The GCOMS 2019 campaign has started!

The Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) is an international campaign founded in December 2014 and promoted by the International Peace Bureau after the five Global Days of Action (GDAMS). The main aim is to reduce the global military spending thanks to the cooperative works made by the organisations of civil society.

The aim of the campaign is to push governments to invest money in the sector of health, education, employment and climate change rather than military. More precisely, the IPB calls for an annual, minimum reallocation of 10% from the military budgets of all states; and advocates the reduction of arms production and international weapons trade. The GCOMS also incorporates into its program the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) , which has been an annual occurrence since 2011. To reach this change, IPB’s intention is to foster synergies both within each country and internationally so as to gradually strengthen the global movement challenging militarism.

Right now, the issue of military spending is not prominent in the context of national discourses, and it emerges at the top of the media agenda only on select occasions: for instance when a war is announced, a budget decision reaches a crunch, or geopolitical tensions rise. Our aim is to make it a controversial debate in which every citizen’s voice can count.

A cut of 6% on the total World Military Spending would generate 100 billion dollars per year, and this could address the needs of developing countries in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation by 2020 (UN Sustainable Goal number 13). And a cut of 3.2% on World Military Spending would generate 54 billion dollars per year, enough to address the 3rd UN sustainable goal by achieving pre-primary, primary and lower-seconday universal education by 2030.

By redirecting military expenditure to real human needs, we would be able to really fund the needs of people: no poverty, zero hunger, a good health, quality education, gender quality, clear water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy for everybody, climate action, reduced inequality and many others. Needs that focus on people and on their rights.

We need to involve even more citizens and organisations in an open and robust debate on the counter-productive results of military expenditure. More than ever, we need new partners to make the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) a great success!

If you want peace, invest on peace. Disarm!