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September 2025 E-News

As we get closer to the busy season at the United Nations in New York, where high-level officials will gather for a week before the General Assembly breaks into its committee work, Israel continues its genocide of Palestinians and other states continue to facilitate it. The unconscionable violations of international law and the horrific suffering of Palestinians and others subject to genocide, wars, armed violence, and oppression weighs heavily on the UN, which was founded to prevent exactly this kind of suffering. The UN must act, and so must we. In recent days, a UN Commission of Inquiry has declared what’s happening in Gaza to be genocide, while the UN Secretary-General has released a new report critical of the disproportionate spending on militarism when the Sustainable Development Goals remain unmet and unfunded. Civil society, meanwhile, is disrupting the war machine through blockades, boycotts, protests, flotillas, and more. Reaching Critical Will has contributed to some of these efforts while gearing up to demand disarmament and demilitarisation through our work at the UN. The time to act is now—get some ideas of where to plug in with our latest newsletter! (Photo credit: Ray Acheson)

In this edition:

Upcoming disarmament meetings 

Recently concluded disarmament meetings

Top stories


Stop Arming Israel

On 16 September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded “that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” This is the latest in a long list of reports and investigations that have concluded Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians.

WILPF welcomes the report and also welcomes the actions taken by some states to end their support for the genocide. Over the last weeks, Spain banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace. It has also cancelled a contract worth nearly 700 million euros with Elbit Systems. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in genocide in Gaza to enter Spain. He also called for Israel to be barred from international sports competitions.

The Scottish Parliament voted for an immediate boycott of Israel, and the European Commission has called for a suspension of free trade with Israel and sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A court in Belgium has ordered the Flemish government to stop the transit of military equipment to Israel. During the Eleventh Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, some delegations called for the end of arms transfers to Israel.

Additionally, universities around the world are cutting ties with Israel. Italian port workers blocked shipment of weapons to Israel. The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), with activists from more than 40 countries aboard, has begun sailing out of Tunisia, even after two flotilla vessels came under attack earlier this month. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement has called for a week of action from 18–21 September to disrupt complicity in genocide.

Meanwhile, Israel has launched its long-planned ground assault on Gaza City, which has been subjected to intense bombardment for weeks, triggering the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. Israel has also spent millions on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to conceal the famine it has deliberately caused in Gaza, which includes hiring influencers and financing paid advertising, as revealed by an investigation by Drop Site News.

There have also been increasing attacks against individuals and organisations who are working to end the genocide. Civil society groups and activists are being labelled as “terrorists” in the United States and United Kingdom, and the US government has also imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesa Albanese. It has also extended these sanctions to organisations who have provided support for the ICC’s efforts to hold Israel accountable. 

Signing onto a joint letter organised by the International Service for Human Rights, WILPF stands in solidarity with Palestinian organisations and human rights defenders worldwide working to uphold international law in the face of Israel’s genocide and colonial apartheid against the Palestinian people. WILPF also stands in solidarity with Francesca Alabanese. The Director of Reaching Critical Will has signed a joint letter coordinated by Shadow World Investigations in support of her report “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” which exposes the corporations complicit in the genocide. 

All states must immediately uphold international law and work actively to end this genocide. States should join the Bogotá commitments adopted by the Hague Group and others in July 2025. They must immediately end all arms transfers to Israel and the provision of other material support, and work to hold Israel accountable for its crimes. And states must end their persecution of Palestinian civil society groups, solidarity activists, UN officials, and others working to end the genocide.  

WILPF Submission to the OHCHR about the Marshall Islands' nuclear legacy 

Following the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)'s earlier report on the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands, the OHCHR was requested by the Human Rights Council to prepare a second report addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realisation and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the state’s nuclear legacy. The theme of this report is truth and justice. WILPF made submission that frames the issue of US nuclear testing and waste in the Marshall Islands as one of nuclear colonialism, and advocates for the application of transformative justice principles and practices. The call for input remains open until 31 January 2026.

