From: No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production)
Date: 6 December 2006

Human Rights Day: Petition presentation, Thursday

Thursday, 7 December

1pm, Parliament, Wellington

In the run up to Human Rights Day, the first signatures on the national No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production) petition 'End government support for military exports' will be presented to parliament.

The theme of this year's Human Rights Day is 'Fighting poverty: a matter of obligation, not charity' - "Poverty is rarely accidental. As it is understood today poverty is as often the result of policy choices as of any other reason. Public policies, at the national and international levels, too often ignore or blatantly violate standards essential for poverty reduction, including human rights ... The link between the fulfillment of human rights and poverty reduction is clear. Human rights obligations require that governments put people's well-being first."[UN Human Rights Day Factsheet 4]

Yet every day, on average, global military expenditure is more than (US) $3 billion, while close to 29,000 children under the age of five die from mainly preventable causes; including lack of access to clean water, food and basic health care. To provide clean water for 2.6 billion people and save an estimated 4,000 lives each day would cost just (US) $7 billion, less than two and a half days of global military expenditure. The NZ government contributes to this deplorable situation by funding and promoting companies involved in military and weapons related production and export .

Keith Locke, MP, will be accepting the petition signatures at 1pm, in parliament grounds. For more information contact email nowarp@xtra.co.nz Information about Human Rights Day 2007 is at http://www.ohchr.org/english/events/day2006/hrd2006.htm and information about No WARP! is at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nowarp.htm

The petition is supported by Abolition 2000 Aotearoa New Zealand, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, Aotearoa Radical Youth, Arena, Appropriate Technology and Living Association, Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine, Christian World Service Aotearoa New Zealand, Freedom Shop Collective, GATT Watchdog, Global Peace and Justice Auckland, Golden Bay Peace Group, Indonesia Human Rights Committee, No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production), Nelson Peace Group, Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand, Peace Action Wellington, Peace Foundation, Peace Foundation Disarmament and Security Centre, Peace Movement Aotearoa, Quaker Peace and Service Aotearoa New Zealand, Spend for Peace, Stop Rakon Campaign, Urban Vision Inc, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Aotearoa New Zealand.

ENDS

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