We have been watching in horror the events unfolding in Gaza since October, which according to the provisional ruling of the International Court of Justice could plausibly amount to genocide under international law.

While local councils have limited leverage over events in Israel/Palestine and other places where war crimes are committed, they do have control over their investments.

Data from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade demonstrate that arms companies are prepared to do deals even with states involved in the most egregious human rights violations and that many governments, including the UK, actively facilitate such deals.

The least Norwich City Council can do to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, and with victims of violence, oppression, and occupation around the globe, is to ensure that none of its investments help finance weapons that are likely to contribute to serious human rights violations and war crimes.

As a city of sanctuary and longstanding member of ‘Mayors for Peace’, an organisation committed to promoting world peace, the Council has a moral duty to do all it can to make sure its investments do not contribute to death and suffering.

We therefore ask Norwich City Council:

• To screen its current investment portfolio / counterparties list to establish which of the institutions/instruments the Council is currently invested in have exclusion clauses for the arms industry, and to establish, where such clauses exist, what is precisely their reach.
• To seek specialist treasury management advice on investment opportunities that screen out investments in the arms industry to the highest degree.
• To report to Council, based on the above, a strategy for adoption, for ensuring within the shortest possible timeframe that none of the Council’s investments could directly or indirectly help fund the arms industry.
• To use its influence to ask that the above steps are also taken by the Norfolk Pension Fund, and that opportunities are investigated for investing purposefully in sectors that seek to facilitate positive social change, for example by addressing the transition to net zero.