19 October 2021 UPDATE: HEAT & Buildings Strategy released Last night the UK Government annouced its Heat & Buildings Strategy . A disappointing document which commits only one-third of the new funding requested in the Great Homes Upgrade (below) and widely criticised as as a missed opportunity. Initial reactions “It’s not going to close the …
Today marks the final withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan after almost 20 years. What did the conflict cost us and what lessons does it provide for ‘Global Britain’? Human suffering It would be callous to discuss resource and opportunity costs before first reflecting on the monumental human cost of the conflict, in particular that …
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) today released it’s report into world wide spending on nuclear weapons in 2020. The report found that despite the pandemic, spending on weapons of mass destruction actually increased by $1.4 billion to an eyewatering $72.6 billion. According to the report the United Kingdom spent £4.46 billion ($6.2 …
We had an incredible response from GCOMS campaigners and supporting groups across the UK as part of the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) this year, below are a few of the highlights. Street demonstrations We weren’t just limited to online campaigning despite the continued lockdown, with a number of in person events …
Op-ed on Military Expenditures, Gender Equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda By: Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka, Executive Director of UN Women For all of us, but especially women, the pandemic is a reminder that traditional notions of “security” that fuel the weapons industry cannot …
170 Civil Society Organizations from 33 different countries demand that governments around the world drastically reduce their military expenditures, which reached almost 2 trillion $ in 2020, a 2.6% increase over the previous year. World military expenditure amounted to $1981 billion in 2020, a 2.6% increase over the previous year. In 2020, the biggest spenders …
GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON MILITARY SPENDING (GDAMS) The world spent $1.92 trillion on the military in 2019, a 3.6% increase over the previous year and the highest figure since the end of the Cold War. Our governments’ ever-growing military capacities, in the name of national security, have proved themselves completely useless to defend people …
The UK Government’s ‘Integrated Review’ document, due for release at noon today was leaked to the press late last night, the vision it paints of ‘Global Britain’ is very much one of military power projection. Under pressure to justify the cuts in aid particularly in regard to Yemen and Syria, the document does state that …
This webinar was arranged by the UK Steering Group for the Global Campaign on Military Spending. It took place Monday 22 February, 2021. The UK GCOMS network is made up of 36 organisations from political, scientific, faith and humanitarian concerns that wish to raise awareness about the significant sums spent in military development. Also download …
In November 2020, the Westminster government announced major increases in military spending, while at the same time slashing the overseas aid budget. This double-decision has been heavily criticised by many. With a further set of budget decisions on the horizon, it is important and timely to discuss the ways forward for campaigners. Ahead of the …
