80 years ago, the Second World War ended with the capitulation of the German army. It was a watershed moment in European history. More than 60 million people had lost their lives through acts of war, many of whom were civilians and soldiers from the former Soviet Union. Germans had murdered more than 6 million European Jews in annihilation camps. As Germans, we accept our historical responsibility for the crimes against humanity and we are determined to pursue a culture of remembrance that upholds the historic truth about the war and that provides the political imperative of “never again”.
In the aftermath of the atrocities committed by Germans, high-ranking members of the Nazi regime awaited the first ever international military tribunal, a milestone in the development of international law. But it took almost three decades before it became widely accepted in Germany to comprehend May 8, 1945 as the day of liberation from the inhumanity and tyranny of the Nazi-regime. The end of the war marked also the beginning of the division of Europe and, for many of our Eastern European partners, the beginning of Soviet occupation and oppression.
History does not repeat itself, but 80 years later the current state of world affairs inevitably raises the question: Are we again moving towards global instability, anarchy and even conflict and war? Across the globe we see growing sympathy for authoritarianism, relativism of universal human rights, declining respect for international humanitarian law. We see division and confrontation in the UN Security Council, itself a product of the post-world-war order. A united and strong voice is lacking in a period where peace and stability are undermined by regional conflicts and global security challenges. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, with daily attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, has brought the horrors of war back to Europe, too.
The last 80 years have shown that democracy is an important cornerstone for global peace and stability. They cannot be taken for granted, they have to be defended time and again. The escalating conflicts in all corners of the world prove that resilient democracies are more important than ever. Today, we recognise the investment in freedom made by the Allies in the liberation of Europe. Germany has since invested in freedom and peace in Europe and beyond: Through the promotion of democracy and rule of law, our engagement for a united and integrated Europe, the transatlantic partnership, and a multilateral rules-based international order with the UN at its heart, supported by other important institutions such as the International Criminal Court, the World Bank or OECD.
The incoming Federal Government in Berlin, like its predecessors, will continue to engage for peace, freedom and stability in accordance with the statement in the preamble of the German constitution: “To serve the peace of the world as an equal partner in a united Europe”. Germany will continue to stand by the side of defenders of freedom, democracy, rule of law and the UN charter, be they individual human rights defenders, NGOs or – in the case of Ukraine – states that defend their freedom and sovereignty against aggressive neighbours.
In Africa and Kenya in particular, this engagement translates into a renewed partnership that holds great potential: Our climate and development partnership with Kenya is a blueprint model of cooperation based on mutual respect and reciprocity. We support African partners, like Kenya, that are main contributors to UN or AU peacekeeping missions.
A few weeks ago, we inaugurated the German-funded Counter-IED centre at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi/Embakasi. We will also continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of war and natural disasters in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We remain committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and we will continue to engage in open, respectful discussions with our partners about human rights and governance issues in bilateral and multilateral fora.
By Sebastian Groth