Global Article 9 Conference Report

The Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War was held on 4-6 May at Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan (whynot9.jp). Over 22,000 people gathered, including over 150 international guests from 38 countries and regions. The conference was based around the theme of spreading the principles of Article 9 of Japan:s Constitution, calling for a peace that does not rely on force. Active discussion took place on topics such as nonviolent and nonmilitary alternatives to conflict resolution, and diverting resources used on the military to human needs such as dealing with poverty and environmental issues. Many NGOs participating in the Peace & Human Rights Unit, including Peace Boat and the Japan International Volunteer Centre (JVC) were heavily involved in the preparations of the Global Article 9 Conference. Furthermore, the 2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum held a booth at the conference, collecting messages towards the July Summit. On the final day of the Global Article 9 Conference, a Statement to the G8 was announced. This statement calls for the G8 countries, as top military spenders accounting for 70% of the world military expenditures, to take the lead in drastically reducing their military expenditures and diverting such resources towards peace, development and the protection of the environment. Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire also endorsed this statement, which will be delivered to the G8 countries prior to the July Summit through means such as the Alternative Summit in Sapporo. The statement can be downloaded here: http://whynot9.jp/doc/G8_Statement_en.pdf