Finland Considers Withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty

A concerning development has emerged from Finland: a government proposal to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel (AP) landmines, has received support from numerous Members of Parliament during discussions on Tuesday, June 3rd.

This move has sparked alarm among peace and humanitarian organizations across Finland and internationally. The Ottawa Treaty, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty, is a vital international agreement that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines — weapons that are inherently indiscriminate and continue to harm civilians long after conflicts end.

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Women As Agents of Change Around the World

Presented by the International Peace Bureau in collaboration with the Eight Billion Podcast, this series celebrates the wisdom, vision, and transformative power of women working across the globe to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable future.


Women from diverse backgrounds have long been at the forefront of positive change. As pillars of peacebuilding and transformation, their impact transcends generations. Through activism, the arts, community leadership, and cultural preservation, women continue to inspire movements for justice and shape societies through creative expression.


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Peace Wave 2025

The Fourth Annual 24-Hour Peace Wave is coming on July 12, 2025.

The peace wave is a 24-hour-long Zoom featuring live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world, moving around the globe with the sun. The peace wave visits dozens of locations around the globe and includes rallies, concerts, production of artworks, blood drives, installation of peace poles, dances, speeches, and public demonstrations of all variety.

In 2025 we are encouraging participants to address the need to abolish nuclear weapons.

All parts will have machine-translated captions in Zoom. Some parts will have human voice interpretation.

Organized by: International Peace BureauStop the War Coalition PhilippinesGensuikyoand World BEYOND War.

The Peace Wave will happen on July 12, 2025, from 0:00 to 24:00 UTC. In Japan that is 9 a.m. July 12 to 9 a.m. July 13. In Europe that is 2 a.m. July 12 to 2 a.m. July 13. In U.S. and Canada Eastern Time that is 8 p.m. July 11 to 8 p.m. July 12.


Get the Zoom Link to Watch the Peace Wave

See Past Years’ Peace Waves

You can see the detailed agendas and watch the complete videos of past years’ peace waves here.

Detailed Agenda

Part 1 Eastern Pacific

Events in Eastern Pacific, including in Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam

Time of Part 1 is 0:00 – 2:00 UTC.

Find what time that is where you are.

What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 2 Western Pacific

Events in Western Pacific, including in Australia, New Zealand

Time of Part 2 is 2:00 – 4:00 UTC.



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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 3 North Eastern Asia

Events in North Eastern Asia, including in Japan and South Korea

Time of Part 3 is 4:00 – 6:00 UTC.




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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 4 South Eastern Asia

Events in South Eastern Asia, including in Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar

Time of Part 4 is 6:00 – 8:00 UTC.



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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 5 South Central Asia

Events in South Central Asia, including in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

Time of Part 5 is 8:00 – 10:00 UTC.



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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 6 Western Asia

Events in Western Asia including Middle East

Time of Part 6 is 10:00 – 12:00 UTC.

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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 7 Africa

Events in Africa

Time of Part 7 is 12:00 – 14:00 UTC.

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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 8 Europe

Events in Europe

Time of Part 8 is 14:00 – 16:00 UTC.



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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 9 South America / América del Sur

Events in South America / América del Sur including in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela

Time of Part 9 is 16:00 – 18:00 UTC.

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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 10 Eastern North America

Events in the Eastern and Central time zones of the United States and Canada

Time of Part 10 is 18:00 – 20:00 UTC.

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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 11 Mexico and Central America

Events in Mexico and Central America

Time of Part 11 is 20:00 – 22:00 UTC.



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What time that is in select cities around the globe:

Part 12 Western North America

Events in Mountain and Pacific time zones of the United States and Canada

Time of Part 12 is 22:00 – 24:00 UTC.

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Budget 2025: Militaristic fantasies fuel spending surge

22 May 2025
By Peace Movement Aotearoa
Shared via the GCOMS network

Link to original post:
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Military spending increased dramatically this year as New Zealand pursues a range of militaristic fantasies, including an Air Force space squadron, as it seeks to be a combat capable “force multiplier” with “enhanced lethality and deterrent effect”. Amidst cuts to public services to eliminate “wasteful spending”, the rapidly escalating climate emergency and the desperate need for increased funding for failing social services, military spending this year increased to $9,212,916,000 – that’s $3,376,610,000 more than was allocated in Budget 2024. [1]

This, together with the $5,735,742,000 allocated so far for the year ahead [1] – on average, more than $110 million every week – illustrates a government stuck in the same old thinking about ‘security’, choosing to focus on an outdated narrow concept of military security rather than real security that gives all New Zealanders the chance to flourish.

It is deplorable that public funding for combat-ready armed forces continues to be a spending priority when there are so many other major issues facing Aotearoa: the urgent need for climate action and assistance for communities impacted by severe weather events, the shameful levels of poverty and social inequality – with 1 in 10 New Zealanders reliant on food banks to feed themselves and their families – the lack of affordable housing, the failing health system and substandard hospital buildings, the lack of support for persons with disabilities, and a range of other areas requiring urgent attention. Military spending negatively impacts all of these by diverting resources that could be put to better use.

