The GDAMS Campaign - divest from war

➡️ GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON MILITARY SPENDING (GDAMS) - April 10 – May 9, 2026

Organised by the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) in collaboration with the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the Global Days of Action event has been held annually worldwide since 2011. Coinciding with the release of the annual SIPRI Report on global military spending, the event urges a worldwide rethink of military budgets. The event aims to inspire a global discussion on the necessity of reallocating military expenditures to vital social needs, environmental protection, and peace initiatives.

Use the timely GDAMS Toolkit

Please share this useful GDAMS resource via ➡️ Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn !

Escalating global militarisation means we are witnessing the highest number of conflicts since 1945, the end of WWII. Currently, 2 billion people are living in areas experiencing violent conflict - the equivalent of one quarter of the human population.

The Ukraine War, the Gaza War, and the U.S.-Israel war in Iran continue to dangerously escalate as they are fuelled by weapons exports and military aid from Western nations. Conveniently ignored by the mainstream media, conflict regions in the Global South, such as Yemen, Sudan, Syria, the DRC, Somalia, and Myanmar, are embroiled in violence - in many cases for decades.

*****

In 2025, the world military budget reached an unprecedented $2.6 trillion. The defence expenditure for NATO members was approximately $1.4 trillion - more than half of all global military spending! According to SIPRI, global military spending has increased by 19% between 2013 and 2022.

Civilians are always the losers, either as victims of war or as taxpayers in countries with high military burdens. Humanitarian disasters are a direct consequence of a militaristic approach to conflict resolution. Military spending not only fuels wars, but it also takes away resources that could be devoted to addressing the climate crisis, investing in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and promoting peace, diplomacy, nonviolent solutions, and disarmament.

Other events that coincide with the GDAMS campaign include Earth Day, Europe Day, which celebrates peace and unity in Europe, International Workers' Day, and the C7 Summit organised by international civil society to confront the G7 on issues such as sustainability, peace, and social justice.

Militaries are also among the world's biggest consumers of fuel, accounting for 5.5% of global CO2 emissions. Pollution from the U.S. military is so large that if it were a nation, it would be the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

The Global Arms Trade – The Business of Death

A major barrier to disarmament is the highly profitable international arms trade. The global value of weapons production, investment in high-tech weapons manufacturing, and the sale and transfer of this equipment is a staggering $138 billion. With 12 billion bullets produced every year, that is enough to kill everyone in the world!

War is in the best interests of arms dealers and manufacturers. More conflict = more money!

The military-industrial complex actively drives increased military spending as the mutually beneficial relationship between politicians, defence contractors, and the military becomes increasingly entangled.

In 2020, Lockheed Martin received $75 billion in contracts from the Pentagon - more than one and a half times the annual budget for International Development. These companies take advantage of wartime conditions through lobbying, overcharging, and fraudulent activities.

Developed countries dominate the arms trade, serving as the primary manufacturers and exporters of arms. These countries, therefore, have a major influence on international relations, security, and stability. They also bear significant responsibility for the regulation of the arms trade, upholding ethical standards, and shouldering accountability for the flooding of weapons into conflict regions and fragile states.

Controversial arms sales to Israel make exporting countries complicit in the genocidal campaign against Palestine. Global arms sales to Israel have surged significantly since October 7, 2023. Between October 2023 and September 2025, military aid and arms transfers to Israel reached approximately $21.7 billion from the U.S. alone.

The murky world of arms sales means that despite international agreements such as the Arms Trade Treaty, countries are able to break even their own laws on arms exports. The current control of arms sales is so lax that it is easier to trade AK-47s than it is to trade bananas.

How can you Get Involved in GDAMS?

• Join activities prepared by peace organisations near you.

• April 28 is the main day of action. Using new military spending data released by SIPRI, GCOMS will launch a Social Media Storm, which you can help by sharing far and wide.

• Write to representatives in your country responsible for defence budgets.

• Join the GCOMS team as an individual campaigner or an organisation.

• Share Better World Info's platform for peace and GDAMS with your peers.

• Use GCOMS campaigning ideas for further inspiration.
  
  

Disarmament - Save People & The Planet!

Together, we must push for global security which places peace, trust-building, cooperation, and solidarity at its core. Armed conflict must always be the absolute last option.

Strengthening and greater regulation of the UN Arms Trade Treaty would go a long way to ensure that weapons do not end up in the wrong hands. The outrageous profits of weapons contractors must be reined in, as well as prioritising transparency and accountability of the arms trade.

The arms race is a self-defeating feedback loop based on endless proliferation in the name of 'defence'. A peace-first approach would reduce military burdens and offer the best opportunity for a sustainable, conflict-free world.

A global reduction of just 2% in military spending would save humanity $1 trillion in just five years (Scientific American).

Approximately 117 million people are currently forcibly displaced as a direct result of conflict, violence or rights violations. The hunt for greed, power, and political gain can never justify the human cost of war. No war is justifiable.

Now is the time to demand an end to spiralling military budgets and untold suffering. Will you join the 2026 GDAMS campaign?

Please share this unique GDAMS resource via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Author: Rachael Mellor, 18.04.24 (updated 01.04.26) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

For further reading on the GDAMS campaign see below ⬇️