International

The Global Campaign on Peace Education shared the GDAMS statement and infographic on its website.

What do you think the world would look like if more money were spent on peace and development and less on arms?
More info here

Saturday – Apr 24, 2021: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

The International Peace Bureau would like to introduce the First Youth Summit Against NATO.
Information and registration here

Information here

Time: Paris/Berlin: 17:15, London 16:15, Moscow 18:15, Washington DC (EDT) 11:15

KCSS/QSSS (Qendra Kosovare për Studime të Sigurisë) joined GDAMS by sharing the Healthcare Not Warfare infographic:
“This great infographic exposes the spending gap between military and healthcare; High level of mistrust/hatred between people in the world; For all those thinking we are our main enemy, COVID-19 teaches us a very different story”

The Palestinian movement for Boycott and Divestment and Sanctions to Israel supported GDAMS on their social media:

“With disarmament, the implementation of the SDGs, a global social contract & a new global green peace deal, we can address challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic.” #HealthcareNotWarfare #StopArmingIsrael Sign IPB petition: https://bit.ly/2RMKJo7.

AEPF, through its cluster of Peace and Security, supported the campaign for one more year, as part of a strategy to make GCOMS one of the main campaigns of the forum.

Global Freeze Weapons Now is a campaign by SCRAP, an initiative of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD) at SOAS, University of London. 

This campaign created a series of videos and infographics which had as a reference the GDAMS infographic Healthcare Not Warfare, and disseminated them widely on social media. 

You can support this initiative by Signing their Declaration, Promoting their Formal Text for Governments, Parliaments and International Organisations and Circulating and using their Background paper. Find out more about it here.

War Resisters International supported GDAMS online and shared its materials and statement on their social media.
“The #COVID-19 pandemic crisis is another reminder of where our priorities should lie! Healthcare Not Warfare!”

“The #COVID19 crisis has made clearer than ever the flaws in our system, one that prioritizes military spending and global instability over the well-being of our people.”

Greenpeace international shared the GDAMS message and infographic and prepared and article by Jen Maman on the issue:
“At a time when communities around the world are struggling with the lack of intensive care unit (ICU) beds, ventilators and even simple masks.What can you do? Speak up against excessive military spending and the need for better, smarter allocation of national budgets for the citizens and the greater good for the planet. Greenpeace believes we need to stop pouring money into our military-industrial complex and instead #movethemoney to sustain a more green and peaceful future.

Where would you #movethemoney? The Global Campaign on Military Spending  (@demilitarizeday) invites people to share their suggestions on Twitter.
It’s time for us to start redefining our idea of safety”

Read the full article here

Control Arms shared our message and infographic on an article about Arms control in the time of COVID-19 “The Global Campaign on Military Spending illustrates (Figure 1) how resources spent on militaries and weaponry could have been used today to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) shared similar research, comparing the spending of nuclear arsenals vs. healthcare infrastructure. Several other organisations and individuals have weighed in on the issue, including Control Arms member Project Ploughshares on “Arms control diplomacy a worrying casualty of Covid-19” and the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) in its ongoing Covid-19 blog series.

The Global Campaign on Peace Education shared the GDAMS statement and infographic on its website.

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) shared GDAMS materials on their social networks.

Reaching Critical Will, the Disarmament Programme of WILPF, shared the Healthcare Not Warfare infographic on their social media and a thread related to UNODA occasional paper on military spending on the occasion of GDAMS.

Nobel Women called to action on the first day of GDAMS by sharing this message and picture: “Today marks beginning of several Global Days of Action on Military Spending! Let’s start with a powerful #FeministFriday from Nobel peace laureate @JodyWilliams97. It’s time to prioritize human security, especially relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. #MoveTheMoney

ICAN shared the GDAMS infographic on April 28, after SIPRI’s release of new figures on military spending. “$1.9 trillion! SIPRI’s latest report reveals that in 2019 global military expenditure had its largest annual increase in a decade. Meanwhile, that money could have gone to life-saving equipment and human security: @DemilitarizeDay”

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) referenced GDAMS when releasing their new figures on military expenditure on Twitter: 

“’Global military expenditure sees largest annual increase in a decade—says SIPRI—reaching $1917 billion in 2019′. Read the Press Release. Download the Fact Sheet. #MILEX #GDAMS2020”

The way out from the COVID-19 crisis: will the EU work for peace or prepare for war? On Europe Day, the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) and the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) call the EU to fund peace, not arms dealers.

