Global Campaign on Military Spending

Last updated
Global Campaign on Military Spending
AbbreviationGCOMS
Formation2014;10 years ago (2014)
TypeNon-profit international campaign
Headquarters Barcelona, Spain
Location
  • International
Fields Disarmament, reduction of Military Budget
Key people
Joseph Gerson, Angelo Cardona, Reiner Braun, Jordi Calvo Rufanges, Chloé Meulewaeter, Francesco Vignarca
Website www.demilitarize.org

The Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) is a global campaign that was created in December 2014 by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) to tackle the worldwide issue of excessive military spending. [1] [2] [3] [4]

The aim of the campaign is to pressure the world's governments to invest money in the sectors of health, education, employment and climate change rather than military. It also calls for an annual, minimum reallocation of 10% from the military budgets of all states. Finally, it advocates the reduction of arms production and international weapons trade. [5] [6] [7]

The campaign organises the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) to bring public, media and political attention to the costs of military spending and the need to invest in new priorities. [8] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China</span> Country in East Asia

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the world's second-most populous country after India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land. With an area of nearly 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest country by total land area. The country is divided into 33 province-level divisions: 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the national capital, while Shanghai is its most populous city by urban area and largest financial center along with Chongqing as the largest city proper in the world.

The Guatemalan Armed Forces is the unified military organization comprising the Guatemalan Army, Navy, Air Force, and Presidential Honor Guard. The president of Guatemala is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy, training, and budget through the Minister of Defence. Day-to-day operations are conducted by the Chief of the General Staff.

Children International is a global nonprofit humanitarian organization that helps children break the cycle of poverty. It addresses children’s critical needs through early intervention and regular interaction in community centers. The goal is to help children overcome the effects of poverty, support their education, and prepare youth to contribute to society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSCI</span> American financial service provider

MSCI Inc. is an American finance company headquartered in New York City. MSCI is a global provider of equity, fixed income, real estate indices, multi-asset portfolio analysis tools, ESG and climate products. It operates the MSCI World, MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) and MSCI Emerging Markets Indices among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Day of Peace</span> Annual observance dedicated to world peace

The International Day of Peace, also officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first established in 1981 and first observed in September 1982 and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Peace Bureau</span> International organization devoted to peacekeeping

The International Peace Bureau, founded in 1891, is one of the world's oldest international peace federations. The organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910 for acting "as a link between the peace societies of the various countries". In 1913, Henri La Fontaine was also awarded the Prize "[For his work as] head of the International Peace Bureau". As of 2012, eleven other Nobel Peace Prize laureates have been members of the IPB.

The International Network of Engineers and Scientists for global responsibility (INES) is an independent non-profit-organization concerned about the impact of science and technology on society.

Military action against Iran is a controversial topic in Israel and the United States. Proponents of a strike against Iran point to the threat presented by Iran's nuclear program as a casus belli. Many Israelis, and particularly hardline politicians such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, American neoconservatives, Iranian dissidents support military action to stop the program or go further to overthrow the regime. Opposition to military action is often based in pacifism, but some who are opposed to military action against Iran are opposed for other reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the State of Israel formally established diplomatic relations in 1992. While the Republic of China had de jure recognized Israeli sovereignty in 1949, it eventually lost the Chinese Civil War, bringing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to power across mainland China. In 1950, Israel became the first country in the Middle East to recognize the PRC as the sole government of China, but the CCP did not reciprocate by establishing diplomatic ties due to Israel's alignment with the Western Bloc during the Cold War. This discontent persisted until the Cold War came to a close with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) takes place every year in mid-April. The day was originally proposed by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) with the aim of promoting a common awareness of the amounts of money spent on military. Military expenses reach about $1,700 billion each year. On GDAMS groups around the world advocate a shift of budget priorities and promote spending this amount of money on human development.

Seeds of Hope was a plowshares group of women who damaged a BAE Hawk warplane at the British Aerospace Warton Aerodrome site near Preston, England, in 1996. The four were part of a larger group of 10 who that planned the action. Their aim was to stop the aircraft being exported to the Indonesian military, for use in the illegally occupied country of East Timor. They left a video and booklet in the cockpit of the aircraft in order to explain their motivation.

