‘We Are Losing Ground” in Preventing Conflict, Secretary-General Tells Security Council, Underlining Importance of Investing in Development
Development is the first line of defence against conflict, but unfortunately it is facing an emergency just as conflict has increased to unprecedented levels, the Security Council heard today in an all-day open debate on the implications of poverty, underdevelopment and conflict for the maintenance of international peace and security.
In his opening remarks, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said it is no coincidence that 9 of the 10 countries with the lowest human development indicators are currently in a state of conflict. If current trends continue, two thirds of the world’s poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030. While there is no better way to prevent conflict than investing in development, unfortunately, “we are losing ground”, he stressed. The world is falling short by over $4 trillion annually in the resources developing countries need. These countries are also being battered by the limited fiscal space, crushing debt burdens and skyrocketing prices.
Noting the upcoming fourth Conference on Financing for Development starting next week, he said it’s vital to renew public and private finance commitments for development. “We need to provide urgent debt relief for countries drowning in unsustainable debt service”, he said, also stressing the need to reform the global financial architecture.
“Global human development has stalled just as violent conflicts have surged to levels not seen in eight decades”, said Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director of the Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “The coincidence is not lost on us”, she added. Nor is this an accident — it reflects deep vulnerabilities left unattended. “For the first time in 35 years”, she noted, progress in human development has slowed so significantly that over half the world’s poorest countries have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. And climate change is a “crisis amplifier”, she said, noting that compounding vulnerabilities are “driving people to move in the millions to find arable land, shelter, food and water”.
She added that conflict hits gross domestic product (GDP) fast, resulting in poverty unseen in typical economic slowdowns. In Myanmar, for example, urban poverty in Yangon alone surged from 10 per cent to 43 per cent in just the last few years. On the other hand, she said, citing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — every $1 invested in prevention can save up to $103 in conflict-related costs.
“This conversation echoes the very foundations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063”, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the Union’s Commission said. At the heart of that document is the recognition that the continent’s development is inextricably linked with peace, he said, adding that it is vital to “tackle the structural conditions that perpetuate fragility, marginalization and violence”. The international community must support African-led peace operations, particularly in regions where poverty is deeply entrenched, including by providing sustainable financing through UN-assessed contributions. Stressing the urgent need to reform the architecture of global governance, he added: “Our continent must no longer be seen only as a theatre of crisis but as a contributor to global solutions”.
“We cannot bomb our way to peace,” he said, “instead, we must invest in justice, dignity and opportunity”. In regions where education, healthcare and employment are limited, the prospects of peace are diminished. “Where young people see no future, they are more susceptible to recruitment by armed groups”, he pointed out. Highlighting the African Union’s flagship initiative — Silencing the Guns in Africa — he said it is not simply about disarmament or ending armed conflict; it is a comprehensive agenda for eliminating the socioeconomic and governance conditions that fuel violence.
Somalia’s delegate also called for stronger UN support for that initiative, adding that every dollar invested in prevention saves countless lives. It is also necessary to “address the unfinished business of colonial legacies that continue to shape patterns of deprivation and exclusion”, he said. Decades after independence, many States still contend with “arbitrary borders that divide communities, economic structures designed for dependency rather self-sufficiency and political institutions that serve distant interests rather than local needs”, he pointed out.
“This Security Council, the Bretton Woods institutions and the global trading system were created without meaningful participation from colonized regions”, Sierra Leone’s delegate noted. He also highlighted the “intensifying race for critical minerals and rare earth elements essential for green and digital transitions”. This has become a significant driver of conflict as external actors — including non-State actors — have fuelled tensions, prolonged conflicts and undermined Governments. He called for a stronger international framework and certification mechanism for natural resource governance to break the resource-conflict link.
“There is truth to the saying that being poor is expensive, since developing countries expend more to access finance”, Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guyana — Council President for June, speaking in his national capacity, said. He, as well as Pakistan’s delegate, were among the several who insisted on the need to reform the global financial architecture. Algeria’s delegate also called for “a broader perspective” — when reviewing peace operations, it is crucial not to impede the development dimension of other relevant mechanisms, he said.
China is extending zero-tariff treatment to all African countries and least developed countries that have established diplomatic ties with it, that country’s representative said. Developed countries should fulfil their official development assistance (ODA) commitments, he said, adding: “On hotspot issues, we should respect the merits of the matter, uphold fairness and justice and support countries of the region in finding ways to defuse tensions.”
