By Ramesh Jaura
This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/
BERLIN | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — Fancy people around the world singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” — of a world where there is “nothing to kill or die for” and “all the people living in peace…sharing all the world…as one”!
Envision people beating their “swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”.
Visualize the UN New York building sculptures — a dragon resting on fragments of US and Soviet missiles, the Knotted Gun — unfolding into reality.
Perhaps all these could be building blocks of peace and disarmament education to fend off the dystopia embodied in today’s world of geopolitical conflicts, arms race, and nuclear threats, a world in which security, environmental sustainability, and human dignity depend on fostering peaceful relations and eliminating weapons of mass destruction — harbingers of instant devastation of cities. A world in which civil wars displace millions and defence budgets grow, neglecting social needs.
SIPRI reports that over 12,000 nuclear warheads exist today, many on high alert, raising the risk of accidental or intentional nuclear conflict. Weapons often increase tensions rather than ensure peace. Reducing arms and promoting peaceful diplomacy can help de-escalate conflicts. Peace and disarmament education is crucial for success.
The Cold War highlights the risks of arms buildups, with nuclear tensions between the US and Soviet Union nearly leading to global annihilation. Today, similar nuclear threats make disarmament crucial. In 2024, global military spending was $2718 billion, a 9.4% increase from 2023. Redirecting these funds from weapons to education, healthcare, climate change efforts, and social welfare could significantly improve societies.
Combating Weapons Proliferation and Terrorism
The spread of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction, threatens global security. As more states and non-state actors obtain these weapons, the risk of disasters grows. Disarmament initiatives like the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) work to prevent nuclear weapon proliferation and encourage peaceful nuclear energy use.
Terrorist groups and criminal networks often thrive in areas with small arms and light weapons. These weapons promote violence, destabilize governments, and worsen humanitarian crises. Disarmament policies, arms control treaties, and international cooperation can reduce access to these weapons and weaken violent actors.
Protecting the Environment
War and militarism cause significant environmental damage, including toxic chemicals, oil fires, and pollution from military exercises. Modern warfare worsens climate change, destroys ecosystems, and contaminates natural resources.
Disarmament reduces the military’s ecological footprint and enables investment in environmental protection. Global peace is crucial in addressing climate change, as wars divert resources from climate action. Peace fosters stability for long-term ecological planning and cooperation.
Disarmament as a Moral Imperative
Beyond political and economic reasons, some consider disarmament a necessary measure. The presence of weapons capable of massive destruction contradicts values such as life, dignity, and coexistence. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela emphasized nonviolence as a tactic and an ethical principle.
Peace is a desirable state in various religious and philosophical traditions. Disarmament aligns with these aspirations by rejecting violence as a means of resolving differences, instead promoting compassion, dialogue, and mutual respect.
Challenges and the Way Forward
While the benefits of peace and disarmament education are clear, the path is fraught with challenges. Geopolitical rivalries, arms industry interests, nationalism, and distrust make disarmament complex. Some nations perceive military strength as essential for national security, creating resistance to disarmament initiatives.
However, the success of past agreements shows that progress is possible. Treaties like the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the Chemical Weapons Convention, and regional disarmament efforts in Latin America and Africa demonstrate the effectiveness of international cooperation. Civil society, youth movements, and global organizations are vital in advocating for a demilitarized and peaceful world.
One of these is the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Tokyo-based global Buddhist network promoting peace, culture, and education, which has emerged as a pivotal force advocating for a world free from violence and armed conflict. Through grassroots activism, educational outreach, and strategic collaboration with international institutions, SGI plays a unique and transformative role in advancing the global agenda for peace and disarmament.
One of SGI’s most notable contributions is its sustained effort toward nuclear disarmament. It has actively supported the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which the United Nations adopted in 2017 and entered into force in 2021. SGI collaborated with the 2017 Nobel Peace Laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its efforts toward the Treaty’s adoption.
Earlier this year, SGI submitted a Working Paper (TPNW_MSP_2025_NGO_24_SGI.pdf) to the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons from 3 to 7 March 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Titled Peace and Disarmament Education and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Ways Forward, the document points out that the importance of peace and disarmament education is enshrined in the preamble of the TPNW, which states: “Recognizing also the importance of peace and disarmament education in all its aspects and of raising awareness of the risks and consequences of nuclear weapons for current and future generations, andcommitted to the dissemination of the principles and norms of this Treaty…”.
However, “there are gaps that need to be addressed if the TPNW States Parties were to uphold their commitment to disseminating the principles and norms of the Treaty through education. First, in the overall landscape of peace and disarmament education, the TPNW is yet to be recognized widely as an important pillar of the disarmament architecture”. Learners are more likely to be introduced to topics such as nuclear deterrence and the NPT than the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and the TPNW.
Lack of a comprehensive educational platform
Second, there is a lack of a comprehensive educational platform, which means that excellent resources and materialsdeveloped by various stakeholders are not currently reaching a wide range of audiences and educators. In addition,specific themes such as gender, colonialism, and connections with the climate crisis are not sufficiently explored.
SGI asks the United Nations to: (a) Expand the platform and resources on peace and disarmament education, such as the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Disarmament Education Dashboard, as a comprehensive platform for information related to peace and disarmament education, and (b) Conduct a new UN study on disarmament and non-proliferation education (updating the one conducted in 2002).
Civil Society organizations and academic institutions should (a) Conduct mapping studies to assess current landscape of peace and disarmament education in key regions and countries; (b) Improve coordination among civil society actors who engage in nuclear disarmament activities to create synergies and encourage information sharing, as well as collaboration with organizations working on related issues such as climate change to avoid siloing of the issue; and (c) Invest in creative efforts such as art and pop culture as a tool for reaching out to and educating broader audiences. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Image: The Knoptted Gun at the UN Headquarters in New York honours John Lennon’s vision of a world at peace. Artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd made the sculpture in 1980 after his friend, John Lennon, was murdered. Source: United Nations.
