Guterres highlighted that humanity is at a critical juncture, where chaos and uncertainty reign everywhere, and people are questioning whether their leaders are ready to take action.
According to him, the scale of human suffering today is unprecedented: more than 25% of the world's population lives in conflict zones, over 200 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and nearly 120 million have been forced to leave their homes due to wars, crises, and natural disasters. Guterres expressed concern about the rising global military expenditures, which amounted to $2.7 trillion and increased by nearly 10% over the past year.
If this trend continues, global military spending could more than double and reach $6.6 trillion by 2035. In comparison, the current amount of $2.7 trillion is 13 times greater than international development aid and is comparable to the total GDP of the entire African continent.
“In the new year, let’s make the right choice and set our priorities. For a safer world, we need to invest more in the fight against poverty and less in waging wars. Peace must prevail,” Guterres stated.
In September 2025, as reported by UN News, a report commissioned by the member states of the organization revealed a serious imbalance in global spending. It showed that even small changes in budgets could radically alter the situation in the world.
According to this report, less than 4% of current military spending is enough to end hunger by 2030; just over 10% would be sufficient to vaccinate all children, and $5 trillion would provide 12 years of quality education for every child in low- and middle-income countries.
Furthermore, the study showed that investments in civilian sectors create many more jobs and produce fewer emissions than military spending, and redirecting just 15% of the military budget could fully cover the annual needs of developing countries for adapting to climate change.
“The world has all the necessary resources to improve people’s lives, restore the planet, and create a future based on peace and justice,” Guterres added.Concluding his address, he urged world leaders to “start acting seriously”: “Choose people and the planet, not suffering... Our future depends on our collective readiness to act. Let’s join forces in the new year. For the sake of justice. For the sake of humanity. For the sake of peace.”
Photo on the main page: UN / M. Garten.
