Time for outrage!

The latest figures on military budgets of the various States of

the world will be announced April 12 by SIPRI, the prestigious Swedish
International Peace Research Institute, authoritative in this field. One more
year and probably more weapons produced and sold, if the upward trend
continues!

Thirty years ago the movement Women for Peace Switzerland was created to
protest the unbridled arms race during the Cold War. There has been little
progress since then, despite changes in geopolitics: a few cuts and controls,
and now a new generation of more dangerous weapons and proliferation of
small arms.

Women for Peace follows the work and efforts of Switzerland in the field of
disarmament. Resolution 65/410 adopted by the UN General Assembly on 8
December with the support of our country, gave women more room to work
towards arms control and reduced military spending. We will use it.

In this context we ask you to consider the scandal of our time: on the one hand
poverty and lack of security and on the other military spending, both increasing
and leading us right into the wall! The figures provided by UNDP, UNICEF, the
World Bank are clear enough: one can see military spending alongside the
expenditures for health programmes and education for each State. These
same States have committed themselves in 2000 to the eight United Nations
Millennium Development Goals. We are grateful that Switzerland continues its
effort to reach these goals despite the financial and economic crisis. But world-
wide they will not be reached. Their funding would be possible, however, if
certain countries, including the least developed countries, reduced their
military budgets.

We ask that you keep in mind "defence budgets in relation to expenses for real
security, that is to say, education, health and eradication of poverty" when
dealing with representatives of foreign States. Whether through diplomacy,
cooperation or economic, cultural and humanitarian relations...

We share this new approach to the use of wealth with many other
organizations participating in the Global Day of Action on military expenditures,
April 12, 2011.

We hope that this message is heard and will have concrete effects. We
especially hope that the poor will see a positive difference in their lives.