We stand with Ukraine. We express our solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainian people facing a humanitarian disaster. In particular we condemn deliberate or accidental targeting of civilian institutions as the shelling of an orphanage, a kindergarten and a hospital has shown.
We also express our solidarity with the Russian people and Russians outside Russia who will be very strongly affected by this war as well. This is a war of the Russian government and not of the Russian people.
We are very concerned that this grave violation of international law will have an extremely adverse impact on security and democracy in Europe and the World. Multilateral efforts to solve the social and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, the ongoing climate crisis and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be badly affected by this war – including by increased military spending.
The priority is to stop the war now. This war shows also the urgent need to create a European and global peace order with less and not with more weapons. There is a danger of a spiral of militarization. Increased military spending is not the solution. This starts with the language we use including the threat of the nuclear weapons. This emphasizes the importance that all countries ratify the Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as soon as possible.
This peace order needs to include the security interests of all countries in the region and the world – including of Russia and Ukraine. No powerful country shall be a threat to other countries. Therefore, we call on Russia, Ukraine, NATO, the United States, the European Union and others, to seek a long-term and sustainable political solution for all parties. To be clear: These legitimate interests can by no means be a reason or excuse to invade another country.
We call for a strong reaction from the international community:
- Call on Russia and Belarus to stop the military operation now. We demand all countries to condemn the aggression in unambiguous terms.
- To implement strong sanctions targeting the elite and ability to finance the war:
- Block the Russian the richest 0.5 to 1% from accessing their foreign assets.
- Stop energy imports from Russia, which are financing the military.
- Use all diplomatic means to end the war by respecting the democratic choices of the Ukrainian or other people
- Support refugees fleeing from the war and respect their human rights and lift visa requirements and give safe passage – including for non-Ukrainians.
- Urgently allocate humanitarian support to Ukraine, support civil society actions and cancel Ukrainian debts.
We call on civil society to:
- Go out into the streets all over the world to demand peace and express solidarity to Ukraine – for example in front of Russian embassies
- Launch and participate in online campaigns, join #WeStandWithUkraine with sharing information, solidarity videos etc. Send emails, ask politicians questions on any occasions about actions to stop the war.
- Provide and organize humanitarian support to the people in Ukraine & to refugees – and connect with Ukrainian and Russian diasporas in your countries.
- Truth is always the first victim of a war. Inform yourself and be aware of the high level of disinformation. Check the sources. Check what you share.
#WeStandWithUkraine
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The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is a global movement with civil society coalitions in 58 countries with 11,000 member organisations. GCAP supports the people in their struggles for justice and brings people and organisations together to challenge the institutions and processes that perpetuate poverty and inequalities across the world, to defend and promote human rights, gender justice, social justice and security needed for the dignity and peace of everyone.
