Aims
- To work with others to raise questions about the high levels of UK military spending
- To campaign for a revised set of budget priorities where environmental issues, inequality programmes and public services are given a far greater share of public resources
Background
The Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) was initiated at the international level by the International Peace Bureau in 2014, as a permanent campaign, following 3 years of the annual Global Days of Action (GDAMS).
The Campaign arose from the concern that for too long we have lived with the myth that high military spending maintains peace, creates jobs and combats terrorism. This myth is promoted by governments and by multinational arms companies who benefit from the global arms trade politically and economically. It prevents the money being spent on tackling real challenges such as relieving poverty, improving health, and protecting the environment.
The current figures from SIPRI put global military spending at $1.9 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) or $249 per person on the planet. UK spending is around £55 billion per annum.
We come together, as people concerned with peace, social justice, healthcare and environmental justice, to call for a new approach to our common security that will tackle the real problems of our world; an approach which addresses the root causes of conflict, including environmental problems, healthcare, inequality and access to resources. Military responses, with their real and hidden costs, do not help; they threaten human security.
MAW is one of the 36 organisations which have come together to form the UK GCOMS network. From a variety of concerns – political, scientific, faith and humanitarian – all wish to raise awareness about the significant sums spent on the military sector. For more information about the network and its members see demilitarize.org.uk.
