CREAF in the face of armed conflicts

The facts speak for themselves: in 2024, the world has reached the highest number of armed conflicts in the last decade, according to the Alerta report, and this is responsible for a large number of humanitarian catastrophes (there are currently more than 120 million people displaced by wars in the world) and also environmental ones. This leads us to take a position, which is not easy for a research centre that must focus its efforts on the creation and dissemination of knowledge about its specialty, in this case ecology. We consider it necessary to take a position because we believe in the positive impact of our science in maintaining a habitable planet and promoting a future where nature and humanity prosper together, and because we are aware of the harmful consequences that these conflicts have on the communities and the territory in which they occur, but also on their academic and research systems.

We reject all war and stand in solidarity with the people who suffer from it. We have already done so with Ukraine, which has recently been in the news again due to the intensification of the war with Russia. We join the national and international voices calling for an end to the armed attack and demanding respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and we express our solidarity especially with the scientists who have had to stop their research or have had to flee the country.

We would like to make specific mention of the war in Palestine, which particularly affects the Gaza region but also the West Bank, which is under occupation by Israel. A recent investigation by Amnesty International concludes that the Palestinian population is suffering genocide at the hands of Israel, a crime that is being investigated by the United Nations International Court of Justice in The Hague, which has demanded that Israel not violate the Convention on Genocide. Consequently, CREAF adheres to the statement of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and that of the Associació Catalana d'Universitats Públiques (ACUP) regarding this war. And it calls for a resolution of the conflict based on a culture of peace, respect for human rights, cooperation, coexistence and respect for the sovereignty of peoples, as well as the recognition of international law. In parallel, CREAF is committed to not collaborating from now on with institutions linked to the Israeli government as long as it promotes the culture of war, and to review its collaboration agreements with Israeli universities, companies and research centres that do not express a clear commitment to peace, international law and human rights. In line with its strategy of integrity in research, the centre is also committed to promoting an internal debate on the ethical principles that should guide this research and a series of training actions on a culture of peace, to ensure that its research and activity are aligned with human and environmental rights.

We end with a reminder of other wars with less media coverage, but also largely bloody, such as those in Syria and Sudan, to name a few. And with the conviction that through sincere work for mutual trust, respect for human rights, cooperation, dialogue and non-violence between people and states, we can advance towards the resolution of these conflicts through peace.