UN Secretary-General Issues New Year's Call, Urges Global Leaders to Invest in Development Over War

On December 29, 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a New Year's appeal from UN Headquarters in New York, urgently calling on world leaders to get their "priorities straight" and invest in development, not destruction. Guterres stated that with over a quarter of humanity living in conflict-affected areas, the world stands at a crossroads. He highlighted that global military spending reached $2.7 trillion in 2024 and is projected to soar to an astonishing $6.6 trillion by 2035 if current trends persist.

Citing a UN report, he noted this military expenditure is thirteen times the amount of all global development aid combined and equals the entire GDP of the African continent. The report provided stark comparisons: ending global hunger by 2030 requires $93 billion annually, while redirecting just 15% of global military funds would more than cover yearly climate adaptation costs in developing countries. Guterres' message concluded: "In 2026, I call on leaders everywhere: Get serious. Choose people and planet over pain."