Prof. Dr Götz Neuneck, former Deputy Director of the IFSH and long-time head of the research area IFAR², has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (“Verdienstkreuz am Bande”) on May 3, 2022.
The Order of Merit is awarded by the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and was handed over to Götz Neuneck by the State Secretary Susanne Baumann at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
Baumann emphasized the achievements and importance of Götz Neuneck’s work on scientific peace research as well as his policy advice in the field of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. She also honoured his advisory activities since 1999, his work in the German delegation to the NPT review conference in New York in 2005, 2010 and 2015, and a number of other disarmaments initiatives. Furthermore, she acknowledged his continuous promotion of young scientists within the master’s programme Peace and Security Studies.
Götz Neuneck thanked his colleagues and all participants. As the researcher explained: “This award is also a tribute to the German peace and conflict research, the IFSH and the natural sciences working groups. It would not have been possible without them and their hard work.”
Apart from Götz Neuneck, Prof. Dr Harald Müller, former director of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), has also been awarded the Cross of Merit.