GLOBAL ACTION TO PREVENT
WAR was launched at the Hague Appeal for Peace in 1999. Recognizing that war
cannot be abolished overnight, the Global Action Plan is a 30-40 year program that will
delegitimize war and systematically dismantle the economic, legal and social institutions
of armed violence throughout the world.
During the 20th century, 200 million people have died in battle. The
costs of war in terms of education, health, housing, employment and infrastructure have
been in the trillions of dollars. But war is not the only issue facing humanity. While
focusing on conflict reduction, Global Action works with all groups to promote solutions
to poverty, maldevelopment, ecological devastation and patriarchy, which are underlying
causes of war.
Global Action's recommendations include the following:
Phase 1 - 2000-2005 - Prevent internal wars by strengthening the UN
a) UN acquires improved capabilities for conflict prevention and resolution
b) Build and enhance the capability of a network of open membership regional
security organizations
c) UN creates a corps of 50 professional mediators at the disposal of the SG and
the Security Council
d) Establish a conflict prevention committee in the UN GA
e) Establish a standing volunteer police force at the UN
g) Formulate and promote a program for independent income sources for UN
peacekeeping and humanitarian aid. h) Press for recruitment of a 10,000-person
volunteer force (after financing is resolved)
i) Negotiate a 25% cut in all arms transfers, institute a freeze on the level of
all conventional forces, and begin negotiation of cuts in military forces and spending
f) Promote the establishment of the ICC
j) Treaty negotiated for protection of ethnic, religious and cultural minorities
l) Global dealerting of nuclear forces; USA and Russia to reduce total nuclear
weapons to 1500 each
Phase 2 - Reduce risks of major war
a) Implement further substantial cuts in armed forces and military
spending, arms production and trade
b) Continue to strengthen UN's regional conflict resolution and peacekeeping
capabilities, expand standing volunteer peacekeeping force at UN
c) Broaden jurisdiction of international courts to hear cases brought by groups and
individuals and not only states
d) Multilateral negotiations on total elimination of nuclear arsenals
Phase 3 - Preventing War
a) Make further deep cuts in conventional forces
b) Treaty to not deploy armed forces beyond national borders
c) Nuclear weapons stored and immobilized
Phase 4 -
a) Permanently transfer authority for armed intervention to prevent or end war or
genocide to the United Nations and regional security organizations
b) National forces exclusively for defense of national territory - border guards,
coastal guards etc.
c) Expand volunteer forces as the disposal of the UN
d) Further deep cuts in military forces and spending
e) Nuclear weapons completely eliminated
f) Forces at UN will guard against transnational violence
February 2001 |
