APWLD’s work on militarism has been a process to strengthen institutional analytical frameworks and political standpoint. During these strategic years, APWLD has been deepening its learning on militarism with the members’ mandate.Through a series of consultations/convenings with grassroots, activists, academics, members, and allies contributed to the formulation of the programme’s framework and demands for campaign against militarism.
The uninhibited build-up of military power to gain global dominance is clear when considering global military expenditures and geostrategic power plays. In 2025 alone, world military expenditure reached $ 2.8 trillion, a 2.9 per cent increase from the previous year. In 2025 Asia and the Pacific had its biggest increase in military expenditure. Many parts in Asia and the Pacific continue to reel under the damaging impacts of militarisation especially displacement of indigenous communities, ravaging the environment, and sexual violence against women.
Our countries continue to direct their national budget towards military expenditures, leaving behind social services, especially services that women and their families need. In fact, world hunger can end by 2030 with less than 4% of the 2025 world military budget. Every child around the world could be fully vaccinated using 10% of the annual world military budget. The entire annual climate-adaptation bill of developing countries could be covered by 14% of the annual world military budget. And children from low- and lower-middle-income countries can enjoy 12 years of education using 1.8 years of the world military budget.
Countries often justify their build-up of military power and wars for sake of their so-called “national security” but a critical examination of this reveals that imperialism and the unrelenting quest for global hegemony, rooted in economic dominance are the primary drivers of wars and conflict. Militarism has historically been used as a tool by imperialistic nations to maintain their power, capture resources and influence geopolitics.
In response to this, APWLD is launching a campaign against militarism and for feminist peace and justice called, “No To Militarism and Imperialist Wars, Feminist Peace and Justice Now!”
The campaign is being launched with a webinar series that aims to bring forward the voices of women who are reeling under the impacts of militarism in the region, and to hold accountable the imperial and fascist forces. The webinar series aims to expose militarism and its manifestations for women and their communities in Asia and the Pacific; raise political education and public awareness on themes around militarism viz. rising military budgets, the impacts of military infrastructure/bases on communities, climate justice, and extraction of resources; and finally to strengthen the call for Feminist Peace and Justice among APWLD members, allies, networks and the larger public.
Join the campaign and
Demand Feminist Peace and Justice!
Campaign Demands
Campaign Activities
