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Military vs Social Spending

 
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IPB deplores rise in military spending, urges investments to counter poverty & climate change

Geneva, June 12, 2007. The International Peace Bureau (IPB) expressed profound concern at the announcement yesterday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute at the launch of its annual Yearbook (www.sipri.org) that world military expenditures in 2006 reached a new high of $1204 billion. This represents an increase of 3.5% over the 2005 figure, and is 37% more than a decade ago. The USA accounted for nearly half the total, with $529 billion. These amounts constitute a huge treasury that should be re-directed to the fight against mass poverty and the threat of climate change, according to the IPB.

The UN's Millennium Project (2005) has estimated that the annual costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015 are of the order of $135 billion per year, little more than 10% of the money currently allocated to the military sector.

“In a year in which public awareness of the accelerating impacts of climate change has rocketed, the continued investment of human brainpower and financial resources in narrow, weapons-system 'security' on this gargantuan scale is nothing short of scandalous”, said IPB Secretary-General Colin Archer. “One has only to look at the deteriorating situation in Iraq to appreciate that pouring billions more dollars into a failed military occupation will simply increase the levels of killing and desperation in the whole region. Another way has to be found. Redirecting the US's spending priorities would send a powerful signal to states on all continents who, with few exceptions, prefer to build up their military arsenals rather than reallocate their budgets.”

The IPB, whose main programme is entitled Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development, is working to build an international civil society alliance to bring together peace, anti-poverty and environmental organisations. The purpose is to press for an end to the over-funding of military establishments and for the creation of new funds to tackle human insecurity and common threats to the planet. IPB will organise a seminar on this theme at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, on November 11-12, 2007.
Materials on Military Spending


Military Spending Toolkit :
www.wilpf.int.ch/disarmament/military_spending_toolkit.html
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