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Introduction

Global security and environmental crises are both pressing problems of our age, yet poverty is the most defining challenge of this century. Extreme poverty remains a daily reality for more than one billion people who subsist on less than one dollar a day. At the beginning of this century, the majority of nations, at the United Nations voted to half poverty by the year 2015 and tackle other major global ills such as hunger, illiteracy and diseases as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) [1]. The United Nations Development Programme declared in their report recently that at the rate of present development it will take 150 years to reach the target set by MDGs. It seems unlikely that the MDGs can be reached unless issues of military spending , security and conflict are brought into the diagnosis of the obstacles hindering their attainment.

Let me quote from Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica, Noble Peace Laureate “The global arms trade, and its accompanying glut of military spending, continues to represent the single most significant perversion of worldwide priorities known today. It buttresses wars, criminal activity and ethnic violence; destabilises emerging democracies; inflates military budgets to the detriment of health care, education and basic infrastructure; and exaggerates global relationships of inequality and underdevelopment. Without massive and coordinated action, militarism will continue to be a scourge on our hopes for a more peaceful and just 21st century ”

The recent increased military spending once again for the sixth successive year rose to the trillion dollar mark since the height of the Cold War, an average of $162 per person, with the United States accounting for nearly half - 47 per cent - of the total at $455 billion and the UK at $47 billion.

Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has made the first bold attempt to quantify the financial side of hidden costs of the Iraq war, coming up with a whopping price tag of over $2 trillion dollars, ten times more than prewar estimates.

In contrast, the amount spent on aid over the same period was a modest $78.6 billion while 850 million people suffer from hunger. Yet the subject remains a taboo, even within anti-poverty campaign. We can see how the priorities of our world have been turned upside down. At present, 23 million soldiers serve in armies around the world. Why is the number so high when there is no visible enemy? The cost of armed conflict in Latin America is estimated to be 15% of GDP. In El Salvador, the cost is more then twice the combined budget for health and education. Universal indifference, apathy and lack of political will are the sign of our time rendering everything meaningless.

A holistic approach towards peace and human security depend on a reallocation of the world's resources so that billions of people who never see more than $1 or $2 a day are not held hostage to unconscionable poverty. 20% of the world’s population uses 80% of its resources. They have to be held accountable for their actions and made responsible for finding ways for sharing resources equitably. Peace and Human security depend on universal adherence to and respect for human rights, including economic, social, and cultural rights as well as civil and political.

In my talk today, I am going to explore underlying causes of poverty, unwise spending priorities and wasteful use of resources. These can be categorised as political, addiction to violence and military culture, changing nature of conflict, global threats and challenges, poor governance, corruption, trans-national crime, infectious diseases, environmental degradation, inter-tribal fighting, and the role financial institutions and big corporations. I will also examine how we can turn the situation around by suggesting proposals and campaign ideas as a way forward.

· Poverty is a political problem because, unless it is addressed, we will face a new division of the world, the consequences of which will be even more dangerous than those of the divisions we overcame by ending the East-West confrontation. Dividing the world into islands of prosperity and vast areas of poverty and despair is more dangerous than the Cold War because the two regions cannot be fenced off from each other. Despair creates fertile ground for extremism and terrorism, to say nothing of migration flows, epidemics and new hotbeds of instability. Poverty is a political problem because it cannot be separated from the problems of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

· Addiction to violence and military culture which is responsible for arms production, sales and its use reveals itself in the following ways:

a) Using violence and war as a route to economic, political and military superiority.

c) For use of fear by political elite to control populations, exert authority, extract

wealth and fulfilling dreams of expansionism by violating other nations territorial

d) For fundamentalists to purport violence to justify the ideologies of their groups.

e) Capturing of resources by military for maintaining economic privileges for the rich and committing injustices which can not be secured through diplomacy and treaties.

f) Maintaining large stocks of arms and weapons as an excuse for war on terror and keeping

g) Creating and planting hostilities, hatred and conflicts in different parts of the world,

· The global threats leading to conflicts and waste of resources can be categorised into five areas as identified by the recent UN high level panel report:

b) Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction – nuclear, biological and chemical.

Wars and civil unrest continue unabated in Africa, South Asia, (Kashmir and Nepal), Latin America (Colombia), and the Middle East as increasingly violence, mayhem and fear are used to extract wealth and power. At least 40,000 deaths world-wide have been caused directly by armed conflict over the past year, with 50% of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. The vast majority of those killed in war are civilians, indeed woman and children.

It should not be a surprise then, that poverty continues to breed conflict. Of the 13 million deaths due to arm conflict in the last ten years, 9 million occurred in sub-Sahara Africa, where the poorest of the poor live.

More than 650 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation around the world — one for about every 10 people. This has led to millions of deaths and injuries, the displacement of populations, and suffering and insecurity around the world especially the poor countries are heavily affected. Brazil has 38,000 gun deaths per year and a rise in crime and gun culture.

