sean – Page 5 – IPB – International Peace Bureau

Global Day of Action #StopSendingArms to Israel

On May 2, the Global Day of Action will mobilise a global coalition of arms experts, civil society organisations, climate activists, healthcare workers, faith leaders, journalists, academics, legal professionals, artists and students around the shared goal of calling on all states to halt the transfer of weapons, parts and ammunitions used to fuel atrocity crimes in Gaza.

Stop the War Coalition -Philippines Statement on Global Military Spending

PRESS STATEMENT

APRIL 25, 2024

References: Dj Janier (09336412694), Mercy Angeles (09063677594)

Stop the War Coalition Philippines joins the call to demilitarize as global military spending rises for the ninth consecutive year

Wars and military conflicts devastate entire portions of the planet. According to SIPRI estimates, global military spending climbed by 19% between 2013 and 2022 and has risen annually since 2015. Particularly for 2023, for the ninth year in a row, there has been a 6.8 percent increase in spending in real terms from 2022, with the world spending roughly $2443 billion US dollars. This is apparent in all five regions, with considerable rises in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.

For the Philippines, military spending has been steadily on the rise in recent years with the latest figures showing that we spent USD 3.965 Million or around 35 dollars per capita (source: demilitarize.org). Around 500 million USD in Foreign Military Financing from the United States is earmarked for the country. This is part of the 8 billion USD emergency aid package for Indo-Pacific allies under the Indo-Pacific Supplemental Appropriations Act that was approved by the United States House of Representatives. This in turn was part of an even bigger 95B USD package that will send aid to other US allies like Israel and Ukraine.

UNODA’s Statement on the Global Days of Action on Military Spending

Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, issued the following message on the occasion of the 2024 Global Days of Action on Military Spending.

The figures released today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that global military expenditures rose by 6.8 per cent in real terms to 2,443 billion US dollars in 2023 – a new record high. This amounts to approximately 2.3 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) or around 306 US dollars for every person on the planet.

Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2023

Published by: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Date: 22 April 2024

Authors: Dr Nan Tian, Dr Diego Lopes da Silva, Xiao Liang and Lorenzo Scarazzato

World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of $2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 2023 was the steepest year-on-year rise since 2009 and pushed global spending to the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded. The world military burden—defined as military spending as a percentage of global gross domestic product (GDP)—increased to 2.3 per cent in 2023. Average military expenditure as a share of government expenditure rose by 0.4 percentage points to 6.9 per cent in 2023 and world military spending per person was the highest since 1990, at $306.

IPB Statement on Recent Escalation in West Asia

18 April 2024, Germany

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) is deeply concerned over the continued escalation and open violation of international law in West Asia. Both the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria and Iran’s launching of missiles and drones from its own soil toward Israel represent blatant attempts to exacerbate tensions and expand direct confrontation to a regional scale. We unequivocally condemn these actions and demand that all states involved, both directly and indirectly, reject any further military responses and make use of diplomatic channels for immediate de-escalation.

We reiterate the complex and prolonged nature of regional conflicts in West Asia and underline that any attempt to solve these disputes through military action risks throwing not only the region into direct and deadly conflict, but also states outside the region. Any such war would result in immeasurable death and suffering of innocent people and an acute risk of nuclear weapons use which would put the entire planet at risk. States in the region must recognize that they cannot choose their neighbors and must instead work toward a policy of common security for all in the region.

Long-term solutions for peace in the region are only possible in a climate of peace when the active violence of Israel’s assault on Gaza and ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people has stopped. We therefore reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations in Gaza that create the necessary space for discussions on long-term solutions that preserve the humanity and underline the need for common security of all Palestinians, Israelis, and peoples of the region.

C7 Statement to the G7 Foreign Ministers

14 April 2024. Ahead of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Capri, 17-19 April 2024, we, the C7 (Civil7), issue a statement with our recommendations to call on the G7 Foreign Ministers to take concrete actions to promote human rights and the common interests of humanity and the planet for a more peaceful, just and secure future.

Please refer to the statement (PDF) from here.

War Costs Us The Earth · GDAMS Statement 2024

War Costs Us The Earth · GDAMS Statement 2024

Disarmament now to save people and planet

Humanity is at a crossroads where political decisions on defence budgets will determine the trajectory of the multiple crises in which we are immersed.

Wars and armed conflicts are devastating whole regions of the world. Global military spending has increased by 19 percent between 2013 and 2022 according to SIPRI figures, and has risen every year since 2015. Yet, from Gaza to Ukraine, the DRC, Sudan, Myanmar, or Manipur, this has done nothing to resolve persistent conflicts nor reduce global tensions. Instead, increased military expenditure and intensifying militarism have only increased the volatility of global peace and cooperation. Rising temperatures are modifying climatic patterns in a profound and extreme way. Millions of people are already experiencing the disastrous consequences of climate change and environmental degradation, amplified further by violent conflict. We must act now.These fluctuating weather and climatic patterns have direct repercussions on whether territories can remain habitable as well as on the future of decent and sustainable living conditions for all.

Sean MacBride Awarding Ceremony 2024

Berlin, 22 March 2024 – The recent award ceremony honored peace activists, recognizing their dedication to promoting conscientious objection and advocating for peace.

Belarusian journalist needs your solidarity

The Lithuanian Migration Department has begun the process of deporting Belarusian journalist Oleg Borshchevsky, husband of Nobel Peace Prize nominee and human rights activist Olga Karach, to Belarus where he will be imprisoned and tortured. He needs your solidarity and support. Please write a letter of support for Oleg to the Lithuanian Migration Department to stop his deportation. The draft of the letter:

Save the dates for GDAMS 2024: April 12 to May 15

We are witnessing the dramatic consequences of escalating global militarization, evident in the numerous armed conflicts around the world, notably in Gaza and Ukraine, but also in many other conveniently ignored places of the Global South. We are suffering the consequences of a militaristic approach to international relations and global emergencies, imposed by countries of the North, which are at the same time responsible for most of the weapons produced.

Moreover, the environmental impacts -direct and indirect- resulting from these conflicts and militarization further underscore the pressing need for peace.

War is costing us the Earth.