UN chief calls for investment in development to prevent conflict

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C, Front) speaks at a Security Council open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 19, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for investment in development to prevent conflict.

Prevention is the best cure for instability and conflict. And there is no better preventive measure than investing in development, he told a Security Council open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict.

"Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a stake in their future," he said. "Investing in development today means investing in a more peaceful tomorrow."

He warned that the world is losing ground in this respect.

"After decades of steady progress, we're facing a development emergency. Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, two-thirds of the targets are lagging," said Guterres. "And developing countries are being battered and bruised by limited fiscal space, crushing debt burdens and skyrocketing prices."

The engine of development is sputtering, he said. "We must renew domestic and global commitments to get public and private finance flowing to the areas of greatest need. We need to provide urgent debt relief for countries drowning in unsustainable debt service. And we must reform the global financial architecture to reflect today's realities and the urgent needs of developing countries."

The UN chief voiced concern over the vicious cycle of conflict and poverty.

The flames of conflict are too often lit and fed by persistent poverty and growing inequalities, he said. "Time and again, we've seen conflict engulfing lives and institutions, wiping out development gains, and uprooting millions of people. At the same time, we've seen how poverty, underdevelopment, inequality, injustice, hunger and exclusion can light the fuse of instability and conflict."

It is no coincidence that nine of the 10 countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict. Forty percent of the 700 million people living in extreme poverty live in conflict-affected or fragile settings. And the situation is only getting worse, he said.

Solutions are in short supply because of rampant geopolitical mistrust and divisions. The global economy is slowing, trade tensions are rising and aid budgets are being slashed while military spending soars. If current trends continue, two-thirds of the world's poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030, warned Guterres.

The message is clear. The farther a country is from sustainable and inclusive development, the closer it is to instability, and even conflict, he said. "Let's re-commit to the solidarity and multilateral spirit that has defined our organization across eight decades. And let's ensure that the dividends of peace, prosperity and security are shared by all."