volunteering, apprenticeship, outdoor pursuits, humanitarian, international and residential opportunities for children and young people through the medium of Welsh.
Politics in Wales forms a distinctive polity in the wider politics of the United Kingdom, with Wales as one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (UK).
Literature Wales, formerly named the Academi, is the Welsh national literature promotion agency and society of writers, existing to promote Welsh-language and English-language literature in Wales. It offers bursaries for writing projects, runs literary events and lectures, and provides financial assistance for creative mentoring and other literary-based ventures. The organisation also selects the National Poet for Wales, and manages competitions including Wales Book of the Year, the Cardiff International Poetry Competition, and the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition.
Welsh independence is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom.
Geraint Talfan Davies OBE DL FRIBA FLSW is a Welsh journalist and broadcaster, and a long-serving trustee and chairman of many Welsh civic, arts, media and cultural organisations.
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Autism Cymru was Wales' national charity for autism with offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth. The charity was established in May 2001 through an initial 3-year grant provided by The Shirley Foundation. The founder chair of the Trustees was Dame Stephanie Shirley of the Shirley Foundation.
YesCymru is a non party-political campaign for an independent Wales. The organisation was formed in summer 2014 and officially launched on 20 February 2016 in Cardiff. In 2022 it became a private company limited by guarantee without share capital.
The Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) is an independent charity and membership-based think-tank based Cardiff, Wales, which specialises in public policy and debate around the economy, education, environment and health sectors in Wales.
The Wales Governance Centre (WGC) is a research centre and think-tank based Cardiff, Wales, which specialises in research into the law, politics, government and political economy of Wales, as well the wider territorial governance of the UK and Europe. It was established shortly after the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum, and was founded by Barry Jones in 1999. Its current director is Professor Richard Wyn Jones, and it is a part of Cardiff University.
Welsh devolution is the transfer of legislative powers for self-governance to Wales by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current system of devolution began following the enactment of the Government of Wales Act 1998, with the responsibility of various devolved powers granted to the Welsh Government rather than being the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom.
The objectives of the international relations of Wales are the promotion of Wales and Welsh interests abroad, the development of the Welsh economy and the positioning of Wales as a globally-responsible nation. Responsibility for Welsh international relations currently lies with the First Minister of Wales, but the responsibility can also be delegated. Relations are primarily undertaken through a network of 21 international offices operated by the Welsh Government, with representation in London, Belgium, Canada, China, Ireland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and in five offices across the United States. Additionally the Welsh government has signed agreements or memoranda of understanding with other countries and regions including the Basque Country and the Ōita Prefecture in Japan. This permanent representation is supplemented by overseas visits undertaken by the First Minister, and other officials, often timed to coincide with Saint David's Day, the feast day of the Welsh patron saint, and by an annual focus on a specific nation, "Wales in Germany" in 2021, "Wales in Canada" in 2022 and "Wales in France" in 2023.
WCIA has its origins in [..] UNA Wales (the United Nations Association, 1946-2014) and CEWC Cymru (the Council for Education in World Citizenship, 1943-2014). [..] The Welsh Centre for International Affairs was launched in 1973 [..] and became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (No. 1156822, on merger with CEWC Cymru and UNA Wales) in 2014.
CEWC - the Welsh Council for Education in World Citizenship - [..worked..] alongside the United Nations Association and from 1973, the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, from the Temple of Peace in Cardiff. From 2014, the 3 organisations merged into WCIA