News

GCOMS Final Statement on the occasion of GDAMS 2018

There are many reasons to renew, once again and for the 8th consecutive year, our call for a cut in military spending (based upon SIPRI data), so that the world can move closer to a human security commitment that would better serve humanity. We face the danger of a third world war, and big countries are preparing for war with massive armament investments. It is really time for the people to stand up.
 Continue reading “GCOMS Final Statement on the occasion of GDAMS 2018”

We Welcome the Panmunjeom Declaration

Statement of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy

We Welcome the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Arrival of the Era of Peace on the Korean Peninsula with It

The Declaration embodies both Koreas’ commitment to bringing the era of division and confrontation to an end and establishing a peace regime on their own accord.

The vision of thawing military tension, achieving disarmament through mutual trust-building, and freeing the Korean Peninsula from nuclear threats is highly praised. Continue reading “We Welcome the Panmunjeom Declaration”

#YouAllOweUs virtual campaign

Today we are launching #YouAllOweUs virtual campaign. Please, feel free to share the materials with other activists and organizations.

New materials and how we will use it: #YouAllOweUs campaign

You will find the new infographics on the GCOMS website:  http://demilitarize.org/materials-owe-us-gdams-campaign/

  1. 2 general images where Trump reminds global political leaders committed with increasing military spending that they all owe money and cooperation to the US for his role as world’s guard (starting from the idea of the 2%GDP he requires from NATO members and how he addressed Germany in these terms). We can see here how people are demanding politicians to take action instead on fulfilling the SDG’s.
  2. Images of global political leaders committed with the increase in military expenditure. They are chosen based on their representativity and their public advocacy of the increase. Only 2 European leaders were chosen, despite a lot more countries being involved in the increase. We are conscious that, as for instance, Africa is only represented trough Al-Sisi. If you miss a leader or a territory, send us a representative sentence where he/she claims for the need to rise MilEx and all the information (including concrete sentences) and we will try to add new ones if necessary.

[IMPORTANT] How we will use this material: As mentioned, we all (partners but also organizations that can collaborate with us) will launch on May 16th the images on our social networks under the hashtags #YouAllOweUs (Health and wellbeing, better education, gender equality, etc) and #MovetheMoney #GDAMS2018

The idea is to combine the first image (the one with all the leaders) with one of the singles, adding those SDG’s or petitions we think military spending must be moved to, reminding political leaders what their priorities should be. You’ll find an example here: http://demilitarize.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tweet_You_Owe_Us.jpg

Say No to War!

President Trump cannot just ignore the means and impact of diplomacy, politeness and the binding rules of international law.

Now is the time for prompt and spontaneous actions. We hope that as many as possible of you will join and set a sign for peace and understanding, standing against war and violence.

Say no to war! It is about the danger of a disastrous war, which would harm, injure and kill many lives. War is not and cannot be a solution. Every single person and every government should engage in finding a peaceful solution.

50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination

“As the nation prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we should dwell not merely on how Dr. King died but also on how he lived. How he lived is why he died.” Jesse Jackson (read full article here)
King understood the inter-relationship of the sources of oppression and the need forfundamental, systemic and cultural transformation if humankind is to survive in freedom. Inperhaps the most ringing phrases of this speech, he taught that “if we are to get on to the rightside of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values…the shiftfrom a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers,profitmotives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of f being conquered.”Anticipating his final campaign – the Poor People’s Campaign, a year later –
and daring to include a critique of capitalism, King declared that “A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth.“

His commitment to nonviolence was deep and uncompromising. As King taught, reclaiming and healing the world and achieving a revolution of values necessitates bold, imaginative and nonviolent actions. To end and prevent wars. To honor and support the immigrants and refugees in our midst. To end racial and religious discrimination, to ensure economic and social justice. To defend and promote democracy. And to ensure human

survival by abolishing nuclear weapons and restoring environmental sustainability.
“If not us, who? If not now, when?”
(Read the IPB statement on the Speech “Beyond Vietnam” here)

EU Money for military research? Sign the pledge and say NO

The EU has set up a military research programme for the first time this year, with the objective of helping to preserve the competitiveness of the arms industry. The so-called Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) allocates a total sum of 90 million euros to military research projects over a three-year period up to 2020.
Continue reading “EU Money for military research? Sign the pledge and say NO”

Anniversary of the execution of martyre of Peace Nikos Nikiforidis

The recent International Peace Bureau Council meeting in Barcelona decided to make known internationally the case of the Greek antinuclear martyr NIKOS NIKIFORIDIS and sponsor an event in Athens in his memory.  Such a meeting was organized by PADOP at the Athens University on Monday March 5, 2018. Continue reading “Anniversary of the execution of martyre of Peace Nikos Nikiforidis”

“Italia, Ripensaci” 2.0 – Three busy days for ICAN in Italy

February 2018

A whirlwind tour of 4 Italian cities to announce the new stage of our campaign called “Italia, Ripensaci”, which means literally “Italy, reconsider your decision!” This is an idiomatic expression which we first used in October 2016 when Italy voted against the convening of a conference in 2017 to negotiate a binding legal instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, in the UN First Committee. Continue reading ““Italia, Ripensaci” 2.0 – Three busy days for ICAN in Italy”