WASHINGTON, DC (April 25, 2022) Today, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released their annual report on Global Military Expenditures, which exceeded $2.1 trillion in 2021. The United States' spending made up 38% of that total. In response, organizations around the world released an appeal to global leaders, calling on them to reduce military spending and "give peace a budget" instead.
“This year, the world reaped the horrors of its investments in tools of war,” reads the statement. “The violence being perpetrated on people around the world at the hands of militarized states has had devastating impacts on humanity and the environment. The $1.98 trillion spent on militaries in 2020 did not provide true security – instead, these bloated budgets for weapons and war kept us mired in cycles of violence."
Tori Bateman, policy advocacy coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee, said, "This year, we've seen how military spending fails to keep us safe. It's shameful that governments, especially the United States, continue to destabilize our world with more weapons, while failing to address climate change, public health, and other true global crises. It's time for the United States, and world leaders everywhere, to cut military spending and commit to solving our problems for real."
According to advocates, “giving peace a budget” requires spending that creates healthy and well-resourced communities and invests in international collaboration and nonviolent conflict skills at every level.
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.