Reaching Critical Will

Disarmament is imperative to achieving international security. Delegations to this year’s UN General Assembly First Committee need to urgently take up the task, even as the world spins in the other direction. Get ready for the action with our preview report: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

Urgent action is needed to protect people and the planet from weapons and war. The UN General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security is a key place for this work. We will be advocating for real change and providing analysis on and archiving all the action.

From 8 Oct–7 Nov, the UN #FirstCommittee will meet on #Disarmament.

@rcw-wilpf.bsky.social, our disarmament programme, will be at the UN urging feminist action to abolish nuclear weapons, regulate AI in war, and invest in peace.

➡️ www.wilpf.org/the-first-committee-must-act-for-disarmament-now/

This year’s UN General Assembly general debate reflected a world on the cusp of profound geopolitical transformation. For analysis on how some states, motivated by the direct action of civilians, are fomenting change for a new world order, see our report: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-...

Civil Society Demands Action at the UNGA’s Disarmament Committee Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will The UN General Assembly’s First Committee will convene at UN headquarters in New York in October 2025 to discuss a range of disarmament issues. | Credit: N…

Ahead of the #UNGA80 First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, @rayacheson.bsky.social outlines the demands of activists for disarmament, demilitarisation, peace, and justice for the #HumanitarianDisarmament Blog.

🚨 The #GlobalSumudFlotilla bringing aid to Gaza was violently intercepted in international waters.

WILPF stands in solidarity with the crew & demands their safe release.

Join the #GlobalStrike: protest, speak out & pressure leaders for justice.

📍Geneva, 6PM (next to train station) See you there!

At the latest Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty conference on 26 September, participants noted that the challenges that put the prospects of the CTBT’s entry into force in jeopardy are also exactly why the CTBT needs to enter into force urgently: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-...

On Friday, 26 September, the UN marked the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons with a high-level event that illuminated the shadows and scars of the atomic bomb. See our report! 📰: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-...

@wilpf.bsky.social @nuclearban.bsky.social

In 2024, the world spent $2.7 trillion on militaries while only 1/5 of the #SDGs are on track and millions lack healthcare, education & housing.

Militarism doesn’t make us safe — it diverts resources from peace, care & justice. It’s time to #MoveTheMoney.

@rcw-wilpf.bsky.social

As we get closer to a busy season at the United Nations in New York, check out our latest newsletter for ideas on how to demand disarmament & demilitarisation! www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/newslet...

Amidst skyrocketing military spending, the United Nations released two new reports on military expenditure and development and on financing peace. In this article for @wilpf.bsky.social, we welcome these reports, highlight what is useful and what’s missing, and assess their recommendations.

The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal Costs of War’s latest report, “The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal,” finds federal dollars create more jobs when invested in education or healthcare…

A new report from @costsofwar.bsky.social titled “The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal” finds federal dollars create more jobs when spent on education or health care than on the military.

Read the report:

Gaza’s Looming Cancer Epidemic A week after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, a large explosion incinerated a parking lot near the busy Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, killing more than 470 people. It was a horrifying,

Cancer deaths from environmental devastation and the decimation of healthcare will likely continue long after bombs are dropped in Gaza, writes Joshua Frank, citing our research. tomdispatch.com/gazas-loomin...

Renaming the DoD to the Department of War accurately reflects the priorities of the federal government, which is overwhelmingly devoted to militarism.

As UN Confirms Genocide, War Profiteers Sanction Palestinian Activists  - WILPF On 16 September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded “that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocida...

🚨 UN confirms genocide in Gaza. Activists defending Palestinian rights are under attack. WILPF stands with them & calls on states to end arms transfers & uphold international law.

Read more: wilpf.org/as-un-confir...

#Palestine #Gaza #Genocide #HumanRights #Peace #Justice #BDS #WILPF

As UN Confirms Genocide, War Profiteers Sanction Palestinian Activists  - WILPF On 16 September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded “that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocida...

The UN confirms that Israel’s war on Gaza constitutes genocide while Western states profiting from the war are sanctioning activists and organisations that support Palestine. @wilpf.bsky.social stands with the Palestinian people, and with those working to end genocide and uphold international law.

HAPPENING TODAY: Power, Profits & Patriarchy: Why the Fossil Fuel Treaty is Key to Peace & Climate Justice

🕟 4:30–6:00 pm CEST
🎤 Inspiring speakers from WILPF & @fossiltreaty.bsky.social
👉 Register: eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
🌐 Spanish interpretation

#ClimateJustice #Peace #FossilFuelTreaty

Demanding Disarmament and Demilitarisation at the UN General Assembly - WILPF The high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, which will begin on 23 September 2025, marks 80 years since the founding of the United Nations. Its original members were determined […]

On 23 September 2025, the UN General Assembly will begin its annual high-level general debate. While this week is mostly about speeches and spectacle, we will be demanding urgent disarmament and demilitarisation for people and the planet. Find out how to follow along and get involved!

🆕 @rcw-wilpf.bsky.social 's #FirstCommittee briefing book is out – and we contributed a chapter on #AutonomousWeapons.

📖 Read it here: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

🧵Here's what you need to know ahead of these #UNGA discussions ⬇️

Always super useful resource, led by @rcw-wilpf.bsky.social and written by experts across the humanitarian disarmament community. See the latest First Committee Briefing Book 👇

The past year had some important steps into building momentum for a #TortureFreeTrade Treaty! Check out the chapter by @verityc.bsky.social & Patrick Wilcken
to learn how to support this initiative in the #FirstCommittee: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

For the second year, our briefing book includes a chapter on Disarmament & Disability! Check out the recommendations by Sean Howard and Tammy Bernasky and learn how to mainstream this discussion in the #FirstCommittee: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

How can states support disarmament education & youth engagement at the 2025 #FirstCommittee? Matthew Bolton of Pace University has some ideas, in his briefing book chapter on youth and disarm education: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

Military spending reached a record high this year and Emma Bjerten
covers the actions to address this worrying trend within #FirstCommittee and beyond: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

In the #PERAC chapter of our #FirstCommittee briefing book, @ceobs.org and PAX
comment on the environmental harm being wrought in multiple armed conflicts and the initiatives undertaken to tackle them: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

Interest in Gender & Disarmament has gathered momentum in recent year, but there is much more that can be done! Check out @rayacheson.bsky.social's article for recommendations on how to take action in this #FirstCommittee!
reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

Check out the #cyber chapter by @apytlak.bsky.social of @stimsoncenter.bsky.social to learn about the final report adopted by the OEWG and what’s next for UN efforts to address international #CyberPeace and security! reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

On #OuterSpace, @jessicawestphd.bsky.social of @ploughshares.bsky.social updates us on the work of the new OEWG on #PAROS, and provides recommendations for action at #FirstCommittee: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

“No year has made it more imperative for states to uphold the core promise of the #ArmsTreaty than 2025,"
says Hine-Wai Loose of @controlarms.bsky.social, urging states to call out weapons transferred in violation international law in the #FirstCommittee: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

The chapter by IANSA updates us on the Preparatory Meeting of States on the Global Framework for Conventional #Ammunition Management #GFA and how states can continue to engage with #SmallArms during the #FirstCommittee: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...