In 1945, nuclear bombs were used for the first and only time in history, taking the lives of thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Eighty years later, we are in the face of an unfolding genocide.
The world is dealing with multiple crises, all of them urgent, and all of them requiring great courage from all of us. To achieve a future that is just and equitable for people and the planet, we need to work together: individuals, communities, and civil society organisations must build our collective power to ensure a better future for all.
Working together for peace
Peace is at the core of the vision and mission of Greenpeace. Today, Greenpeace International has joined an urgent multi-movement call for a new model of common security that’s guided by peace, climate and economic justice: “A Global Call to Action: For Democracy that Delivers Peace and Prosperity for All”.
Led by ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), the declaration brings together the voices of organisations around the world who are demanding action and change.
Under the title “A Global Call to Action: For Democracy that Delivers Peace and Prosperity for All”, the joint statement was presented in a live stream with representatives from Greenpeace International, Peace Bureau (IPB), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Oxfam and 350.org.
Peace before billionaires, militarism, and injustice
All of the signatories to this declaration, including Greenpeace International, agree on what is happening. There is a growing existential threat to social and environmental progress: a billionaire coup, and it is undermining democracy, intensifying militarism, and accelerating inequality. Together and through the declaration, we are calling for governments to reorient global priorities away from weapons and war, and towards social and climate justice.
For Greenpeace International Susannah Compton, who leads work to protect the right to protest, said:
“We believe the best reply to this moment is to resist – not just to be resilient, which is itself hard enough, but to aim for the resurgence of our movements. And crucially, the best reply is to be more in alliance. Together we are stronger. We are happy to sign the statement today because of what we hope it means – that across different types of social movements we’re genuinely prepared to pool our power and to offer a meaningful alternative vision to people who, polls show, are increasingly pessimistic about the future”.
Using their vast fortunes, they lobby to weaken regulations meant to protect people and the planet, fund candidates who serve their interests, and gain control of the media to shape the stories we hear. © Christian Åslund / Greenpeace
How can we protect peace and democracy?
In the face of crises which seem huge and inescapable, we maintain our hope and focus our action by having clear demands shared with allied organisations who have signed the declaration.
Some of the demands in the declaration include:
- Adoption of progressive and coordinated global tax reforms, including a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
- Implementation of living wages and decent work for all, with strong labour rights and support for union organising and collective bargaining.
- Reduction in global military expenditures, to redirect funds towards public services, social protection and climate action.
- Universal expansion of social protection systems, especially for marginalised groups such as women, migrant workers and those in informal work.
- Integration of disarmament and sustainability into national climate plans, ensuring military industries are part of emissions reduction strategies.
As Compton concludes, “People will support action if it addresses their most pressing needs. That is our challenge and our responsibility together – to highlight the real solutions and the funds to finance them, because both are available. Collective security can only be ensured through meeting the basic needs of all people, and we are proud to have said that together today”.
Read the declaration here and join the global call for Democracy that Delivers Peace and Prosperity for All!
Camilo Sánchez is Communications Manager for Social & Economic issues at Greenpeace International.
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Camilo Sanchez www.greenpeace.org
