Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) 2024 launches the call “War costs us a world. Disarmament now to save people and the planet”
The Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), which are taking place between April 12th and May 15th, make a call that aims to target the high opportunity cost of enormous military spending, under the motto “War costs us a world. Disarmament now to save people and the planet.” This special period of actions is part of GCOMS campaign (Global Campaign on Military Spending) of International Peace Bureau (IPB), coordinated with Centre Delàs in Spain, and aims to demand large reductions in global military spending and the use of these public funds to tackle true human needs.
The world is at a geopolitical crossroads, even as we are moving away from the post-Cold War periodinto a new era of multipolarity yet disturbingly global leaders increasing their reliance on militarised solutions. Now, military spending is touted as a necessity for maintaining all aspects of security. Meanwhile, a large network of interests and global power has emerged, led by a very few supranational private actors who control companies and influence governments in a purely undemocratic manner. It is a global power network that includes and connects military and fossil energy businesses. A network in which militarisation not only causes the death of hundreds ofthousands, but also becomes instrumentally responsible for environmental disaster by protecting fossil fuel interests and predatory actors. A network that works, directly and indirectly, to prevent measures that could alleviate both the planetary environmental crisis and the suffering of millions ofpeople. A network that does not shy away from reaping profits from arms sales to genocidal actors, as we see in the military support given to Israel to continue its relentless attacks on Gaza. We need to ensure democratic power across the globe. Military spending not only fuels wars and armed conflicts around the globe, it also takes away resources that could be devoted to addressing climate change, investing in global justice (including the UN Sustainable Development Goals), and promoting peaceful conflict transformation and disarmament. Militaries are among the world’s biggest consumers of fuel, accounting for 5.5 percentof global emissions, while the use of chemicals pollutes the land around military bases, poisoning it for generations. The continued use of mines and cluster munitions, as well as conventional weaponry leaves land uninhabitable for generations.
The opportunity cost of military spending costs us the Earth.
You can read teh full Statement in English and other languages here.
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