Monday 26 April marks the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, with groups around the world calling for money currently spent on the military to be diverted to other, socially productive priorities. Last year the global amount of money spent on the military was estimated at $1.9 trillion – thats around 2.2% of global Gross Domestic Product, or around $249 for every person on the planet.
In the UK the budget for the Ministry of Defence has increased by £24 billion since in the past year, in percentage terms that’s the largest increase for nearly 70 years – all at a time when aid to those in most need around the world has been cut and Britain, along with the rest of the world, has struggled to come to terms with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Government also recently announced that the cap on the UK nuclear warhead stockpile would be increased by 44%, alongside the current programme to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, which is estimated to cost at least £205 billion.
Christian CND supports the calls for a change in funding priorities to reflect the genuine security needs of humanity including access to food, shelter and clean water along with tackling the threats we face in the 21st century like climate change and global health pandemics.
