One of the main goals of the International Humanist & Ethical Union is the attempt to establish an honest and peaceful world.

Whereas in 1990 we were hopeful to reach this goal within a shorter period than expected, the developments in 1991 (Gulf War) and 1992 (Chaos in the Commonwealth of Independent States and in the Balkans) are cause for great concern.

Based on the premise that the needs of war are formed in the human mind, it becomes important not to plant such seeds in the minds of children by providing them with war toys and war games;

Noting that toy soldiers, toy guns and tanks and all war games make children think of war as an acceptable part of life and a way of settling conflicts:

When children play with war toys and engage in war games, they only see the fun and excitement. They do not see the horror. In real life the dead do not get up again, and

1. The Congress notes with deep satisfaction the transformations that are going on in the Soviet Union under the leadership of secretary-general Gorbachev.

2. We support the struggle of humanistic forces in the USSR fighting for democratisation of Soviet society, for freedom of expression, for strict adherence to legality and human rights, for freedom of conscience and emigration. The vital interest of the peoples of the Soviet Union lies in a firm and constant development in the humanistic direction.

We, participants of the Tenth Humanist World Congress of the International Humanist & Ethical Union, who have assembled at Buffalo, NY (July 31 - August 4, 1988),

* Reflecting on "Building a world community: humanism in the 21st century" and "The Need for a New Global Ethic",
* Remembering that on August 6, 43 years ago, the first nuclear bombs fell on Japanese cities,
* Referring to the IHEU Declaration on Nuclear Weapons of 1983,

Whereas terrorism and counter-terrorism are both counter-productive and dangerously destabilising, and

Whereas humanist principles call for peaceful resolutions of al conflict and disputes between groups and countries,

The 1986 Humanist World Congress calls for non-violent equitable solutions to national and international conflicts and condemns anti-terrorist military strikes and terrorism of all kinds.

The 1986 Humanist World Congress commemorates the tens of thousands of victims of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th and of Nagasaki on August 9th 1945.

We urge:

* The immediate stopping of all nuclear arms testing
* The immediate starting of negotiations aiming at the reduction and eventual total nuclear disarmament, and at the prevention of future re-armament

Meanwhile the major powers of the world should encourage research towards the safe disposal of nuclear arms.

The 1986 Humanist World Congress wishes to express in public our grave concern at the continuation and escalation of international tension and of the armaments build-up between East and West, despite the good intentions expressed at the Geneva summit meeting.

The 1986 Humanist World Congress supports the United Nations' proclamation of 1986 as the International Year of Peace.

If all the states of the world are willing to uphold the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights, there will be a world-wide peace.

1. The advancement of a just and peaceful society is one of the main objectives of the International Humanist & Ethical Union. The IHEU stimulates a continuous exchange of ideas among its members to learn to recognise the demands of peace and justice and to find ways to actualise these. During the past years one of the major topics of discussion has been the problem of nuclear armament. This statement of the IHEU aims at striking the balance of this discussion.

To: the government of the USSR, c/o Mr Leonid Breznez,
and to the government of the USA, c/o President Ronald Reagan

We, the 8th Congress of the International Humanist & Ethical Union, are convinced that you try to maintain peace for the benefit of your people. You seem to want to achieve this goal by means of a continually growing armament and you accuse each other of an advantage in armament. You attempt to explain to the world that your armament is always the inevitable result of arrears and that the armament of the other party is an attempt to expand an already enormous advantage.