International Press Communiqué: Burning a hole in our budget!

April 12, 2013 by IPB

Geneva, 11 April 2013. On 15 April, over 100 organisations all over the world will (for the third time) come together for the Global Day of Action on Military Spending. This coordinated global effort constitutes a civil society movement for change.

The current economic crisis has put pressure on governments to reduce spending on essential human needs: confronting climate change, battling deadly diseases, achieving the Millennium Development Goals. But with some exceptions, national governments continue to waste enormous resources on the military. 

Figures from the 2011 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) annual report show that the world’s governments devote more public money than ever on the military: $1,738 billion per year. If spent differently, this would go a long way to resolving the real and immediate challenges facing our planet.

 On 15 April, SIPRI will announce the military spending figures for 2012. It is also Tax Day in the USA, a traditional time for awareness-raising actions on how much of the US budget is spent on defence and funding wars overseas, while the Administration is cutting back on taxpayers’ social services. Given the ongoing budget crisis debate, there is bound to be a huge interest among the general public. Read more…