International Day against Nuclear Tests

On 29 August, the International Day against Nuclear Tests, WILPF called for the end of nuclear weapons. Since 1945, more than 2000 nuclear weapon “tests” have been conducted worldwide by nine nuclear-armed states—China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States. Most of these countries conducted nuclear “tests” in other countries without the consent or knowledge of local populations, in aggressive and unconscionable acts of nuclear colonialism. (Picture credit: WILPF)

On this date, WILPF also joined 20 other organisations in a letter about the nuclear legacy between Algeria and France, reminding states that this is a shared responsibility and a humanitarian and environmental priority beyond diplomatic disputes.

Global Day of Education to #CloseBases

On 4 October 2025, World BEYOND War is organising a Global Day of Education to raise awareness about military bases. Military bases are part of the disastrous global increase in spending on wars and preparations for wars. This increased militarism makes wars more likely, and the most likely targets are bases. Military bases are often the worst environmental disaster sites, polluting air, soil, and water. Foreign bases are often mini-apartheid states with second-class status for locals and criminal immunity for militaries. But we know that through public pressure, bases have been closed and plans for bases have been blocked. Base conversions can be success stories for the local community and small businesses. We can make a difference.

To participate in the Global Day of Education, you can organise an event to highlight what people can do locally and in solidarity with others. Your event could include a focus on a military base or bases nearest you, or you might choose to focus on a particular aspect of military bases, such as how they facilitate lawless kidnappings and deportations, disappearances and torture, or the environmental damage that bases do. Check out https://worldbeyondwar.org/oct4/ for ideas of events, or to see if one is already being organised near you!

New reports on military spending and financing for peace

In recent months, the United Nations (UN) published two reports highlighting the impacts of military spending on peace and development. The UN Secretary-General’s report The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future notes that “rising military spending runs counter to the very objectives, principles and purposes of the United Nations” and argues that peace, security, development, and human rights are mutually reinforcing.

Meanwhile, the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and human right, Attiya Waris, published a report Financing Peace and Financing War. She opens her report by establishing that peace is both a human right and a public good and argues that the absence of laws on peace—as opposed to laws on war—is a clear global oversight. Among other things, she recommends divestment from militarism, elimination of war profiteering, and redirection of national economies from those guided by war to models guided by peace financing.

See here WILPF’s analysis on both reports and learn more about our #MoveTheMoney campaign.

New UNSG Report about youth and disarmament

The report of the Secretary-General on Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation has been published and it is publicly available at the UN Website. WILPF submitted a contribution highlighting the organisation’s work in mainstreaming youth perspectives across several disarmament initiatives. 

Gender and Disarmament Database: Recommendation of the month 

Our recommendation of the month is the chapter “Gender, Intersectionality, and Disarmament” of our First Committee Briefing Book 2025. Written by RCW Director Ray Acheson, the chapter covers developments related to gender in the past year and provides recommendations on how delegations can advance this issue in the First Committee.

The Gender and Disarmament Database, created and maintained by Reaching Critical Will, features a wide range of resources such as reports, articles, books and book chapters, policy documents, podcasts, legislation, and UN documents. The database allows the exploration of relevant resources based on their references to distinctive gender aspects in disarmament, such as gender-based violence, gender norms, or gender diversity, and different related topics or types of weapon systems. It currently contains more than 800 resources. Suggestions of new additions can be sent to disarm[at]WILPF[dot]com.    

Upcoming events 

Conferences 

UN General Assembly High-Level General Debate
23–30 September | New York, USA 

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
26 September 2025 | New York, USA

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Article XIV Conference
26 September 2025 | New York, USA

UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, 80th Session
8 October–7 November 2025 | New York, USA

CCW Meeting of High Contracting Parties
12–14 November 2025 | Geneva, Switzerland

Sixth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction
17–21 November 2025 | New York, United States 

Second International Conference of the EWIPA Declaration
19–20 November 2025 | San Jose, Costa Rica

Events 

Photography, Activism, and Representation in Nuclear-Impacted Communities
23 September 2025 | Online

Global Day of Education to #Close Bases
4 October 2025 | Global

Militarism, Climate Change and Environmental (In)Justice
14 October 2025 | In-person and online

Humanitarian Disarmament Forum
18–19 October 2025 | New York, USA

No War 2025
24–26 October 2025 | Online

Climate Disruption, Migration and the Rise of Walls
13 November 2025 | Online

Protection Forum
18 November 2025 | San José, Costa Rica

Featured news 

  • Iran signs new agreement with the IAEA. On 9 September, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi signed an agreement aimed at restarting nuclear inspections in Iran under its safeguards agreement with the agency. After that, the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament held an emergency session on Saturday to review the agreement.

