A group of more than 50 people who have won the prize for literature have signed an open letter calling for countries to cut their military spending by 2% a year for the next five years.
The letter is supported by a large group of scientists and mathematicians, including Sir Roger Penrose, and is published at a time when rising global tensions have led to a steady increase in arms budgets.
In support of the newly launched Peace Dividend campaign, the signatories say that individual governments are under pressure to increase military spending. The feedback mechanism sustains a spiralling arms race that could be better used.
The group says the plan is a simple proposal for humankind and that there is no chance that military spending cuts will be enacted by large or medium-sized governments.
The total military spending increased by 2.6% last year according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The US, China, India, Russia, and the UK all increased their budgets in 2020.
Growing tensions between Russia and the west over situations such as Ukraine and between China and the US and its Pacific allies over Taiwan have helped contribute to rising spending.
The letter proposes that the governments of all UN member-states reduce their military expenditures by 2% every year for five years.
The Dalai Llama, a past winner of the peace prize, is one of the supporters of the letter.
Half of the resources freed up by this agreement should be allocated to a global fund under UN supervision to address the common problems of climate change, and extreme poverty. They claim the fund could be $1tn by the year 2030.
