27 July 2025, Berlin, Germany
The International Peace Bureau (IPB), in cooperation with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Greenpeace, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Oxfam, and 350.org, has released a global call to action for nuclear and conventional disarmament, common security, and a prioritization of sustainable development over militarism.
The call, released as a joint statement in advance of the 80th commemoration of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is directed towards governments and institutions, and outlines concrete demands for action which include the universal ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a redirection of military expenditure to human development, climate action, and global health, implementation of living wages for all workers and an expansion of social protection systems, and the creation of a United Nations Fair Conversion Mechanism to shift from military dependency to economies focused on welfare, sustainability, and clean energy.
The joint statement underlines the interconnected nature of the challenges and struggles that our planet faces, including the environmental, social, and human costs of militarism, the impact of social and economic inequalities on instability and rising authoritarianism, and the urgent need for common security and solidarity to address the polycrisis.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Gaza, where the genocide of Palestinians persists, despite the efforts of the Global South and international institutions including the UN, ICC, and ICJ. The very same militarism is driving the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war, the AFC/M23 occupation of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and tensions in the South China/West Philippines Sea, the Korean Peninsula, and beyond.
IPB Executive Director Sean Conner comments:
“At this moment, when the drive towards militarism and rearmament accelerates while the number and severity of global wars, conflicts, and genocides rises, we must realize that the path we are on will not produce the results our leaders claim they will; rather, reliance on military solutions which do not address the root causes of armed conflict and war will only exacerbate global tensions, prevent a just transition, and empower authoritarian leaders while weakening international law.
What we need now is a resurgence of diplomacy and dialogue, based in international law and human security, to foster global cooperation and understanding. We must recognize that the security of one is inextricably linked to the security of all and that only through cooperation and solidarity can we achieve true, common security.”