Women's exclusion from security discussions, forums and disarmament efforts, in addition to excessively overfunded global military budgets directly, links directly to the lack of funding for women's human rights and gender equality. These critical issues were some of the debates highlighted on April 15, 2013, which was designated the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS).
This day coincided with the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) annual statistics on global military expenditures and Tax Day in the US.
PeaceWomen Program participated in this Global Day of Action by attending a Panel Discussion on Military Expenditures at UN Headquarters; organized by the UN office of Disarmament Affairs and SIPRI and the Permanent Mission of Japan. WILPF actively participated in GDAMS action as a partner organization of GDAMS network. We took action in Geneva, while other WILPF Sections around the world coordinated their own actions. Read more about WILPF's engagement on WILPF's Statement on GDAMS.
The Global Day of Action was a unifying day of activism for people around the world who joined forces in action to focus political, public and media attention on the human costs of the overfunded global military spending.
For more information read WILPF statement on GDAMS