All Student Vote (Spring 2023)
Warwick Against the Arms Trade
To lobby the University to immediately terminate its partnerships with Rolls-Royce and Moog on the BEng Electromechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship and to lobby for the creation of new, ethical partnerships policy.
This Union notes
1. That the University holds academic and research partnerships with various companies involved in either:
a) the direct production of weapons systems
b) the production of components and software used in weapons, weapons systems and weapons delivery systems
2. The University states that its partners on the BEng Electromechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship include Rolls-Royce and Moog.
3. Rolls Royce manufacture engines and components used in military aircraft, including the engine used in the Eurofighter Typhoon jet and the LiftSystem used in the engines of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets .
4. Eurofighter Typhoon jets have been deployed by the Royal Saudi Air Force in the War in Yemen 2 . This war has resulted in the deaths of over 300,000 people and a catastrophic humanitarian situation with over 17 million people suffering food insecurity, partly driven by the Saudi bombing of farms, ports and factories. F-35 jets were deployed as part of the Israeli bombing campaign on Gaza in May 2021, in which 232 people died, including 65 children.
5. Moog describes itself as a “proud participant on many missile programs” , including the Trident nuclear missile programme, and was awarded a contract by the US government in 2015 “to explore new concepts for replacing the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile weapon systems beyond 2030.”
6. The University Socially Responsible Investment Policy states that the “University is mindful of the need to reduce and, ideally, eliminate, corporate behaviour leading to…environmental degradation [...], armament sales to military regimes [and] human rights violations." It also signed a joint statement with other European universities following the invasion of Ukraine, in which it states that “War is a catastrophe that kills people”.
References:
https://warwick.ac.uk/students/news/newsevents/standwithukraine/#vc https://warwick.ac.uk/services/finance/corporate_information/socially_responsible_investment_ policy/ 4https://menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.aspx?storyid=1096231032&title=Saudi-air-campaign-targ ets-Yemens-food-supplies 3 https://caat.org.uk/data/companies/moog/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-bombing-civilian-targets-in-yemen-is -helping-grow-bae-systems-sales-says-amnesty-international-a6882221.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/israel-gaza-uk-arms-exports-airstrikes-b1851734.ht ml
This Union believes
1. That our education should not be tied to war.
2 That the aforementioned partnerships, as well as other partnerships with arms companies and companies which produce weapons systems, help to sustain the arms trade, corporate profiteering off of war, human rights violations and environmental destruction, and the legitimacy of military regimes.
3. That holding academic (or research) partnerships with firms complicit in war is in complete contravention of the spirit of the University’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy.
This Union Resolves
1. To lobby the University to immediately terminate its partnerships with Rolls-Royce and Moog on the BEng Electromechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship.
2. To lobby for the banning of arms companies from attending careers fairs, just as how tobacco companies are banned.
3. To lobby for the creation of a new ethical partnerships policy, which will review all existing academic and research partnerships and assess potential partnerships with an aim of promoting partnerships with peaceful, sustainable and renewable sectors.
4. To renew its longheld commitment to ban societies from receiving sponsorship from arms companies.
References
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-bombing-civilian-targets-in[1]yemen-is-helping-grow-bae-systems-sales-says-amnesty-international-a6882221.html https://caat.org.uk/data/companies/moog/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/israel-gaza-uk-arms-exports-airstrikes-b185 1734.html https://menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.aspx?storyid=1096231032&title=Saudi-air-campaign-targ ets-Yemens-food-supplies https://warwick.ac.uk/students/news/newsevents/standwithukraine/#vc https://warwick.ac.uk/services/finance/corporate_information/socially_responsible_investment_p olicy