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Why?

There are many reasons that the C.I.C.D. works towards a peaceful society. In itself, a society free from war, in which all its members are free to explore their full potential, is a valid goal however there are yet more practical reasons that peace is worth pursuing.

• According to the United Nations' (UN) Human Development Report '...the greatest threats to human society in the post Cold-War era lie not in conflict between nations, but in conflicts within nations originating in socio-economic deprivation and disparities. Security lies in development, not in arms
• Despite a climate of predominantly individual rather than state insecurity, far more is being spent by the governments of the world on militarization than on social justice. Military spending is rising rapidly in all countries and many new weapons are being researched, developed and deployed including, mini-nuclear weapons, weapons using Uranium or depleted Uranium, and non-lethal weapons for use in civil unrest. Diversion of this funding would have huge benefits for national economies.
• Some of the more recent and currently proposed arms developments threaten to violate treaties and conventions which have been agreed upon and set in place for decades. Some governments have already begun a program of withdrawal from several arms reduction and limitation treaties pre-emptively. This will only serve to destablise global co-operation.
• Because not only is the practice of governments to place the interests and preservation of their nations ahead of the need, interests and preservation of their peoples undemocratic, it is also unjustified. The real outcome of war is measured in human suffering, not national success;
• Because in the absence of a concerted effort by governments to protect all of the citizens of the world by preventing war, the burden of responsibility falls to individuals and non-government organisations. In a democratic society, individuals and organisations are reliant one one another in order to advance their common causes. It is up to us to create a peaceful and secure world for us, and more importantly, for our children.
• Security is nearly always interpreted as military security. Security is much more than the absence of threat, just as peace is much more than the absence of war. Real security comes with jobs, steady food supplies, homes, clean water, warmth, education and healthcare, democracy and human rights. Real security cannot be enforced by ever greater numbers of increasingly sophisticated weapons.