03/12/2018 |

The Cut Milex Campaign 2018 has started!

From 26 November to 26 December 2018, GCOMS is launching the Cut Milex Campaign 2018.

The Cut Milex campaign is directed at introducing the military spending debate in Parliaments during the annual discussion of national budgets. The idea is to generate powerful messages, in order to impact politicians and decision-makers, and to attract strong media coverage.

Cut Milex has a global perspective, asking for a reduction and redirection of military expenses in the maximum number of countries. But it has also a local perspective, as annual budget debates in different countries have specific aspects which make them distinct.

Activists in each country must therefore craft their own approach, including how to organize debates with Parliamentarians and how to shape the messages and proposals for them. It is to not only to raise awareness about military spending, but also encourage politicians in Parliaments to take actions against it and to redirect part of the Milex budget to human needs. The idea is to generate powerful messages, in order to impact politicians and decision-makers, and to attract strong media coverage.

The Cut Milex campaign has several main messages:

– To reduce military spending while redirecting its funds to social needs, cooperation, conflict mediation and peace building.
– To increase transparency and avoid opacity in official data on exports and military and defense industry.
– To introduce criteria for addressing military spending in national budgets in a comprehensive and rigorous way.
– To ensure that arms programs are audited and controlled by the nation’s Parliament.

The 2018 Cut Milex Campaign runs from 26 October to 26 December. More than ever, we need new partners to work on the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS), to be active on lobbying politicians, and to ensure that the Cut Milex campaign becomes a great success!

We encourage you to take action against military spending around the world. Here you have some ideas:

-Cyberactions calling for the reduction of military spending
-Publication of materials for social networks denouncing military spending
-Selfies campaigns asking your government to reduce military spending
-Actions on the street calling for a reduction in military spending
– Other ideas are welcome, we creative!

Read more here.