The EU High Representative Mr Borrell stated on April 24 that the world will look very different after the COVID-19 crisis and will depend on the choices made today.  On the eve of Europe Day celebrating peace and unity, the EU bears a large responsibility for how this future will look like, and has a key choice to make: work for sustainable peace by seriously tackling the root causes of conflicts, or continue the path to militarism and prepare for war.

Global military spending saw its biggest increase in a decade in 2019, a growth Europe largely contributed to. The Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) 2020 that are closing tomorrow brought attention to the vast opportunity costs of the current levels of military spending: 1.91 trillion US$ in 2019, almost $5 billion per day, $239 per person.

The COVID-19 crisis requires now a drastic overhaul of the initial MFF proposal, and one could hope a refocus on health and environmental challenges, and on the communities most affected by them. But the military-industrial complex and its supporters are rallying and calling loud and clear for maintaining or even increase EU funding for th

More information on ENAAT can be found here.

Coinciding with the ongoing Global Days of Action on Military Spending and complementary to the recent release of the annual military spending data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Office for Disarmament Affairs is pleased to publish the second volume, UNODA Occasional Papers 35, on rethinking unconstrained military spending. 

This publication addresses the issue of military spending from various angles by examining the impact of military expenditures on international security.

Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Resist and Reverse the Climate Crisis; For Social and Economic Justice

The online World Conference for nuclear weapons abolition, peace, the climate and justice, organised by Joseph Gerson, president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security and director of the American Friends Service Committee’s Peace and Economic Security Program, was held between 9:00 and 11:00 am (NY time) in the context of GDAMS 2020. 

In the context of the suffering and changes being wrought by the pandemic, the two- hour world conference will focus on the continuing urgent need to abolish nuclear weapons and its relationship to stanching the climate emergency and challenging injustices which have left so many people marginalized and vulnerable.

You can watch the full conference here.

The current COVID-19 pandemic provides a tragic reminder that our greatest collective challenges cannot be solved through military might. Now is the moment to seek options that provide for lasting peace and security in the face of daunting challenges like climate change, mass refugee flows and the ongoing global public health crisis.

If only 10 percent of today’s global military spending were spent towards SDG 13 on climate action, the current costs of adapting to climate change in developing countries would be covered several times over.

On the occasion of the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, I echo the recent appeal of the Secretary-General for a global ceasefire in the face of the ongoing health crisis. I also renew my call for the international community to redirect the world’s finite resources towards promoting the well-being of every citizen and striving for a peaceful and secure world for all. Let us put humanity at the centre of our security.

Download the original statement as a pdf here.

Military Spending on the Rise while Health Budgets Remain Insufficient in Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic. With the release of SIPRI’s newest report, showing global military spending in 2019 at a new high of US$1,917 billion, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) is calling for an end to the military spending pandemic, starting with an annual reduction of military expenditure of 10% and a complete ban on nuclear weapons.

Militaries and arms cannot and will not save us from this pandemic. Nearly $2 trillion on destructive weapons and soldiers will not save the 250 million people facing starvation or provide jobs to the hundreds of millions currently unemployed. Just $35 billion could provide social protection to the 28 poorest countries. We must imagine how much progress could be made if we instead committed these resources to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Let us demilitarize the world and invest in global peace and diplomacy.

Download the statement here.
Read the statement on the IPB website here

The international Peace Bureau ​​is calling for a dramatic reduction in military spending in favour of health care and to satisfy the social needs.

The world spends US$ 1.8 trillion on military expenditure every year and is scheduled to spend 1 trillion dollars on new nuclear weapons in the next 20 years.

Militarization is the wrong path for the world to take; it fuels tensions and raises the potential for war and conflict. It aggravates already heightened nuclear tensions.

World leaders must put disarmament and peace at the center of policy making and develop a new agenda for disarmament that includes banning nuclear weapons. We reiterate our call for governments to sign up to the TPNW treaty.

