Together, our professional societies represent over 130,000 members. We are united by the awareness that those working in science are particularly responsible for shaping the whole of human life. As representatives of our disciplines, we bring the actors together across the board in a community of responsibility and values and commit ourselves to stand up for freedom, tolerance, truthfulness and dignity in science. We are convinced that scientific knowledge is a basic prerequisite for meeting the challenges of the future. Facts must form the basis for political and social debates. This requires a free and rational scientific discourse.