Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:48 pm on 11 November 2020.
Llywydd, I thank Mick Antoniw for all of those really interesting and important points. The Wales for Africa programme is, I think, one of the unsung jewels of the history of devolution. When I was health Minister, I had a series of opportunities to meet with people: both people coming from Africa to Wales to take part in events or to be trained in particular skills that they could then use in the health arena, and also to meet those fantastic people, those voluntary groups in all parts of Wales and those members of our health provision, who give their time during their leave. They work all year in the Welsh health service and they use the few weeks of leave they have to go to Africa and to take their skills and to train other people over there. It's some of the best stuff that we do, and all that voluntary effort through PONT and organisations, I'm sure, in all Members' constituencies is such a demonstration of a generosity of spirit that we see here in Wales.
Mick Antoniw makes a very important point, Llywydd, about the way in which the last four years have uncovered the vulnerability of some key international institutions that many of us had taken for granted, whether that's NATO or the World Health Organization, or the Paris climate accord. And let us hope that we can look forward to something far better than that now in the four years to come.
Wales may be leaving the European Union, but we're not leaving Europe, and all the things that Mick Antoniw said continue to be very important to people here in Wales. Llywydd, I didn't mention in my statement, but I could've done, all the international work that is done on the parliamentary side of the Senedd, and the importance of that—in the Committee of the Regions, through the parliamentary association and so on, as Mick said. Our Wales Office will remain open in Brussels. It will continue to be a vital hub for our higher education institutions when they are involved in collaborative research with other institutions in Europe. It will be a place where businesspeople can go. I spoke at a conference of cyber security businesses there myself only shortly before the coronavirus crisis hit us. It will continue to be a place where the new caucus that we are developing of parliamentarians at the European Parliament to take an interest in Wales will be able to meet and to interface with us.
In the United States, the caucus in the House of Representatives, the Welsh caucus, is being newly put together again, now that there have been fresh elections. We're very lucky to have the strong support of a number of congressmen and women. And my predecessor, Carwyn Jones, as you know, played a very active part in leading delegations to the United States, particularly around St David's Day, taking many opportunities to make sure that the diaspora we have there already have the full support of the Senedd and the Welsh Government, and cultural ambassadors, in the way that Mick Antoniw said, both in the arts, but in sport as well. What is Wales known for around the world? We're known for our cultural ambassadors, whether that's individuals or whether it's organisations like the Cory Band or the Welsh National Opera, but sport as well. Those are the things that draw the attention of the eyes of the world to Wales, and our international strategy is about maximising that to the benefit of Wales as a whole.
I look forward very much to being at the unveiling of the plaque to Captain Dickson. It's taken too long to get that to happen, but finally, with the strong support of a number of Senedd Members, myself and Mick Antoniw included, we will see that—a genuine memorial to someone who displayed in their own life all the qualities that we have been talking about and which make Wales a positive force for good in the international arena.