Climate change is a global problem. But the pursuit of worldwide solutions to this threat is hampered by war,violence and hate. The arms industry continues to fan the flames ofregional conflicts and the interests of big business are put ahead ofpeoples' needs and peace.

Structures like the UN should be the place to address these issues, but increasingly the UN is seen as ineffectual. Unaccountable institutions have lost public backing and are treated with disrespect by the international community.

Our Aims

The Green Party looks to promote sustainable, peaceful local solutions to global problems. This means cooperation on peace initiatives, and the diffusion of green policies and principles.

The Green Party would:

1. Promote Green principles across the world.
2. Increase funding to the UN dramatically.
3. Advocate reform of the UN, starting with abolishing the right of Veto and democratising the Security Council.
4. Ban the sale of arms overseas.
5. Ban and attempt to clean up damage from depleted Uranium-tipped shells, used in the Gulf War, Kosovo and Afghanistan, where deformed babies and cancer have become prevalent.
6. Boycott Israel until it complies with the 80 UN resolutions it is defying.
7. Urge Palestinians not to perpetuate the cycle of violence.
8. Create credible policies to tackle corporate power and make a world for people, not profit.

Addressing Your Concerns

• Why are you so concerned with the UN? It looks like a joke in the light of the War on Iraq.

The UN is the forum for fighting terrorism and addressing rogue states.10% of our taxes go to the military, and only 1/6th of that sum to theUN. The UN receives just 15p from each person in the world per year.The world sows £570bn each year on arms, and 1/600th of that on peace.The Green Party would dramatically increase funding to the UN.

• But isn't the UN just a talking shop, where big states bully little ones?

Democratising the Security Council by abolishing the veto wouldmean that countries cannot be bullied or bought by big nations. The UNshould adopt the General Assembly's Resolution 377, which takes amatter out of the Security Council's hands if progress is held up andgives the General Assembly - where all nations are represented - theresponsibility to maintain international peace.

• Won't banning arms exports hurt the economy?

Taxpayers in Britain subsidise the Arms Exports industry by £763m a year.Britain is the world's 2nd largest arms exporter. £40 each year of yourtax helps to sell death. Banning arms exports will actually create morejobs because of the removal of an uneconomic subsidy that harms thegrowth of sustainable, ethical jobs and instead fuels war.

• How can you be both internationalist and anti-globalisation?

It is the lobbying of powerful corporations that has allowed the arms, nuclear and oil industries to kill, exploit and pollute.We face the global problem of climate change, and this needscooperation - that's why we are interested in internationalism andspreading green ideas. But the solution to these problems must belocal, democratic and sustainable, and requires an atmosphere of peaceand cooperation.

Learn More

More Information:
Peace and Defence in the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society
International Policy in the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society

Related Sections in the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society:
Europe
Migration
Nationality
Northern Ireland
Population
Refugees