Global Citizen, also known as Global Poverty Project, is an international education and advocacy organization that seeks to catalyze the movement to end extreme poverty and promote social justice and equity through the lens of intersectionality. The organization was founded by Hugh Evans, Michael Sheldrick, Simon Moss and Wei Soo, and aims to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action to support the cause.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by American members of the Religious Society of Friends to assist civilian victims of World War I. It continued to engage in relief action in Europe and the Soviet Union after the Armistice of 1918. By the mid-1920s it focused on improving racial relations in the U.S., as well as exploring ways to prevent the outbreak of another conflict before and after World War II. As the Cold War developed, it moved to employ more professionals rather than Quaker volunteers, over time attempting to broaden its appeal and respond more forcefully to racial injustice, women's issues, and demands of sexual minorities for equal treatment. They also work for world peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military budget of Russia</span>

The military budget of Russia is the portion of the overall budget of Russia that is allocated for the funding of the Russian Armed Forces. This military budget finances employee salaries and training costs, the maintenance of equipment and facilities, support of new or ongoing operations, and development and procurement of new weapons, equipment, and vehicles. According to estimates for the 21 years from 2000, Russia increased its military budget from $9.23bn to $65.9bn, or more than 600 percent. Moscow spends more on the military than any country of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran International</span> US-based Persian-language TV station

Iran International is a Persian-language news television channel headquartered in London aimed at Iranian viewers, and broadcasting free-to-air by satellite. Iran International was established in May 2017 and has broadcast its programmes from both London and Washington, D.C. In February 2023, Iran International moved its headquarters temporarily to Washington, D.C. due to increased threats from the Iranian government against their UK-based journalists, but back to London in September 2023. It is available online, via radio and via satellite broadcasting worldwide including Iran. The channel has been charged of being an arm of Saudi Arabia and has received media attention for its reporting on Iranian human rights violations, political developments, LGBTQ+ rights and other topics sensitive to the regime in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelo Cardona</span> Colombian social entrepreneur and activist

Angelo Cardona is a Colombian social entrepreneur, peace and human rights activist. He is representative of Latin America to the International Peace Bureau. Co-founder and President of the Ibero-American Alliance for Peace and ambassador of Colombia to the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. In 2021, he won The Diana Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Kirbasova</span> Russian human rights activist (1941–2011)

Maria Kirbasova, was a Kalmyk human rights activist who founded the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia. In 1995 she was awarded Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize and the Seán MacBride Peace Prize and in 1996 she was given the Right Livelihood Award.

Joseph Gerson is an American peace and disarmament activist. He is president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security and vice-president of the International Peace Bureau. Since 1976 he has served the American Friends Service Committee as director of the Peace and Economic Security Program.

}} The Delàs Center for Peace Studies is an independent body involved in analyzing issues like peace, security, defense and disarmament, founded in 1999. First it was linked to Justícia i Pau in Girona, Spain. The center was named after Josep Manuel Delàs, a Catalan military, social activist and pacifist, and chairman of Justícia i Pau. Before settling in Girona, Josep Manuel Delàs was commander of the reserve army and a member of the UMD. Josep Manuel Delàs had been linked to Justícia i Pau from the end of the 1980s until his death in 1999, and president from 1989 to 1995.

References

  1. "GCOMS Second Statement on the occasion of GDAMS 2017". Vrede.be (in Dutch). 2017-04-26. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  2. "About us -". demilitarize.org. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  3. 1 2 "Global Campaign on Military Spending | IPB - International Peace Bureau". Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  4. "Global Campaign on Military Spending 2019". Peace Boat. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  5. Mützel, Daniel (2016-04-06). "Global military spending increases, trend predicted to continue". www.euractiv.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  6. "Less military spending for more security. Global Campaign on Military Spending". Delas. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  7. admin. "Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS)". Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  8. "Global Day of Action on Military Spending – UNODA". Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-11.