There are 30,000 nuclear warheads in the possession of the declared nuclear weapon states USA, Russia, France, UK and China. On top of that there is worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology which is being deployed by countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Israel. When so much military hardware is available around the world terrorists can easily create mayhem by indiscriminate mass killing and destruction. Political violence, organised crime and inciting fear in the civilian population are becoming the hallmark of new terrorism. The war on terror has offered a whole set of justifications for countries to increase their arsenals and push the budget on military spending.

The development of mini nukes and bunker buster bombs by US and its doctrine of pre-emption which has replaced arm control and collective security has made the world a far less secure and stable place. It also gives wrong signals to other countries as they feel vulnerable to attack.

In UK, replacing Britain’s nuclear weapon system Trident could cost as much as £25 billion. Britain is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a decision to replace trident could run counter to our treaty commitments. It costs billions of pounds, will escalate global tensions and undermine- rather than secure- our real security. As Harold Pinter asked, who I wonder is Trident aimed at? Osama Bin Laden? You? Me? Joe Docks? China? Paris? Who knows? Can you imagine what the government could spend £25 billion on? It can make our health and education system much better or help reverse worst effects of climate change or meet United Nations MDG aid target of 0.7% of GNP every year for next 6 years.

· Poor governance, corruption and trans-national crime allows the diversion of resources from social development to lining the pockets of corrupt elites and increase in military spending. It is evident that higher incidence of armed conflict is found in countries with low level of economic development and poorly run democratic institutions. It is government mismanagement and distribution problems and not global food shortages that keep millions hungry.

· Infectious diseases, and environmental degradation is another cause of poverty. In 25 years since it was first reported, AIDS have become the leading cause of premature deaths in sub-Sahara Africa and the fourth largest killer worldwide. Global spread of malaria and TB are other silent killers reversing decades of development progress in worst affected areas.

The wide spread environmental degradation that scars our planet as seen in melting ice caps, strong hurricanes is a global problem created by over use of land, oil, fossil fuels, and gases and threatens our natural systems and resources for our existence and development. We need to reverse the depletion of natural resources. Recent studies have shown that armed forces are the single largest polluter on earth and long-term disastrous environmental, health and social consequences of war and preparation of war are well documented. If the impact of global warming is not curbed, the future might hold an eruption of desperate all out wars for food, water and energy supplies (Oil & Gas).

· Inter-tribal fighting, banditry, and clashes for securing natural resources is another reason for poverty. Various studies have shown how conflicts are funded by sale of natural resources like diamond, oil, timber, copper, and gold. Inter-tribal fighting, banditry, and clashes for securing these resources are frequent occurrences between government, paramilitary and rebel forces. Security council have recently voted for a ban on diamond export from Ivory Coast to stop rebels in the war divided nation from using gems to purchase arms. The war on Iraq is an example where the invasion was not undertaken to fight terrorism or eliminate weapon of mass destruction but to safeguard vital oil resources.

· Financial Institutions and Big Corporations hand in fuelling poverty and conflict. The role of banks, big corporations, private financial institutions, export credit agencies, subsidies using taxpayer and EU money in financing arms trade fuelling wars and conflicts in many parts of the world.

Some other causes of poverty are unserviceable debt, underinvestment in science and technology, unjust trade rules, lack of infrastructure and education.

Consider our development aid record. Last year, the nations of the world spent over 1 trillion on armaments. But we contributed less than 10% of that amount- a mere $80 billion as official development assistance to the poorest regions of the globe. Today for the first time the world as a whole and the rich countries certainly have the means to wipe out poverty. It is just a question what we choose to spend those resources on.

The 21st century has shown that even the most prosperous and powerful countries are open to attack and cannot live on outdated security system based on nuclear deterrence and alliances. They have to move forward to agree multilateral treaties based on cooperation and allegiance to humankind.

Ending wars is a precondition of development as no one will invest long term in a country with a risk of civil war. What matters is not just ending war but creating a real and stable peace. When a nation unites for a collective effort for change as it is happening in China and India today where expansion have lifted 300 million people out of poverty. The changes can be brought by concerned citizens, campaign groups, civil society, business community who can work together for a positive change.

I am advocating seven proposals which are: Policies for a more secure world- Peaceful prevention of deadly conflict, Reducing the global incidence of civil war as a new millennium development goal, Changing the mindset, Creating a will for political action, Holistic solutions for all the interrelated issues, Recognising and encouraging the work of organisations who are devoted to change, and to follow the campaign of Arms Reduction Coalition.