While diplomacy and negotiation are clearly more positive ways for New Zealand to relate to communities in other parts of the world than deploying combat-ready armed forces overseas, the total allocated for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including overseas development assistance and international climate financing) is less than one-third of the amount allocated for military spending.

Pacific leaders have repeatedly stated that the escalating climate emergency is the single biggest security threat to the region, but New Zealand continues to ignore that reality and refuses to move away from the destructive deadly ideology of militarism which harms the future of humanity and the planet. Combat capability cannot stop the rising tides, or protect us from catastrophic climate change: military activity is the ultimate in damaging unsustainability, with military emissions estimated to be at least 5.5% of the global total.

We urgently need to transition from combat-ready armed forces to civilian agencies that meet the wider security needs of all New Zealanders and our Pacific neighbours. Given New Zealand’s comparatively limited resources, it simply makes no sense to continue to spend billions on combat equipment and military activities every year.

Fisheries and resource protection, border control, and maritime search and rescue could be better done by a civilian coastguard with inshore and offshore capabilities, equipped with a range of vehicles, vessels and aircraft that are suitable for our coastline, Antarctica and the Pacific, which – along with equipping civilian agencies for land-based search and rescue, and for humanitarian assistance here and overseas – would be a much cheaper option as none of these require expensive combat hardware. [2]

That would also surely be a more useful contribution than New Zealand continuing to be involved in destructive full-scale combat assaults on land and sea through day-to-day military training, and military ‘exercises’ such as RIMPAC that are not only costly, but also harmful to the environment, marine and other life, while increasing New Zealand’s climate-destroying emissions and wasting non-renewable resources.

New Zealand could – and should – be leading the way to a positive future. Instead of continuing down the path of spending billions every year and allocating at least $9 billion more over the next for years for “enhanced lethality” – including upgraded frigates, aircraft, missiles, vehicles, and drones – this is an opportune time to choose a new and better way forward.

A transition from combat-ready armed forces to civilian agencies, along with increased funding for diplomacy, climate justice and social justice, would ensure New Zealand makes a far more positive contribution to wellbeing and security here in Aotearoa and at the regional and global levels, than it can by continuing to maintain and re-arm small but ridiculously expensive armed forces.

Military spending is a clearly identifiable area for enduring savings, and reducing it substantially was absolutely essential to achieve a Budget that really does eliminate wasteful spending of public funds: failing to do that due to indulgence in militaristic fantasies and a shameful enthusiasm for being an integral part of the global cycle of violence has resulted in a tragically missed opportunity to lay the foundations for a better future where all New Zealanders have a real chance to flourish.

Where you can get more information

Further information is available on the Aotearoa New Zealand Campaign on Military Spending page, http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/gdams.htm
References

[1] Budget 2024 figures across the three Budget Votes where most military expenditure is itemised totalled $5,836,306,000 (Vote Defence Force $4,949,199,000; Vote Defence $839,820,000; and Vote Education $47,287,000 [allocated directly to the NZDF plus cost of military-style service academies], while actual spending totalled $9,212,916,000 (Vote Defence Force $8,450,413,000; Vote Defence $715,913,000; and Vote Education $46,590,000). The amount allocated so far for the year ahead totals $5,735,742,000 (Vote Defence Force $5,193,270,000; Vote Defence $4,95,406,000; and Vote Education $47,066,000)

[2] For more information about the multiple costs of maintaining combat-ready armed forces and better ways forward, see ‘Submission on Budget 2025 Policy’, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 3 February 2025, at https://www.converge.org.nz/pma/budget2025sub.pdf and ‘Submission: Defence Policy Review’, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 29 April 2023, http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/def-rev-sub,apr23.pdf

CND’s Alternative Defence Review

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has launched the Alternative Defence Review in response to the UK Government’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review. The document explores the broader implications of increased defence spending and offers a different perspective on national and international security policy. It forms part of a wider initiative involving trade unions and peace organisations aiming to reassess the direction of UK foreign and defence policy.

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Campaign Launch: “From Bridges to Streets: Permanent Ceasefire Now and Stop the Occupation”

Campaign organized by the Global Solidarity for the Palestinian People (GSPP) coalition, of which IPB is a member.

Below you can download the Toolkit.

The Global Solidarity for Palestinian People (GSPP) coalition is an international network of grassroots movements, civil society organisations, and individuals united in advocating for justice, peace, and an end to occupation in Palestine. Through coordinated actions, public mobilisations, and global campaigns, GSPP amplifies Palestinian voices and builds international solidarity for a just and lasting peace.

About the Campaign

From today until June 1, ahead of the UN Conference on the Two-State Solution, wherever you are, on abridge, in a square, on your street, your voice matters! In the face of relentless violence in Gaza and of the occupation, we ask people around the world to take a simple, visible action: claim your public space for a JustPeace.

