New IPB Co-President : Reiner Braun, Germany

17 Sept 2013. Berlin / Geneva.

The German peace activist Reiner Braun is the new IPB Co-President. The managing director of the German section of Lawyers Against Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons (IALANA), he was elected at the IPB's Triennial Assembly last week in Stockholm. His Co-President, the former UNESCO Director Ingeborg Breines from Norway, was confirmed in her post, for a further 3 years. Reiner Braun is also Director of the Federation of German Scientists (VDW). In late August, both it and IALANA- Germany, together with the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, jointly awarded the Whistleblower Prize to the former NSA employee Edward Snowden. German news report: http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/833310.deutscher- friedensaktivist-neuer-praesident-des-international-peace-bureau.html

Election statement/biography:

1. CV

I was born 1952, studied German Literature, History and Journalism, and was active in the German student movement and a student representative for many years. Since 1982 I have been actively involved in the Peace Movement, working as Executive Director for Scientists for Peace and Sustainability (Germany) and the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) until 2001. Since 2003 I have been working for various projects related to the “Einstein year 2005” at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and for the Max Planck Society. Since 2006 I am Executive Director of the International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) Germany; since 2010 I am executive director of the international IALANA. Also since 2006, I am the executive director of the Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler (VDW, Federation of German Scientists), the German Pugwash group.

I am a steering member of the International Peace Bureau for the past six years and one of the speakers of the German peace movement. I am a founding member of the international network "No to war - no to NATO" and a member of its coordinating committee.

I am author of different books, i.e. “Einstein and Peace”, “Joseph Rotblat – Visionary for Peace”, and “Chernobyl – 20 years after, myth and truth”.

2. Motivation

To me, applying to the position of co-president of the largest and most traditional international peace-organization is a great challenge and honor, especially knowing who has led IPB in the past.

I bring in experiences from 30 years of activities in the national and international peace and anti-war movement, having leading positions in occupational organizations as well as having co-organized central and huge actions of the peace movement (i.e. February 15 2003 and protests against Cruise Missiles in the 80ies). The creation of broad and pluralistic coalitions has always been an objective for me.

What do I want to develop further?

1. The manifold activities „Disarmament for Development“, maybe the trademark of IPB of the past years. The scandalous military spending in the face of global challenges should be further developed into a broadly carried (with a leading role of IPB) and action-oriented field of international and national politics. I dream of a World Congress “Disarmament for Development” which neither can be avoided by politics nor by CNN. 2. Nuclear disarmament remains a key challenge for IPB – in its networks, above all ICAN, as well as in own activities focusing on costs of nuclear armament. 3. I would like to put a strong focus of my work on the more active engagement of member organisations in projects and activities of IPB. This I would like to try to develop for the actions of 100 years of World War One in 2014. 4. Strengthening the organization IPB by enlarging its function as a network as well as creating a sounder financial situation 5. As a global organization we should increase our actions to overcome any euro- centrism. I would like to work on a peace project for the overcoming of danger of war in the pacific area as well as to increase IPB’s engagement in Latin America.