1) Policies for a More Secure World- Peaceful prevention of deadly conflict

To effectively address current and future threats to peace and security, we need a new security strategy for the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict. Such a strategy would reduce reliance on 11th hour military responses to conflict and invest in the development and early application of peaceful alternatives to war. These alternatives include:

* International cooperation and the rule of law

Strengthen international law and multilateral cooperation to address global threats to peace and security.

* Preventive Diplomacy and Peace Operations
Enhance the international community's capacity to prevent the escalation of conflict, effectively respond to emerging crises, and rebuild societies shattered by war and conflict.

* Arms Control and Disarmament
Reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and the escalation of conflict by enhancing international arms control and disarmament regimes.

* Human Rights and Good Governance
Strengthen human rights and promote good governance as foundations for stable, secure societies.

* Sustainable Development and Human Security
Address the root causes of violent conflict by meeting basic human needs and promoting more equitable use of world resources.

2) Make reducing the global incidence of wars and civil war as a new millennium development goal.

At present, reducing the global incidence of civil war is not included as a Millennium Development Goal. Yet both because war is so powerfully development in reverse and because peace is a fundamental goal in its own right, it is surely appropriate as a core development objective. It can also be monitored much more readily than any of the other goals and, indeed, is already monitored by the authoritative Swedish International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Most wars are now civil wars. Even though international wars attract enormous global attention, they have become infrequent and brief. Civil wars usually attract less attention, but they have become increasingly common and typically go on for years. Civil war is now an important issue for development. War retards development, but conversely, development retards war. This double causation gives rise to virtuous and vicious circles. Where development succeeds, countries become progressively safer from violent conflict, making subsequent development easier. Where development fails, countries are at high risk of becoming caught in a conflict trap in which war wrecks the economy and increases the risk of further war.

In this respect, the formation of the Peacebuilding Commission, is a step in the right direction to a safer and more secure future for all countries, and we need to make it work. Around 50 per cent of the conflicts of the past 20 years have recurred within five years of the peace agreements. The commission will fill a real institutional gap - and ensure that attention and resources are devoted to countries emerging from violence, long after peacekeepers have left.

3) Changing the mindset and respecting the profound sanctity and dignity of every human life of high moral and spiritual values regardless of race or religion. We need also to believe that we can change things around. To do that we will examine the root causes and culture of war, reasons to avoid war, delegitimisation of war and work towards peace education and culture of peace.

In 2001, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the development of new capacities within national governments, multilateral regional organizations, civil society, and the UN to undertake genuinely preventive actions in all stages of conflict--from latent tensions to hot wars to post-conflict peacebuilding. Such actions include developing early warning systems and enhanced preventive diplomacy capacities, strengthening international law and good governance, reducing the proliferation of weapons and protecting human rights, supporting sustainable development and the fair distribution of resources, ending poverty, tackling HIV/AIDS and other public health crises, reducing ethnic tensions, building strong institutions of global civil society, and ensuring basic human security for all the world's people.

4) Creating the Political Will is absolutely essential for funding resources for development and ending subsidies, financial and political support for arms trade. Engage the politicians and political parties to challenge UK, EU (European Union) and policies of other states, on manufacturing, export licensing and illegal trafficking of arms by lobbying parliament and government ministers, MP and MEP's to bring legislation for the reduction of arms. Campaign for incentive-based arms collection centres for destroying or burning the hardware should be part of international development schemes. Make civil society, police, and the state part of a joint effort. Today more than ever we need more efficient structures of international conduct, adherence to the UN Charter, a greater role of international court of justice and respect for the rule of law.

International interventions have recently had some important successes, such as the launch of the Kimberley process to regulate trade in diamonds and the international ban on antipersonnel mines. I suggest interventions in the areas which are aid, the governance of natural resources, and peacekeeping.

5) Finding holistic solutions to all the interrelated issues and taking responsibility to deal collectively and have a multilateral holistic approach dealing with threats and challenges of today. I suggest the concept of common security- peace, environment, social justice and environmental protection- reflects more accurately the purpose of the UN charter and its treaties and conventions.

The international community need to link the agenda of development, environment and disarmament together by building partnerships at national and global level. We can not have security amidst starvation and we cannot build peace without alleviating poverty and we cannot have either without a better environment. Only a peaceful society can work its way up to creating the institutions ripe for development and free itself from injustices and human rights abuses. The problems we face today- violent conflicts, destruction of nature, diseases, poverty and hunger etc are human created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and goodness.

6) Recognising and encouraging the work of organisations who are committed to change –too many to mention, who are devoting their energies in campaigns to redirect resources. Because of public pressure, the Group of Eight industrialised nations (G8) were able to agree for doubling annual aid to Africa to $50 billion by 2010 and forgive about $40 billion more in debt owed by some of the poorest countries.

