The Basel Peace Office extends our best wishes to everyone during this corona virus pandemic. We hope that you are safe and well and able to continue meaningful activities while observing the physical distancing required to combat this global crisis.
During the pandemic, Basel Peace Office is observing work-from-home and cancelling all physical meetings and events. However, we are still active on peace, climate and disarmament work through digital means (webinars and social media campaigns). We invite your participation in those that are of interest and relevance to you.
In this update we focus on Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and Youth voices for climate, peace and nuclear disarmament campaigns.
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money is a global campaign focused on the resources (budgets and investments) currently dedicated to nuclear weapons, and on shifting these resources to areas of human and environmental need. This includes public health like dealing with the corona virus pandemic. See, for example, To address the corona virus: Shift resources from nukes and the military to public health and the economy.
You can participate in the campaign by providing a social media meme and/or joining the global Move the Nuclear Weapons Money webinar in April.
- Social media memes
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money social media memes are short quotes (1-3 sentences) plus a selfie (photo of oneself) which highlight key points and are circulated on social media. Below is an example. If you would like to participate, please send your quote and selfie to Move the Nuclear Weapons Money.
- Move the Nuclear Weapons Money webinar
Basel Peace Office was cosponsor of a Move the Nuclear Weapons Money event that was to take place at the United Nations on May 5. With the UN cancelling most physical meetings, this event will now become a webinar that we will run in April during the Global Days of Action on Military Spending.
The webinar will include an update an legislative initiatives to cut nuclear weapons budgets, plus examples of successful actions to move governments, cities, pension funds, universities, religious funds and private investers to divest from the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries and reinvest in peace and sustainable development. Details to follow soon.
Youth voices for climate, peace and nuclear disarmament
Last year the Basel Peace Office launched a Youth voices for climate, peace and nuclear disarmament project, with the aim to bring together voices from youth engaged in climate, peace and nuclear disarmament issues, and amplify these voices to policy makers.
The project includes events like the Basel Conference in January this year:Climate, peace and security: From youth voices to policy action, the launch of a youth award (Peace and Climate action of European Youth Award), and a participatory video project on youth voices and inter-generational dialogue.
- Participatory video project
We invite youth to make a short video statement on climate, peace, public health and/or nuclear disarmament which we will a) circulate on social media, and b) compile into a joint video which we plan to release at the UNESCO Youth Forum later this year. Click here on details to make a short video statement. Click here for examples. For more information contact Chaimae Sebbani, project director.
We invite leaders of civil society organisations, policy makers and other more experienced activists (not-so-young), to view the youth videos and provide responses - either in video or written form. Click here for some examples.
Mariia Ashikhmina (Russia) doing a video statement for the Youth voices project
- Webinar on Youth actions for peace, climate and nuclear disarmament
Basel Peace Office was cosponsor of a Youth event that was to take place at the United Nations on May 6. With the UN cancelling most physical meetings, this event will now become a webinar that we will run in May, organised by the Abolition 2000 Youth Network and Basel Peace Office. Details to follow.