Category: The Civic Circle

Addressing the Security Council today (09 Sep), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said, “Peacekeeping is not a luxury; it is a lifeline for millions who count on it for a future without fear. Over 60,000 peacekeepers representing 115 Member States bravely carry out its vital work in 11 missions, making peacekeeping the UN’s largest and most visible activity in the field.”

He also said, “Rather than retreat we must use the expertise and valuable lessons from nearly eight decades of peacekeeping to use this valuable tool to respond to the legitimate expectations that “the peoples” hold towards the fulfillment of the Charter.”

He continued, “We continue to do our utmost to uphold the highest standards of conduct and discipline. We continue pre-deployment training on conduct and discipline for all uniformed personnel as well as in mission training. We provide avenues for victims to come forward, investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and when allegations are substantiated, we take the requisite action.”

He added, “From November 2024 to April 2025, we repatriated 17 uniformed personnel on disciplinary grounds. And together with concerned Member States, we have also actively sought solutions to address the too many pending paternity and child support claims – so that children fathered by peacekeepers and their mothers can have closure and assistance.”

He stressed, “To advance durable political solutions that enable peacekeeping to withdraw without a relapse into conflict requires the strong, unified and ongoing support of this Council – through the adoption of clear, prioritized mandates, active political engagement and statements of support. This must be matched by the payment of assessed contributions in full and on time.”

Also addressing the Council today, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “There is one fundamental fact that no review, no matter how extensive or ambitious, can change: the failure or weak implementation of mandates is often related to the lack of political support for such operations – in the countries where they are deployed, among regional countries and in the Council, itself. We will therefore need to engage with a laser like focus on bringing the emphasis back to the political questions at the heart of each conflict and finding multilateral responses to them.”

Earlier this morning, Ambassador Sangjin Kim, Charge d’affaires, a.i., Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, addressed the press, joined by representatives of Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom on Climate, Peace and Security in the context of UN Peace Operations.

He said, “For decades, UN peace operations have proven to be testaments of multilateralism in action –saving lives, preventing the spread of conflicts, and sustaining peace. At the same time, however, there is an increasing need for these operations to adapt and respond to complex challenges, notably climate change.”

He added, “Its devastating impacts such as droughts, floods, and land degradation have shown to exacerbate, prolong, or even trigger conflicts, affecting civilian populations as well as UN personnel and activities.”

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“The world is spending far more on waging war than on building peace,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said as he presented a new report showing global military expenditure hit a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, soaring by more than nine per cent from 2023 and signaling a dangerous move away from the principles of the UN Charter.

That is “the equivalent of $334 for every person on Earth,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters. “That is nearly thirteen times the amount of official development assistance from the world’s wealthiest nations – and 750 times the regular budget of the United Nations.”

The report, ‘The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future,’ warns that soaring defense budgets are diverting resources from education, healthcare, and climate resilience at a time when only one in five Sustainable Development Goal targets is on track.

“Our shared promise of sustainable development is in jeopardy,” Guterres said. “The financing gap is growing – and so is the cost of inaction.”

He said the report carries three urgent messages: that the current trajectory is unsustainable, that a better path is possible, and that practical steps are needed to rebalance priorities. “Budgets are choices,” Guterres noted. “Redirecting even a fraction of today’s military spending could close vital gaps – putting children in school, strengthening primary health care, expanding clean energy and resilient infrastructure, and protecting the most vulnerable.”

“The evidence is clear,” he added. “Excessive military spending does not guarantee peace. It often undermines it – fueling arms races, deepening mistrust, and diverting resources from the very foundations of stability.”

Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said reversing the trend requires recommitting to multilateralism and diplomacy and warned of rising risks. “All nuclear weapon states have been investing huge amounts of money to modernize their nuclear arsenals, and soon, or we might already be in quantitative nuclear arms race starting,” she said. “There is also the rhetoric, or, in our view, misperception that nuclear weapons actually give the ultimate security, which is also causing yet another additional proliferation driver.”

UNDP Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said the gains of recent decades are at risk. “The human growth that we have achieved over the last few decades will possibly decline. So, what happens from here, is up to us,” he said, urging a shift towards a people-centered and multi-dimensional approach to security.

Highlights:
General Assembly
Military Spending
Qatar/Israel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Security Council
Haiti
Republic of Congo
Afghanistan
Education
Briefing/Tomorrow
Financial Contribution

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the closing of the 79th session of the General Assembly.
He said that this session took place during numerous challenges ranging between conflicts, divisions, inequalities, poverty, injustices, displacement, hunger and another year of record-breaking heat. Yet, this Assembly, he said, worked to discuss, debate and develop common solutions to address all of that.
The Secretary-General thanked the outgoing President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, as he presided over the 79th session with wisdom, skill and vision.
But, as we close the GA, another one opens.
The Secretary-General is expected later this afternoon again in the GA Hall to deliver remarks at the opening of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Guterres said he looks forward to collaborating with President-elect Annalena Baerbock.
This is an important year for all of us. It is the 80th anniversary of the UN and the visionary Charter which brought this Organization to life.

MILITARY SPENDING
Earlier this morning, the Secretary-General presented his report, “The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future”, along with High Representative for Disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu and the Acting Administrator of the UN Development Programme, Haoliang Xu.
The Secretary-General said that the report lays bare a stark reality: the world is spending far more on waging war than in building peace. In 2024, global military spending surged to a record $2.7 trillion – the equivalent of $334 for every person on Earth, he said.
Mr. Guterres said that the current trajectory is unsustainable, and a better path is within reach, but we need practical steps to rebalance. He warned that excessive military spending does not guarantee peace.
The report proposes a shift to an approach that prioritizes diplomacy, cooperation, sustainable development and disarmament over military build ups.

QATAR/ISRAEL
In remarks to the press this morning, the Secretary-General said he had just learned about the Israeli attacks in Qatar, a country that has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
He condemned this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar. All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it, the Secretary-General said.