Peace Boat joins GDAMS 2026 with Global Call to Cut Military Spending and Demilitarise for Climate Justice

This Earth Day, Peace Boat joined the Global Day of Action for Peace and Climate Justice as part of the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), a worldwide mobilisation calling for a shift from militarism toward peace, sustainability, and human security.

Coordinated by the Global Campaign on Military Spending and supported by the Centre Delàs d'Estudis per la Pau and the International Peace Bureau, GDAMS brings together hundreds of organisations around the world calling for military spending to be reduced and redirected toward climate action, social protection, and a just transition.

The 2026 mobilisation comes as new figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute show global military spending reached USD 2.887 trillion in 2025, a 2.9 percent increase in real terms. This marks the eleventh consecutive year of rising military expenditure, with spending increasing by 41 percent over the past decade.

At a time of worsening climate impacts, rising inequality, and growing pressure on public services, the GDAMS 2026 Appeal argues that continued increases in military spending are political choices that divert resources away from urgent social and environmental needs.

During the 123rd Global Voyage, Peace Boat participants took part in a series of activities led by Peace Boat International Director Remy Millot exploring the links between militarism, military spending, climate change, and global justice.

The first onboard event took place on Earth Day, April 22, as part of the mobilisation coordinated by the Arms, Militarism and Climate Justice Working Group, of which Peace Boat is a member. The session examined the environmental impacts of militarism and the role of military systems in driving fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Discussions also focused on how increasing military spending diverts resources away from climate action and social investment.

Following the event, participants joined a photo action onboard calling to “Demilitarize for Climate Justice,” linking the voyage with actions taking place worldwide as part of GDAMS.

A second onboard event was held on April 28, following the release of the latest SIPRI figures the previous day. The session examined current military spending trends, the political and economic drivers behind rising military budgets, and their implications for global priorities. Participants also discussed how military spending affects progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and took part in an interactive exercise reimagining how USD 2.887 trillion could instead be invested in climate action, public services, and community wellbeing.

On April 28, Peace Boat co-organised an event in Santa Marta, Colombia, on the margins of the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. The event launched the “Double Dividend” report by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, which examines how reducing military spending could both lower emissions and help finance a just transition.

The discussion explored the links between militarism, fossil fuel dependency, and extractivism, with speakers addressing military emissions, global military spending, and the impacts of militarised extraction in regions including Colombia and the Philippines. Organised together with partners including the Conflict and Environment Observatory, the event highlighted the need to address militarism as part of climate and energy transition discussions.
 

In Athens, Greece, Peace Boat’s International Coordinator Karen Hallows participated in a public discussion on military spending and social justice organised by PADOP. Her intervention focused on the social and environmental impacts of militarisation, the links between military spending and fossil fuel dependency, and the need to redirect resources toward climate action and public services. Following the event, her intervention was published as an article in the Greek daily newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn).

Across these activities, Peace Boat joined the wider GDAMS call to “Move the Money” from militarisation toward climate justice, social investment, and peacebuilding.