  • Brazil’s nuclear submarine programme advances with new contract. Two contracts totaling more than 526 million euros have been signed with France’s Naval Group under the scope of the Brazilian Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine programme.

  • Russia attacks the city of Zaporizhzhia. On 16 September, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing a 41-year-old man and injuring at least 18 people and triggering a number of fires, as reported by Reuters. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that its team at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant heard shelling close to the site and observed black smoke rising from three nearby locations. "While there were no reports of casualties or equipment damage, the incident once again underlined the constant dangers to nuclear safety and security," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.

  • The US administration changes the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. As reported by the BBC, “The move restores a name the agency last held in the 1940s.” Some critics of the military-industrial complex and US war machine have welcomed the move, noting that it more accurately reflects the operations of this department.

  • US carries out attacks against Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has announced that the US military has struck a Venezuelan boat that he claims was being operated by a drug cartel and was headed to the US. The attack is the second by the US on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. The first took place on 2 September. The Venezuelan President Maduro accused the US of trying to provoke Venezuela into war and the ultimate goal of the US was for “a regime change for oil” rather than a crackdown on drug cartels.

  • European Union increases its military spending. Defense News reports that the European Union (EU) collectively spent 343 billion euros last year, and that a new report by the European Defense Agency expects military spending to increase further in 2025 to 381 billion euros: “The bloc’s total defense spending in 2024 exceeds China’s by about one-and-a-half times, and is more than three times as high as Russia’s military budget. Only the United States has higher military expenditures. The figure represented 1.9% of the bloc’s GDP, and a 19% increase over the previous year.”

  • New study shows that military spending is inefficient for employment. A study by the Costs of War Project, from Brown University, shows that military spending is inefficient for employment and that spending on education and healthcare would create more jobs while reducing the US’ federal budget.

  • Escalated tensions between NATO and Russia. On Friday 19 September Estonia requested consultations with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated its airspace. Finland, Italy and Sweden responded. Earlier in the same week Poland and Romina reported Russian drones reached their airspace.  

  • China hosts massive military parade inviting world leaders. In total 26 state of heads joined a military parade in Beijing that marked 80 years since China’s victory over Japan in World War II.  Photos of the event that unveiled China’s new weapons also showed China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s Kim Jong Un meeting for the first time in public, indicating “a significant display of diplomatic unity.”

Recommended resources  

Ray Acheson and Nela Porobić Isaković, "Military Spending, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Financing for Peace," Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 22 September 2025 

Ray Acheson, “As UN Confirms Genocide, War Profiteers Sanction Palestinian Activists,” Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 18 September 2025 

Ray Acheson, “Demanding Disarmament and Demilitarisation at the UN General Assembly,” Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 17 September 2025 

Abeba Birhane, “The False Promise of ‘AI for Social Good,” Project Syndicate, 15 September 2025

Steve Staples, “The hidden forces driving up military spending,” Peace Quest, 13 September 2025

IANSA Toolkit on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, IANSA, 11 September 2025

Seth Binder, “Extraordinary Sums and Privileges: U.S. Security Assistance to Israel Since October 7, 2023,” Middle East Democracy Center, 10 September 2025

Podcast: “Talk World Radio: Ray Acheson on Abolition,” Let’s Try Democracy, 8 September 2025

Sam Perlo-Freeman, Katie Fallon, and Emily Apple, “How the UK arms and supports Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), 1 September 2025

Podcast: “Silent Killers: An ICBL Special Series Podcast,” International Campaign to Ban Landmines and David Peck, 1 September 2025

Mark A Bellis, Jennifer Tucker, and Kat Ford, “Weapons, wealth, and health: the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health,” BMJ, 1 September 2025

Allie Maloney, “Poison in our communities: Impacts of nuclear weapons industry across America,” Federation of American Scientists, August 2025