e-4430 (Foreign affairs)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• The global cost of preparing for war ($2T per year) plus added rebuilding costs following wars and armed conflicts are unsustainable. This money is urgently needed to address shared global challenges in climate change, sustainable development and poverty reduction. IPCC warns we only have limited time to prevent an irreversible crisis;
• A United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) has been proposed. UNEPS would be a ‘911 first responder’ ensuring rapid and reliable UN responses preventing armed conflict, protecting civilians at risk, addressing human needs in complex emergencies and encouraging military builddown and wider disarmament. It complements existing arrangements, with a gender-equitable composition of civilian, police and military personnel recruited world-wide;
• With the immediate availability of a dedicated UN service, there would be lower incidence of armed conflict and related crimes. With a capacity to intervene promptly, the UN could stem the escalation and spread of violent conflict, reducing need for later, larger, longer and costlier UN peace operations; and
• As a UN service for diverse crises, the proposed UNEPS includes teams to provide an array of useful services to help, which are more appealing to people in trouble, and more relevant and cost-effective for the UN and its Member States.