An Historic Multi-movement Call to Action:
The World Must Choose Peace over
Profit, Democracy over Destruction
The International Trade Union Confederation
(Along with the ITUC, this statement is anchored by Greenpeace International, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Oxfam and 350.org)

BRUSSELS, Belgium (January 29, 2025) — As the world marks 80 years since the atomic bombings of Japan, the ITUC has joined forces with organisations for peace, climate and economic justice in a global call for a new model of common security.

The joint, multi-movement declaration warns of a growing existential threat from a “billionaire coup” that is undermining democracy, fuelling militarism and accelerating inequality. Governments must reorient global priorities from weapons and war to social justice and human development.

ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle said: “Democracy is being stolen by a handful of billionaires and far-right forces, while public money is being poured into weapons instead of healthcare, education or climate solutions. This historic joint statement is a wake-up call and a call to action. We need governments to act with urgent commitments to peace, justice and dignity for all. Working people demand a world built on democracy, sustainability and shared prosperity.”

The ITUC and its allies call for:

• Universal ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and full-scale nuclear disarmament.
• Adoption of progressive and coordinated global tax reforms, including a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
• Implementation of living wages and decent work for all, with strong labour rights and support for union organising and collective bargaining.
• Reduction in global military expenditures, to redirect funds towards public services, social protection and climate action.
• Creation of a United Nations Fair Conversion mechanism to support countries shifting from military-based economies to sustainable industries.
• Universal expansion of social protection systems, especially for marginalised groups such as women, migrant workers and those in informal work.
• Integration of disarmament and sustainability into national climate plans, ensuring military industries are part of emissions reduction strategies.

The statement also stresses the need to democratise and reform multilateral institutions, such as the UN, to place peace, human rights and sustainable development at the centre of global governance. It calls on governments at the World Social Summit to adopt the New Social Contract to tackle the root causes of inequality and conflict, while the G20 summit should align economic policies with principles of peace and sustainability by reducing military spending and investing in climate resilience and human development.

Key facts from the joint statement include:

• In 2024, the top 1 per cent owned more wealth than 95% of the global population combined.
• Global military spending reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, a 9.4% rise from the previous year. Low- and middle-income countries, many struggling with poverty, accounted for 35% of global military spending in 2022.
• Over 100 million people are currently displaced by conflict and persecution.
• Militaries collectively have the fourth largest carbon footprint in the world.

Along with the ITUC, the statement is anchored by Greenpeace International, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Oxfam and 350.org. Additional signatories include:

• The Conflict and Environment Observatory
• The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center of Palestine (DWRC)
• Equidem
• FOCUS on the Global South
• Global Social Justice
• IBVM/CJ
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
• International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
• LWF Waking the Giant
• National Campaign for Sustainable Development – Nepal (NACASUD)
• Olof Palmes International Center
• PAX Christi International
• Solidar
• WSM We Social Movements

Comment
Michael Eisenscher — While this is a welcome initiative, I am distressed to see that the global climate crisis and looming human-caused environmental apocalypse is not considered important enough to include in the “existential threat from a ‘billionaire coup’ that is undermining democracy, fuelling militarism and accelerating inequality.”
That this is such an obvious blind spot should cause us all to be concerned.  I, for one, am not content to save the world from nuclear Armageddon only to succumb to ecological collapse.