…] Looking towards the United Nations’ centennial, we must urgently recalibrate global security and development strategies to ensure lasting peace and security for current and future generations. Guided by the direction set by Member States in the Pact for the Future, the international community must consider the following measures:
1. Prioritize diplomacy, peaceful settlement of disputes, and confidence-building measures to address the underlying causes of growing military expenditure through 2030.
- As emphasized in my New Agenda for Peace, trust, solidarity and universality constitute the foundation for friendly relations and cooperation among nations and within societies. Restoring these principles is essential to curbing the growth of military expenditure.
- Member States should actively expand regional and global confidence-building measures, promoting transparency and dialogue as essential tools for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Strengthening international cooperation through revitalized diplomatic and preventive frameworks is crucial. Sustained investments in diplomatic channels and conflict resolution mechanisms must become the cornerstone of collective security.
- To disrupt the perceived inevitability of escalating global military spending, Member States are encouraged to initiate an annual General Assembly debate dedicated specifically to reviewing the state of global military expenditure and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030.
2. Bring military expenditure to the fore of disarmament discussions, and improve linkages between arms control and development
- Key intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations Disarmament Commission and others should focus some discussions on military expenditure and the links between disarmament and development.
- Member States are urged to integrate disarmament and arms control considerations within broader sustainable development frameworks, particularly the post-2030 agenda.
3. Promote transparency and accountability around military expenditure to build trust and confidence among Member States and increase domestic fiscal accountability.
- Promote regional confidence-building measures, such as the sharing of military expenditure information,to enhance transparency, reduce tensions and miscalculations, encourage restraint and decelerate military build-ups.
- Encourage States to adopt public expenditure and financial accountability standards in the defence sector, including internal and external audits and parliamentary oversight.
- Promote a shift towards more accountable private sector behaviour, including in the arms industry, to support sustainable development and civil society participation in military budgeting. This would help to create a virtuous cycle of accountability that generates public confidence and opens opportunities to redirect savings to sustainable development priorities.