Full Statement available on IPB website

WEBINAR 

Challenging Nuclear Weapons in Europe

Monday April 27 – 15:00-16:30 CET

Registration : arielled@ipb.org

The tensions between nuclear weapons possessors states have worsen dramatically these last months and Europe is at the centre of the storm. The suspension of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia has directly exposed Europe to a new nuclear arms race and there is no indication that a successor to the US-Russian New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) will be negotiated before the February 2021 deadline. NATO states are much too silent, worse, French President Macron suggested that France’s nuclear weapons could become a European “deterrent”.

But, along with the 74% Millenials thinking that war and nuclear annihilation can be avoided, let’s point the historical movement building up around the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) ratified by 36 states and 81 have signed the Treaty, putting it on its way to entering into force in the coming months. What is the situation from different perspectives in Europe? How can civil society bring its contribution?

This Webinar replacing a Side Event due to take place at the opening of the 2020 NPT session will host experts and activists to discuss with the participants how to challenge of nuclear weapons in Europe.

CHAIR : Reiner Braun IPB Executive Director

• Hans Kristensen – Federation of American Scientists – Points of tensions in regards to Nuclear Weapons in Europe
• Oleg Bodrov-Coalition for a Clean Baltic/Russia – A view from Russia of the nuclear tensions in Europe
• Kate Hudson Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – UK nuclear developments
• Bastien Lachaud French MP – French situation
• Katherine Vogler German MP – German situation – 5min
• Daniel Hogsta  ICAN – Potential tracks for progress in Europe(TBC)
• XXX ITUC Representative
• Susi Snyder –Pax/ Don’t Bank On the Bomb campaign on divestments and financial institutions
• Philip Jennings– IPB- building coalition with the social movements

Thank you for registering at adenis@ipb.org

* Cutting nuclear weapons budgets.
* Ending investments in nuclear weapons & fossil fuels.
* Reallocating these to public health, climate protection and sustainable development.

International webinar, Tuesday April 21, 2020.
Held in conjunction with the Global Days of Action on Military Spending

See: http://pnnd.org/event/move-nuclear-weapons-and-fossil- Move the Nuclear Weapons (and fossil fuel) Money:

See the facebook event here.

Speakers include:

Held in conjunction with the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, April 10 – May 5, 2020
CHAIR: Vanda Proskova, Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign
WELCOME AND INTRO: Tony Robinson, Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee
Session 1: Divestment and ethical/impact investment. 11:00-12:30 (EDT, New York Time)
• Thies Kaetow (Germany). Divestment Researcher, World Future Council.
• Susanna Choe (USA). Executive Director, Regeneration Fund, Investment Community Visibility Group.
• Jeff Perkins (USA). Executive Director, Friends Fiduciary Corporation.
• Matt Robson (New Zealand), Former Deputy Leader of the Progressive Party and New Zealand
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control.
• John Ingram (USA). Member of 350NYC.org Steering Committee, Divest NYC Coalition and
Divest NY State Coalition.
Coffee/refreshment break

Session 2: Legislative action and public promotion. 13:00-14:30 (EDT, New York Time)
• Jennifer Blemur (USA). Director, Women Legislators’ Lobby.
• Marzhan Nurzhan (Kazakhstan/Switzerland). Member, Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee.
Deputy-Director, Basel Peace Office.
• Kehkashan Basu (UAE/Canada). Youth Ambassador, World Future Council. Winner, 2016
International Children’s Peace Prize.
• Quique Sánchez (Spain), Global Campaign on Military Spending.
• Representative of PNND (tbc)

OUTLINE:
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for governments and the international community to focus
more on human security issues and to shift resources from military spending, especially the nuclear weapons
budgets, to accomplish this. However, the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries have vested financial
interests in maintaining the nuclear arms race and a fossil fuel economy. They are a potent political force
preventing change.
Governments, cities, religious communities, universities, banks and private investors can shift these financial
incentives by divesting from the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries and re-allocating these investments
according to ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) principals. Such actions provide political support for
legislative efforts to cut nuclear weapons budgets, especially in the USA and UK.
This webinar will highlight examples of nuclear weapons and fossil fuel divestment and examine how these can
assist initiatives to cut nuclear weapons budgets and support public health, climate protection and sustainable
development. The event will include the preview of a Handbook on Nuclear Weapons Divestment which will be
produced by the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign.

More info here