A/HRC/27/51 democratically elected officials. If crimes are committed in their name, it is their responsibility to demand accountability. H. International Day of Peace and Global Day of Action on Military Spending 58. Since 1981, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 36/67, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Peace on 21 September.80 In 2011, civil society launched the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, which on 14 April 2014 was celebrated worldwide by the organization of conferences and other events.81 Since part of the problem with regard to military spending has been lack of transparency and accountability, heightened awareness on the part of civil society will hopefully persuade governments that priorities must be shifted away from military spending and towards education and social services. In Geneva the International Peace Bureau convened a panel attended by, inter alia, the Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations Disarmament Conference, a representative of SIPRI and the Independent Expert. There was consensus that budgetary decision-making should be open, with the reasons for spending clearly outlined so as to be understood by the public. Parliaments should monitor accountability in the budget decision process82 and implementation of expenditure, with procurements controlled by rigorous procedures and subject to civilian control. Auditing of military spending should be regularly carried out, with improper practices investigated and prosecuted. 59. From 6 to 10 June 2014, the Sarajevo Peace Event was attended by some 2,500 participants from 32 countries, who demanded an end to war and the threat of war. Probably the largest peace event in 2014, that civil society gathering included more than 190 workshops and cultural events as well as a youth camp in Sarajevo. As Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire said, “Let Sarajevo, where peace ended, be the starting point for the bold beginning of a universal call for peace through the wholesale abolition of militarism.” Again the importance of the UNESCO Culture of Peace programme as an alternative to war and militarization was emphasized.83 At the Peace Event it was announced that the Global Day of Action on Military Spending is now to become a year-round campaign. I. Brussels Declaration 60. At the invitation of the European Parliament in Brussels, a fruitful two-day conference was held at the European Parliament on 18 and 19 October to discuss the enhanced participation of citizens in domestic and global decision-making, including on national priorities and military spending. The Independent Expert was invited in view of operative paragraph 6 of Human Rights Council resolution 18/6, which stipulates that a democratic and equitable international order requires: “(g) The promotion and consolidation of transparent, democratic, just and accountable international institutions in all areas of cooperation, in particular through the implementation of the principle of full and equal participation in their respective decision-making mechanisms; and (h) The right to 80 81 82 83 20 See www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/. See www.cnduk.org/cnd-media/item/1899-monday-14-april-global-day-of-action-on-militaryspending. Willem van Eekelen, The Parliamentary Dimension of Defence Procurement (Geneva, DCAF, 2013). See www.peaceeventsarajevo2014.eu/press-releases/articles/more-peace-action-are-needed.html.