General Information

The XVII International Amaldi Conference of Academies of Sciences and of National Scientific Societies on Scientific Questions of Global Security is to take place at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg, Germany from 14-16 March 2008. The organisation is under the auspices of the newly founded (2006) Academy of Science and Humanities in Hamburg. The attendance is by invitation only.

The series of the Amaldi conferences owe their existence to an initiative by Dr. Frank Press, then President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and by Dr. Wolfgang K.H. Panofsky, then chair of the Committee of International Security and Arms Control (CISAC) of NAS, who suggested in 1986 that European Academies and scientific societies should join the talks already underway for some time between CISAC and a corresponding committee of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Due to the understanding and enthusiasm of Prof. Edoardo Amaldi as Vice-President and soon afterwards President of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the proposal by Press and Panofsky was accepted. The first conference of the type suggested by them took place in Rome in 1988. It was a success, and Professor Amaldi and the Lincei were hosts to another such conference in 1989. After Amaldi’s untimely death these conferences were named Amaldi Conferences in his honour and continued in Rome (1990), Cambridge (1991), Heidelberg (1992), Rome (1993), Warsaw (1994), Piacenza (1995), Geneva (1996), Paris (1997), Moscow (1998), Mainz (1999) Rome (2000), Siena (2002), Helsinki (2003), Trieste (2004). The proceedings of these conferences were widely circulated and brought to the attention of governments and scientific and cultural societies, for the last six conferences also in the form of books. A short review (in italian) of the history of the Amaldi Conferences can be found on the web page of the Academia Nazionale dei Lincei.

Topics treated at Amaldi Conferences under the particular historical aspects of the day were, inter alia, the future of nuclear weapons, the technical problems of the prevention of nuclear proliferation, the conversion of military research establishments to civilian use, particularly in the former Soviet Union, the control of conventional arms trade, the detection and defusing of landmines, and the verification of the non-production of chemical and biological weapons.

The purpose and the goal of the discussions at Amaldi Conferences by recognized experts is to inform members of academies and scientists nominated by academies on questions of security and arms control in order to keep up to date a reservoir of independent experts in these fields who are able and ready to discuss these questions with experts in the service of governments and supply new ideas and independent advice. To secure political neutrality the Amaldi Conferences do not pass resolutions and publicize only the issues discussed whereas the proceedings contain all the papers submitted as well as abstracts of the discussions.

The preliminary agenda of the XVII International Amaldi Conference includes sessions devoted to the Nuclear Policies of the Nuclear Weapon States, Nuclear Proliferation and the Risk of Nuclear Terrorism and New Military Technologies such as Directed Energy Weapons, and all the sub-topics coming under these headings.

The venue of the conference will be the auditorium and the Guest Houses on the campus of the Deutsches Electron-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg. Hospitality (accomodation and meals) during the conference will be offered whereas travel arrangements will have to be made by the participants themselves and their expenses will have to be paid by them or by their institutions. A very small number of scholarships covering the travel expenses of speakers from developing countries might be available.

For further information please contact: amaldi2008@desy.de.

Financial support by the Sifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft , by the Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung and by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S is gratefully acknowledged.

Organisational Information for Attendees
First Bulletin (103KB) Second Bulletin (97KB)