WILPF and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 2010

November 25 - December 10, 2010

In 2010, WILPF engaged with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, and specifically focused on militarism as a mechanism that "creates a climate of violence, prevents economic justice and the realization of basic social and economic rights, and facilitates impunity." WILPF made a powerful contribution to the campaign by compiling information on military expenditures of 16 member countries. The conclusion was clear: in order to achieve gender equality and an atmosphere of security, priorities in spending must be shifted. WILPF statistics showed that the 2008 total world expenditure on militarism could cover the budget for 2,928 years of UN Women, 700 years of the UN regular budget, and over 24 years of the foreign aid required to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.