Human security and arms control offer a significant opportunity to develop less violent and more peaceful approaches to resolving conflicts and global issues.
Ploughshares Calgary Society has long been educating and encouraging public discussion on Canadian foreign and defense policies, control of conventional arms, militarism, and specific wars and interventions. We encourage practical steps towards minimizing recourse to military force. This requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach, both in how we lead these discussions and the actions that follow.
Ultimately, human security and arms control are necessary to reduce the human and financial cost associated with these conflicts, preserve international stability, and allow for sustainable and peaceful solutions to global challenges.
Why Military Disarmament Matters
Military disarmament is more than the reduction of weapons. It’s a call to fundamentally rethink how societies handle conflict. Globally, over $2 trillion is spent on military budgets each year, while urgent human needs like education, healthcare, and climate resilience remain underfunded. Disarmament aims to redirect these resources to break cycles of violence and better care for the earth’s population. It is also a call to challenge the notion of security through force.
Reducing reliance on armed forces also lowers the risk of war, nuclear proliferation, and environmental destruction. It fosters trust between nations and communities and promotes a security model based on cooperation rather than domination.
Military disarmament includes but is not limited to:
- Limiting the production and deployment of weapons
- Reducing military spending
- Eliminating weapons of mass destruction (see our nuclear weapons page for further information)
- Preventing armed conflict and building trust and cooperation
Join the Global Effort
This site serves as a hub for information, advocacy, and action. Whether you’re an academic, activist, policy maker, or concerned citizen, we invite you to explore the complex realities of militarism and join the global movement toward a more peaceful and equitable world.
We invite Canadians and allies worldwide to reimagine what it means to keep peace in the 21st century. Through education, advocacy, and collective action, we can move toward a world that rejects war as a solution and embraces disarmament, reconciliation, and sustainable peace.