When talking of resources, we should consider what colossal unnecessary waste of resources happens on a daily basis when people die of AIDS, malaria and TB every minute of the day. These are all preventable diseases. Just consider how extraordinary the contribution they could have made to humanity if they had lived.
The struggle for disease and poverty is not lost. We must commend the work done everyday by the WHO, UNDP, MDG[2] Project, major health agencies, foundations, charities, NGOs, human rights groups, churches and other faith groups, a whole lot of politicians and rock stars who have together brought the issue of poverty to the forefront of global debate and are making a difference.

A rapid survey of the development scene shows how big strides forward and mobilisation around debt cancellation, more aid, trade and environmental justice and reduction of small arms are making impact on political decisions. We need passion and not pity to change the world. Hundreds of thousands of people in Africa literally agonise in a continent rich in natural resources and culture. Poor people are capable to take their destiny in their hands if given a chance. People develop themselves, outsiders can help but can not do it for them.

7) Supporting Arms Reduction Coalition’s (ARC) campaign for the member states of the UN to agree and implement a legally binding treaty to reduce the amount of resources spent on arms by between 1 and 5 % for a period of between 10 and 25 years, and to spend the resources saved on national and international peace and development programmes. 1 % of the savings of 1 trillion dollars, at the present rate of arms spending, will be 10 billion dollars, which could be spent on poverty reduction and conflict resolution.

This reasonable proposal is based on implementing Article 26 of the UN Charter, through which the states of the UN have committed ‘to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the worlds human and economic resources.’

Some of the areas ARC would like to focus are preventing misuse including regulation and transfer of small arms, controlling supply, taking guns and ammunition out of circulation, addressing the demand for small arms, assistance to survivors of gun violence and prevention of human suffering in war.

Conclusion and three campaign ideas as a way forward

World military spending is at Cold War levels and development aid for the poorest countries is unacceptably low. Even then US supplies arms to 144 countries and UK is not far behind supplying to 100 countries. These lethal weapons kill civilians, breed conflicts and thereby enhancing poverty. It is clear that without robust action from governments or unrelenting pressure from civil society, military spending will continue to be squandered on fermenting conflict and underdevelopment.

Make reducing the global incidence of wars and civil war as a new millennium development goal. The case for treating the halving of the incidence of civil war as a Millennium Development Goal is the same as that for the current goals: explicit commitments help the international community to sustain collective action. The goal of halving the incidence of civil war would help to focus efforts on those countries and people who are at the bottom of the heap.

The military budget of nations should never be bigger then the budget for health, education and development. At the moment the global military spending is $1 trillion against spending on education which stands at a mere 6 billion USD. It should be the other way around completing the urgently needed Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by lifting Africa and other poor countries out of absolute poverty. Only then we can have any hope and chance for a safer world and better international relations.

Martin Luther King Jr said, ‘a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defence than on programmes of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.’

If we can consign war to history, like slavery and apartheid, then we not only eliminate poverty, but also have enough funds for safeguarding our common humanity. It is not a utopian dream. We require institutional and legal mechanism necessary to delegitimise war and to earnestly examine and provide non-violent governmental and civil options in order to move away from the devastating consequences of wars and violent military interventions. If we pursue it collectively it can be a dream changed to reality. There already exists in the world large regions for example, European Union, within which war is inconceivable.

I am going to quote the last paragraph from the Speech of this year’s winner of Noble Prize for peace Mohamed ElBaradei, director of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) which is a good example of what we wish to achieve: "Imagine what would happen if the nations of the world spent as much on development as on building the machines of war. Imagine a world where every human being would live in freedom and dignity. Imagine a world in which we would shed the same tears when a child dies in Darfur or Vancouver," he said, referring to the murderous conflict in Western Sudan, one of the world's poorest regions, and life in Western Canada, one of the most affluent. "Imagine a world where we would settle our differences through diplomacy and dialogue and not through bombs or bullets. Imagine if the only nuclear weapons remaining were the relics in our museums. Imagine the legacy we could leave to our children. Imagine that such a world is within our grasp."

As we stand at the threshold of a new century, time has come to say loudly that we use resources for peace and development and demand the delegitimisation of war and military spending. The logical conclusion to be drawn from above discussion is that humanity simply can not afford militarism and war. The global arms race has to stop for the sake of peaceful uses of resources and security for ourselves, for our children, and future generations.

The full version of this speech can be downloaded from:

Vijay Mehta is a writer and peace activist. His latest book, The United Nations and Its Future in the 21st Century, discuss ideas about the UN’s central role in contributing to international peace and security. He is president of VM Centre for Peace and Chair of Arms Reduction Coalition.

[1] 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by half, 2. Achieve universal primary education, 3. Promote gender equality and empower women, 4. Reduce child mortality, 5. Improve maternal health, 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, 7. Ensure environmental sustainability, and 8. Develop a global partnership for development.

[2] WHO, World Health Organization, UNDP, United Nations Development Program, MDG, Millennium Development Goal.