Military expenditure, SDGs in fragile contexts, Security Jam 2016, and more

SIPRI at 50—A Year of Reflection on Peace and Security: How tracking military expenditure creates transparency and contributes to peace

SIPRI released the fourth film, 'How tracking military expenditure creates transparency and contributes to peace', in its short-film series 2016—A Year of Reflection. The film features SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, SIPRI Director Dan Smith and former Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Hans Blix discussing SIPRI's military expenditure database and how it can be used by organizations around the world to facilitate peace.

Watch the fourth film or see the whole series thus far on SIPRI's YouTube channel.

This film series is produced in cooperation with Different Films Limited.

Against all odds: using the SDGs to overcome fragility
 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, is the first international policy to explicitly recognize peace, justice and inclusive institutions as the foundation for sustainable development. The 2016 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development focused on implementing this agenda in fragile contexts.

Read more in the essay by SIPRI's Gary Milante and Kate Sullivan.

SIPRI releases new military expenditure data: upward trend continues

World military expenditure totalled almost $1.7 trillion in 2015, an increase of 1 per cent in real terms from 2014, according to new figures from SIPRI. The data was released to coincide with the start of the 2016 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development.

More information can be found in SIPRI's Fact sheet, press release and blog post. 

Join SIPRI's session on the future of policing at the 2016 Security Jam between 25–28 April
 

SIPRI will host the session 'Policing in 2025: New strategies against organized crime' at the 2016 Security Jam. The Jam, which starts today and lasts four days, brings together thousands of participants from governments, NGOs and the media for a global online security brainstorm. This year's overall theme is 'Beyond conventional security challenges'.

Find out more about the 2016 Security Jam and SIPRI's involvement this year.

Hiroshima Declaration by G-7 foreign ministers falls short
 

The so-called ‘Hiroshima Declaration’ adopted on 11 April by the G-7 foreign ministers is a major disappointment and a frittering away of a solemn opportunity, in the 70th year following the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to commit to nuclear disarmament and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Read the expert comment by SIPRI's Tariq Rauf.

New report on anti-vehicle mine accidents during 2015

SIPRI and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) have released the report 'Global Mapping and Analysis of Anti-Vehicle Mine Incidents in 2015'. The report contains new data, collected from mine action organizations and media reports, which shows that there were nearly 600 casualties of accidents from, or related to, anti-vehicle mines during 2015.

Read the report or explore the data via the online, interactive map.

Military spending—see what’s new on SIPRI’s blog WritePeace

Military and social expenditure: The opportunity cost of world military spending

Read this and all earlier WritePeace blog contributions.

New SIPRI publication on military expenditure

SIPRI issued the new Fact Sheet: Trends in world military expenditure, 2015 by Sam Perlo-Freeman, Aude Fleurant, Pieter D. Wezeman and Siemon T. Wezeman.

Global military expenditure in 2015 was an estimated $1676 billion, representing an increase of about 1.0 per cent in real terms from 2014. Total expenditure was equivalent to 2.3 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP). This is the first increase in world military spending since 2011. The total rose continuously for 13 years from 1998 to 2011, before decreasing slightly between 2011 and 2014.

From 5 April 2016 the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database includes newly released information on military expenditure in 2015. This Fact Sheet describes the global, regional and national trends in military expenditure that are revealed by the new data.

Download the SIPRI Fact sheet.

SIPRI Yearbook 2015

The 46th edition of the SIPRI Yearbook is a compendium of data and analysis in the areas of security and conflicts; military spending and armaments; and non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. It covers developments during 2014, including:

• aspects of the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine;
• regional military-security trends in East Asia;
• military spending in the USA;
• the continued negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear programme; and
• the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty.

Download a summary of the SIPRI Yearbook 2015.
Browse the contents page.