WFSW’s Statement and Appeal Concerning the Situation in Ukraine For Peace and negotiations
The World Federation of Scientific Workers (WFSW) expresses its profound concern over the building-up of regional armed conflicts in different parts of the world where extreme violence and the seemingly irreconcilable positions of the opposing parties lead to unacceptable human sufferings and a terrible destruction of human life, means of production and economies.
Following the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq, the international community witnesses the recent break out of violent clashes in Ukraine, in the very heart of Europe.
In a crumbling economy, in the midst of growing chaos, a breeding ground for political extremism, the imposition of sanctions and of all kinds of restrictions with the ensuing disruption of human relations and contacts worsens the situation. That context particularly affects the scientific community and hinders the normal development of the scientific endeavour.
The WFSW recalls that exactly 100 years ago, the world was plunged into a world war due to the greed of powerful interests that aimed at controlling an entire continent. At a time when the means of destruction were considerably less lethal than they are today, this First World War brought destruction to an unprecedented scale, killed and incapacitated millions of human beings.
Today, for the survival of humanity, the opposing parties in a conflict will sooner or later have to engage bona fide in a peace process and in negotiations to find a compromise.
The WFSW calls upon all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine to immediately put an end to violence and engage in the search for a peaceful and democratic solution to the conflict. It condemns any use of force and opposes any foreign intervention either by military action or economic pressure.
The WFSW expresses its most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and its solidarity with the scientific community as well as to all Ukrainian population.
