At the start of the annual meeting, the delegates were able to recall a variety of positive developments from the past year. For example, the report by the Federal Association’s Executive Committee acknowledged the first meeting with representatives of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and the KMK President Sylvia Löhrmann, Deputy Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, in September 2014, as well as the successful continuation of the Alliance’s work in the area of sexual self-determination and self-determination at the end of life. The position brochure published as part of the debate on a ban on assisted suicide
At the end of the road
published as part of the debate on a ban on assisted suicide also met with broad interest outside the association. The association also took part in several public conferences on the topic of euthanasia and is inviting experts to another discussion in Berlin on June 3, 2015. The first cross-association symposium on humanistic education on October 25, 2014 was also very well received. The president of the federal association, Frieder Otto Wolf, also referred to the increasing perception of the association as an advocacy group by the major political parties. The founding of Humanistisches Sozialwerk Deutschlands gGmbH was also welcomed. Under the umbrella of the new project agency, further facilities such as day-care centers and social projects are to be opened and operated under independent sponsorship in the future. The work of the Federal Main Committee focused on adopting a position on refugee policy and declarations on the debate surrounding assisted suicide in Germany and the situation in palliative medicine and care for the elderly. The growing number of people seeking protection, which according to the United Nations Refugee Agency is currently as high as it was at the end of the Second World War, clearly shaped the discussions at the annual meeting. While initial initiatives have already been launched in individual state associations to offer practical support and assistance to those seeking protection in Germany, a position paper Humanist Perspectives on Refugee Reception and Policy adopted by the Federal General Committee at the weekend is intended to contribute to long-term orientation in public and political discussions. The position paper was developed on the initiative of the Humanist Association Berlin-Brandenburg. It reflects on and identifies the causes of the global influx of refugees, describes the inclusion of people seeking protection as a task for society as a whole and articulates concrete demands to politicians and the public. It also takes particular account of the situation of people seeking protection without religious convictions and the resulting tasks of the association, as well as the special situation of women and children among those seeking protection. The document will be published in the next few days once the editorial revisions have been completed. The delegates also adopted a resolution on the situation in care for the elderly as a contribution to the public and political discussions. This was prompted by the poor care situation for the dying, only a few percent of whom are able to spend their last days or weeks in a hospice, and the ongoing debate about a ban on assisted suicide.
The resolution takes a stand on the law planned by Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe to improve hospice and palliative care and makes it clear that good palliative care and the desired shortening of death must not be considered incompatible, as has been the case to date. Another resolution takes a more detailed stance on assisted suicide, in which the association, together with the other organizations gathered in the Alliance for Self-Determination until the End of Life, calls on the Bundestag not to restrict the current impunity for assisted suicide in any way. Both resolutions will also be published in the coming days. Finally, at the end of the annual meeting, the delegates welcomed the fact that the international humanist holiday on 21 June each year (World Humanist Day) was officially recognized for the first time last year and given the same legal status as religious holidays. In Berlin, the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Science included the holiday in the implementation regulations for compulsory school attendance (AV Schulbesuchspflicht), which means that pupils with a commitment to humanist beliefs will in future be entitled to time off school. The board of the Bavarian Humanist Association, Michael Bauer, also announced that a German Humanist Day will be held in Nuremberg for the first time in 2017. A non-profit limited company founded specifically for this purpose is already working on the concept. The aim is to hold a high-profile series of events with at least 3,000 visitors. On the fringes of the annual conference in Nuremberg, the executive committee of the federal association met on Friday and Saturday morning. The new version of the Humanist Self-Conception developed in Berlin met with broad approval. The President of the Federal Association described the submitted text as a “very mature draft”, into which the latest suggestions for improvement are now to be incorporated. The plan is to adopt the new self-image in the coming year. The success of the current appeal by the Humanist Relief Organization Germany for donations to support those affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal was expressly welcomed. As the president of the relief organization reported, a considerable four-figure sum has already been received, which will soon be sent to the partner organization in Nepal so that the earthquake relief work that has been started there can be maintained. Frieder Otto Wolf expressed his satisfaction with the results of this year’s meeting of the Federal Main Committee after its conclusion on Saturday evening. In the face of major challenges and sometimes difficult situations, the humanist commitment in all countries was highly admirable, said Wolf.
He is “very grateful for the diverse activities in the larger and smaller regional associations and is firmly convinced that we humanists are still on the most promising path to making our practical humanism truly tangible for more and more people and thus also sustainably advancing the equal treatment of non-religious people in Germany.” The next conference of delegates from the regional associations will take place in 2016.