“For more than four decades, we have upheld our ODA commitment of 0.7 per cent”, the representative of Denmark reported. She added: “The longer we take to invest in prevention, the more complex challenges grow, the deeper inequalities cut and the more likely violence is to arise.” Urging the Council to integrate conflict prevention in its work, she added: “If we treat conflict as an event, we will always arrive too late.”
Brazil’s representative, spotlighting the “prevailing shortsightedness on how sustainable security worldwide can be effectively achieved”, underscored that “purely military or security strategies will not be able to deal with any of today’s situations of conflict”. The Council must therefore play a role in conflict prevention — which, he noted, “cannot be fully delivered without an understanding of the root causes of armed conflict”. To do so, it should work in synergy with the Peacebuilding Commission, which has significant experience with preventive approaches and sustaining peace. Malaysia’s representative, similarly, urged that — beyond troop deployments — peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding efforts should be equipped to “foster inclusive governance, restore and spur local economies, as well as support education and livelihoods”.
Several delegates highlighted the complementary role of the Peacebuilding Commission. The representative of the Republic of Korea, who serves as the informal coordinator between the Council and the Commission, highlighted its unique convening and bridging role, noting its contributions during the 2018 drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Mario Lubetkin, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, also a member of that Commission, drew attention to the value of its strategic advice. He also stressed that the participation of youth and women are necessary for conflict prevention.
Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, underscored that the idea that gender equality is key to achieving peace and development is not “taken out of thin air”. Studies show that women are more likely than men to invest their earnings in their families and communities. Investing in women, including by ensuring their sexual and reproductive health and rights, “is one of the smartest things to do to break the poverty trap”, she said. The representative of the United Kingdom noted the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Council’s landmark resolution on women, peace and security, adding that it remains vital to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in political and peace processes. The representatives of Greece and Slovenia also underscored that women and youth must be included in all development actions.
Serap Güler, Minister for State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany noted that climate change undermines sustainable development. It makes communities vulnerable and can lead to conflict. Germany has therefore set up a dedicated portfolio with climate-sensitive peace projects, she said. The representative of France also highlighted the need for addressing climate change as a driver of conflict.
Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, said that for over eight years, his country has hosted 1.2 million Rohingya who fled persecution in Myanmar. “Our humanitarian act has put us in immense socioeconomic and environmental challenges, and the situation is now posing new security risks”, he stressed. Ensuring the Rohingyas’ safe return “is not only a matter of justice, but also vital for preventing a root cause of potential instability in our region”, he added.
“More than poverty in itself, it is institutional weakness that very often makes social tensions become organized violence”, observed Panama’s representative. He said this “can be seen clearly in Haiti”, where a weak Government allowed violent actors to instrumentalize fear and exclusion. “It’s not just an issue of poverty, it’s a collapse of the social contract”. he observed, pointing to similar situations in the Sahel, Central Africa and elsewhere.
Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, said his country possesses “first-hand experience of how deeply socioeconomic vulnerabilities shape peacebuilding efforts”. Despite the devastated infrastructure and deep socioeconomic exclusion in his country when it attained independence in 2002, Timor-Leste achieved measurable progress through sustained international partnership, inclusive politics and targeted poverty-reduction initiatives.
Nguyen Minh Vu, First Vice Foreign Minister of Viet Nam, also shared his country’s development experience. After emerging from decades of war, the country placed development at the centre of its post-war efforts, with the support and assistance of both bilateral and multilateral donors, including UN agencies. It is among 25 countries that have halved their multidimensional poverty index since 2010. “Viet Nam stands as a testament to the vital role of the United Nations in advancing international development, particularly in post-conflict settings”, he said.
The UN and other international actors alone cannot prevent conflict nor build peace, the representative of the United States said. “National ownership in both conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts remain critical to lasting peace”, she said.
However, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said the war-focused policies and trajectories of the United States is driving an arms race. Military expenditure reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, he said, appealing that these vast resources should be diverted towards the $4 trillion development gap.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that poverty “is neither the sole — nor even the main — reason” for the outbreak of new hotbeds of tension. “It is evident to all that there are countries on the map with low development levels who are not mired in the quagmire of conflict”, he said. “On the contrary, there is a need to recognize the fact that the real root causes for conflict remain external intervention in the domestic affairs of States and the geopolitical ambitions of certain groups of countries”, he stressed.