IPPNW – International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Regional Group South

The international medical organization IPPNW ( International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War – Physicians in Social Responsibility) is committed to a peaceful , nuclear technology-free and humane world. It was founded in 1980 by physicians from the United States and the Soviet Union under the impact of the nuclear threat that was building up in the Cold War era. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for her “informed and important information work” raising public awareness about the “catastrophic consequences of nuclear war.” Out of this peace work developed ICAN, an International Campaignto AbolishNuclear Weapons(Nuclear), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

This campaign was successful: on January 22, 2021, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force. It was adopted by 122 member states . This is a peace policy success of great historical significance, because a ban on nuclear weapons now applies under international law. The treaty prohibits the possession, deployment, and threat of nuclear weapons. Germany has not yet signed the treaty because nuclear weapons are stationed in Büchel to this day as part of NATO’s nuclear sharing program, which means that in the event of a military emergency, German aircraft must drop their nuclear cargo on selected targets in the east on the orders of the American president.

Should the conflict between the USA and Russia escalate, Germany would be directly affected by a nuclear war. The danger is real, with all the devastating consequences, as Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed. Therefore, IPPNW sends an appeal for peace to the new federal government, because our Basic Law obligates us to be a state of peace. Under the impression of Germany’s war guilt, the preamble states: “The German people is inspired by the will to serve the peace of the world as an equal member in a united Europe.

So far, the Basic Law’s peace requirement has been neglected “in a similarly concrete way as, for example, the welfare state requirement or the rule of law requirement,” as a constitutional judge recently pointed out. The peace state of the Basic Law, like the democratic constitutional state, must be fought for and defended. IPPNW calls on the German government to adopt a new, pioneering peace policy in order to implement the peace imperative of the Basic Law with concrete measures.

The appeal for peace now has many prominent supporters. With this action, IPPNW wants to bring the issue of peacekeeping back into the public consciousness. In this context, the Munich regional group also participates in the Munich Peace Conference, which takes place annually at the same time as the Munich Security Conference and is organized by various local peace groups. It wants to show alternatives to a policy that relies far too much on military deterrence. For example, the military budget of about €50 billion/year exceeds spending on peaceful conflict resolution many times over. Peace cannot succeed in this way.

The peace conference aims to provide impetus for a new security policy based on non-violent conflict resolution and peaceful cooperation. It takes place in presence and as live-stream from February 18 to 19, 2022. It will be held in the old town hall in Munich, registration at www.friedenskonferenz.info. All colleagues are cordially invited to attend and learn more. Because: the best recipe against war is peace.

Dr. med. Ingrid Pfanzelt
IPPNW Regional Group South