Global Priorities: An International Inter-religious initiative to change budget priorities and facilitate dialogue and concrete measures to combat nuclear dangers and poverty by mobilizing religious as well as secular communities to improve understanding and alter national and global budget priorities.  With global military expenditures exceeding $2 trillion annually, reducing unproductive military spending, over and above legitimate self-defense, in poor countries as well as rich ones, can and must be a central component of the battle to eradicate poverty, especially true in light of the worldwide effects of the Covid pandemic. It is vital to find effective ways to change direction. At a time when the world faces the threat of great power confrontation and nuclear weapons proliferation, nations need a roadmap to human security that reached beyond military might.  To achieve this outcome, Global Priorities is facilitating a series of international dialogues leading to a long-term process that reduces nuclear dangers and addresses human needs.

The current focus of Global Priorities is facilitating dialogue between US and Russian experts with the participation of religious leaders and initially funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New Your and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  It is aimed at promoting a long-term process to reduce nuclear dangers while reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles.  As this effort gathers momentum, a portion of the resulting savings would be aimed at supporting activities to address nuclear nonproliferation, promote child survival, the alleviation of hunger and improve health and education around the world. This builds on elements of a bipartisan resolution, first introduced in the U.S. Congress 2008 by Rep. Jim McGovern (Democrat of Massachusetts) and Rep. Dan Lungren (Republican of California).

The Congressional resolution called for reductions in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals that will lead to savings of billions of dollars annually, while directing some of the savings toward increased nuclear security efforts (including new funds to expand and accelerate the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program). The resolution also advocated additional funding to enhance child health and nutrition and improvement of opportunities of children and youth in the world’s poorest countries. Furthermore, the resolution encouraged other nuclear and non-nuclear nations to commit funding for programs that help poor children and youth.  Addressing such human needs is all the more relevant in this time of pandemic.

The world is at a crossroads, both in terms of the need to reduce nuclear arsenals and nuclear threats and ensure a better future for its children and people everywhere. Will we seize the opportunity?

Efforts growing out of the Congressional resolution and measures to follow on at the international level can establish a concrete formula for the reduction of nuclear arsenals, thereby playing a significant role in defining our common future. We must bridge the political divisions that exist today to achieve these goals.

A fundamental principle of the Global Priorities Campaign is that human security can be achieved through determined initiatives to eradicate extreme poverty and to realize economic, social and cultural rights. Majority opinion ultimately can be swayed by articulating values whose roots are in every oral and scriptural tradition of the world’s great religious communities: concern for our children, our elders, those living with disabilities, and all the vulnerable members of our societies.

The momentum for the Global Priorities Campaign is growing in this time of pandemic: the chance to effectively address nuclear dangers at the same time that we generate benefits for children and all others throughout the world must be strongly pursued.

If you or your organization wish to have more information or get involved, please contact:
Arnold Kohen
International Coordinator
Global Priorities Campaign
Address: P.O. Box 32307
Washington, DC 20007 USA
Phone: (202) 431-1302
E -mail: globalpriorities@aol.com

In addition to Carnegie Corporation of New York, the development phase of the Global Priorities Campaign has been funded by the Ford Foundation, the Connect US Fund as well as religious and humanitarian organizations.