Overview

In the Pact for the Future (A/RES/79/1), adopted by the General Assembly in September 2024, Member States voiced their concern about the potential impact that the global increase in military expenditures could have on investments in sustainable development and sustaining peace. To that end, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to “provide analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by the end of the seventy-ninth session”.  

With the aim of encouraging engagement and reflection on this subject by Member States, as well as relevant stakeholders such as international and regional organizations, academia, think tanks, youth and civil society, a Call for Papers on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals was launched in February 2025.  

The following papers have been submitted by the deadline. Any information that may be contained in these papers does not imply recognition by the United Nations of the validity of information and does not imply endorsement or acceptance of the views expressed.

Call for Paper Submissions - Secretary-General's Report "The Security We Need - Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future"

UN Members States and Observer States 

• Central African Republic: The consequences of global military expenditures increase on the achievement of SDGs 

• Cuba: Contribución de la República de Cuba al Informe del Secretario General sobre el impacto del incremento del gasto militar en la consecución de los Objetivos del Desarrollo Sostenible, en virtud de la Resolución A/RES/79/1

• Holy See: The Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Mexico: El impacto del aumento mundial de los gastos militares en el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenibles (ODS)

• Pakistan: Views on the “Impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” 

• Tunisia: Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Ukraine: Contribution of Ukraine to the analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

UN Entities 

• UNDP: Fewer guns, not more – A Development Approach to Safe and Secure Communities 

• UN Women: Policy Paper: Military Expenditure and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) 

Civil Society Organizations 

• ACE Observatory Climate Justice Compass: The World at Odds: Military Spending vs SDG Achievement 

• African Union Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC): Weapons vs. Welfare: How Rising Global Military Expenditures Threaten Africa’s Path to Achieving the SDGs

• Agora: Rethinking Militarized Budgets in Latin America: An Urgent Call from CCPCJ 2025

• Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace, Basel Peace Office, Citizens for Global Solutions, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, Peace and Disarmament Collective Aotearoa, UNFOLD ZERO, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, World Future Council and Youth Fusion: The UN Pact for the Future: Nuclear weapons spending and the Sustainable Development Goals in a turbulent world

• Baha'i International Community: Arm or disarm in an age of mistrust: Reconciling a false dichotomy

• Civil society consultations on gender and the impact of military expenditure on the Sustainable Development Goals 

• De Klerk, L., Hooks, G., Kinney, E., Melnika, M., Parkingson, S., Xiang, E.: The impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the sustainable
  development goals 

• Global Network of Women Peacebuilders: Recommendations for UN Office for Disarmament Affairs

• Hallows, K.: Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of Climate Action (SDG13)

• International Humanitarian Law and Youth Initiative (IHLYI): Analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Minority and Indigenous Rights Group of Zimbabwe (MIRIGROZ): The Impact of Global Military Expenditure on Sustainable Development Goals: A Perspective from Zimbabwe

• Minority and Indigenous Rights Group of Zimbabwe (MIRIGROZ): The Impact of Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Organization For Innovation and Sustainable Development Africa: Potential Impacts of Global Increase in Military Expenditures on Investments in Sustainable Development and Stable Global Peace 

• Palestine Space Institute (PSI): The True Cost of Militarization: A Decolonial Perspective on War, Occupation, and Sustainability from the Palestine Space Institute 

• Peace Movement Aotearoa: The Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Tipping Point North-South: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: The SDGs vs Rising Military Expenditures 

• Transparency International: The Impact of Corruption in the Defence Sector: Military Expenditure and Sustainable Development 

• Varani, J.: Reduced Military Spending and Sustainable Development: City Mayors Should Lead the Way 

• Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF): Written Input to the UN Secretary-General’s analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Academia, Think Tanks and Individual submissions 

• Alley, R.: Military Expenditure and the SDGs 

• Al Saidi, K., Vardi, S.: Impact of Global Military Expenditure on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the MENA Region – Civil society perspectives 

• Asser Institute for International and European Law: European Increase in Military Spending and its Impact on SDG 16 

• Ayoola-Amale, A.: The Impact of Rising Global Military Expenditure on The Achievement of The Sustainable Development Goals

• Bastien, M.: Balancing National Cybersecurity Investments: A Comparative Analysis of Military and Civilian Cyber Spending in the United States 

• Brzoska, M., Omitoogun, W., Sköns, E.: Introducing the Human Security Case for Rebalancing Military Expenditure

• Cho, L.: Balancing Security and Sustainability: Rethinking Military Expenditure for Global Development 

• Elgin, C., Elveren, A. Y.: The Impact of Global Military Expenditure on Sustainable Development Goals: A Macroeconomic and Policy Perspective 

• Gonçalves Costa, L. M. G.: The Military Spending-Arms Transfers Nexus: Barriers and Opportunities for Achieving SDG 16 

• Kuimova Alexandra, Anabel García García, Zubaida Karim and Nan Tian (2025), "Evaluating the alignment between budgetary allocations and national security priorities. Exploratory Case Study: Kenya"

• Lallienzuol, D., Vaiphei, K.: India’s Increasing Defence Expenditure and the Human Impact on its AFSPA State: A Brief Study of Conflict-Affected Youth in Manipur 

• Larsen, C.: The environmental impact of artificial intelligence for military use

• MacKenzie, M., McLay, K., Fraser, I.: Do Women in Power Spend Differently on Defence?

• Morales, D.: SDG Diplomacy: Strengthening peace through international cooperation

• Ng, A. Man Lok: The impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the sustainable development goals

• Sanctuary Beyond War: Sanctuary Beyond War Written Input to the UN Secretary-General’s analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

• Sariddichainanta, G.: Addressing the Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditures

• Sayers, B., Schweitzer, L., Glazer, A.: Report on the Intersection of Military Expenditure and the Sustainable Development Goals 

• Setiawan, R.: The Relationship Between Military Expenditure and Peacekeeping: Challenges and Opportunities from the Perspective of Developing Countries (Case Study: Indonesia)

• Sharma, D.: The Impact of the Global Increase in Military Expenditure on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Tachie-Menson, E. A.: The Impact of Global Military Expenditure on Sustainable Development in Africa

• Thiébaut, R.: The Gendered Dimensions of Armed Conflicts and their Impact on Achieving SDG 16

• Trifunovic, D., Varda, M.: How to Align the Rising Military Spending with the Sustainable Future? Exploring the Relationship, Military Sustainability Index, and How to Make the Military Spending Sustainable