SIPRI Advance Numbers Released

April 3, 2011 by IPB

Many organisations have asked about how to get the military spending information to be released by SIPRI in early April. This is important in order to be able to :

a) inform local media of the (new) 2010 data on military spending. Not all of them will have received this info direct from SIPRI or via news agencies.

b) prepare your comments on this information in the context of your actions on April 12.

IPB & IPS have made an agreement with SIPRI in order to obtain a summary of the data in advance. If your group wishes to receive this (via IPB) you will need to send us a copy of the message below containing the commitment not to publish such data before the embargo deadline of April 11.

The SIPRI summary data will ONLY be distributed to those who send in a completed form.

I look forward to hearing from you. Write to: Colin Archer at secgen@ipb.org, and cc gdams2011@gmail.com.

Meanwhile dont forget to :
1. send details of your events to gdams2011@gmail.com for inclusion on the website, and

2. send photos of your event as soon as possible (to the same address, or post them at demilitarize.org/photo-wall), to help us build up a really impressive photo-gallery for use by media and activists alike.

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Collaboration on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending

On 11 April 2011, SIPRI will launch its updated world military expenditure data for 2010 with the public release of comprehensive
information on global, regional and national trends in military spending. On 12 April, the Global Day of Action on Military Spending
(GDAMS, http://www.demilitarize.org/) will occur, initiated and founded by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).

In order to ensure the widest attention to the SIPRI data launch, SIPRI has agreed to allow certain media to preview the data under
exclusive arrangements and subject to a strict embargo time of 00.00 CET 11 April 2011. To allow the founders of the GDAMS to prepare in advance for the day of action, SIPRI and the IPB / IPS have agreed as follows:

§ SIPRI will prepare a one-page information sheet on the general trends revealed by its military expenditure data for 2010.

§ This information sheet will be provided to both the IPB and the IPS. SIPRI will provide the information sheet on 1 April to the IPB’s
representative, Colin Archer, on behalf of both IPB and IPS.

§ This information sheet will not include final definitive figures for military expenditure in 2010 due to SIPRI’s agreements with individual media. However, it will provide enough information for the IPB and the IPS to prepare for their events in connection with GDAMS.

§ The IPB and IPS agree that, prior to the embargo time of 00.00 on 11 April 2011, the contents of the information sheet may only be
disclosed to individuals or organizations directly involved with the preparations of events related to the GDAMS.

§ The IPB and IPS have agreed that they will make similar confidentiality arrangements with those individuals or organizations
to whom the information sheet is disclosed.

§ Accordingly, the partner cited below in the GDAMS agrees to respect the embargo deadline and not publish detailed data in advance of April 11.