‘More Weapons Do Not Mean More Peace’, Expert Warns Third Committee, Urging Shift from War Economies as Human Rights Council Faces Funding Crisis

Surya Deva, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to development, told the Third Committee that global military expenditure reached approximately $2.9 trillion and that 2025 saw 65 state‑based conflicts across 35 countries, the highest level since the Second World War. He said that "more weapons do not mean more peace" and urged states and companies to move funding away from war economies toward a peace economy that guarantees social justice, equitable distribution of benefits and the elimination of colonialism, foreign domination, occupation and aggression.

Deva warned that some states and firms profit from unlawful invasions, territorial expansion and the extraction of natural resources, including critical minerals, while arms, technology and construction companies also benefit from conflict. He outlined a roadmap that includes addressing the political economy of conflicts, strengthening preventive diplomacy and early warning systems, reforming the Security Council and ensuring accountability for international crimes. Zamir Akram, Chair‑Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development, called for a legally binding right‑to‑development covenant, noting that the UN’s budgetary constraints have reduced the Working Group’s meeting time to four days, limiting expert engagement.