How

  1. Choose a Public Space (A street, a plaza, a park, a bridge, anywhere visible in your city)
  2. Reach the chosen place and hold the posters campaigns while reading a speech.
  3. Take a Photo or Video
  4. Post on social media using the hashtags:#FromBridgesToStreets #GazaCeasefireNow #StopOccupation and send them via email to gsppcampaign@gmail.com

Materials

Before you act

This campaign is designed to be peaceful and nonviolent. Please make sure to check the following:

  1. Do I Need Permission? Usually small actions(1–5 people) holding signs in ublic places do not require a permit, however, check your local regulations in advance.
  2. Take photos/videos of your action, but respect others’ privacy if in shared public space.

JOIN US!

You can download the Toolkit here:

A summary of the LAP International 2 week peace camp

Originally published by Lakenheath Alliance For Peace, 16 May 2025

From 14 to 26 April 2025, the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace (LAP) organised an international two-week peace camp outside ‘RAF’ Lakenheath. The camp brought together peace activists, artists, faith leaders and community members in opposition to the return of US nuclear weapons to UK soil. This gathering marked a renewed commitment to nonviolence, international solidarity and nuclear disarmament.

This year’s camp was particularly significant as it coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Greenham Common Women’s historic resistance against US cruise missiles. Their presence reminded us that the struggle for peace is long-term, intergenerational and still as urgent as ever.

Throughout the camp, there was a 24-hour vigil at the main gate of the base. Each day had a different theme, combining education, action and artistic expression. On Day 1, a formal letter was delivered to base commanders expressing concern over the return of nuclear weapons. Day 2 featured a musical performance by Dave Rovics and a message from Peggy Seeger. On Day 3, protest choirs and folk musicians gathered to sing against militarism, nuclear weapons and climate injustice.

Day 4 welcomed the return of Greenham Women, who engaged with local residents in Brandon. Day 5 was Climate Day, with a workshop linking military emissions to climate change and a creative action decorating the base fence with protest banners. Other days highlighted topics such as war crimes and genocide, democratic resistance, interfaith peace-building, and international cooperation.

On Day 12, a group of women, intersex, non-binary and trans activists staged a topless blockade, leading to three arrests. The final day saw over 250 people protesting at the gates, with many participating in a nonviolent blockade and seven arrests being reported.

The camp has ended, but the work continues. LAP calls on all members and supporters to take part in upcoming monthly vigils. Whether for two hours or a full day, your presence contributes to a wider movement for peace and disarmament. These actions help build connections between local struggles and the global movement to end nuclear violence.

To learn more about what happened during the camp, see photos, and find out how to get involved, visit the full report here: https://bit.ly/LAPPeaceCamp2025

Together we resist. Together we work for peace.

Statement:  Call for De-escalation in the India-Pakistan Military Standoff

9 May 2025

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) condemns the heinous attack in Pahalgam -Kashmir on 22 April, where 26 civilians lost their lives, as well as the retaliatory attacks which have killed civilians on both sides of the line of control and in Pakistan’s sovereign territory. IPB condoles with the victims’ families and friends. Terrorism of any kind from any source is unacceptable to civilized society and the international community condemns such acts.

IPB understands that at times of national grief there is a call for retribution. However, we believe that military standoffs escalate an already tense situation and can spiral into full scale wars with disastrous consequences for countries and peoples. These military conflicts destabilize entire regions, disturb the economy, and immiserate people. Once initiated armed conflicts can go on for a long time. Any confrontation between two nuclear-armed powers like India and Pakistan is a threat to the world – as outlined in publications like the 2019 Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ How an India-Pakistan nuclear war could start – and have global consequences – and both these countries must heed the calls of the international community and cease military confrontations that can lead to a nuclear exchange.

The IPB appeals to both the governments of India and Pakistan to immediately halt all military confrontations, cease the spiral of retributions and return to calm. All indirectly involved states – including the United States, Russia, and China – must likewise call for de-escalation and diplomacy and reject provoking the conflict for their own interests where all are major arms suppliers. There is no substitute for bilateral and regional diplomacy, dialogue, and engagement. World history has repeatedly shown that common security is the most rational and sustainable way to both peace and development.

The IPB hopes that both the Governments of India and Pakistan resort to reason and de-escalate these tensions with immediacy.

SOME WAY OUT OF HERE:Disarming Nuclear Powers & Preventing Proliferation

Report from Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security shared via Newsletter | 07 May 2025

We were privileged to play the leading role in organizing “SOME WAY OUT OF HERE: Disarming Nuclear Powers & Preventing Proliferation” side event at the United Nations during the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty PrepCom. The session featured Yayoi Tsuchda, the Assistant General Secretary of Gensuiko, the Japan Council against A- & H- Bombs, Dr. Marco Marzo, Secretary General of the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Weapons; and John Burroughs the senior analyst and former Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy.

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