On December 29, local time, UN Secretary General Guterres released a 2026 New Year video message, calling on world leaders to invest resources in development and not choose suffering. Guterres stressed that while going through a turbulent year, one fact is particularly prominent: global military spending has soared to 2.7 trillion US dollars, an increase of nearly 10%. This figure is 13 times the total amount of global development assistance, which is equivalent to the gross domestic product of the entire continent. Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spread, reaching levels of intensity unprecedented since the Second World War. He warned that if current trends continue, global military spending is expected to increase further over the next decade, while the global humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. He emphasized that peace must prevail over everything. Needless to say, the world has sufficient resources to enhance people's livelihood and welfare, heal the scars of the planet, and ensure a peaceful and just future.

On December 29, local time, UN Secretary General Guterres released a 2026 New Year video message, calling on world leaders to invest resources in development and not choose suffering. Guterres stressed that while going through a turbulent year, one fact is particularly prominent: global military spending has soared to 2.7 trillion US dollars, an increase of nearly 10%. This figure is 13 times the total amount of global development assistance, which is equivalent to the gross domestic product of the entire continent. Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spread, reaching levels of intensity unprecedented since the Second World War. He warned that if current trends continue, global military spending is expected to increase further over the next decade, while the global humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. He emphasized that peace must prevail over everything. Needless to say, the world has sufficient resources to enhance people's livelihood and welfare, heal the scars of the planet, and ensure a peaceful and just future.