United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark appeal to global leaders at the dawn of 2026, warning that humanity stands at a critical crossroads between continued conflict and a sustainable future. In a sobering New Year’s message released on Monday, Guterres painted a portrait of a world consumed by chaos, division and systemic failures, urging an immediate reversal of priorities that have seen military spending soar whilst humanitarian needs go unmet.
The message represents one of the most direct and urgent appeals the UN chief has made in recent times, coming as wars rage at levels unseen since World War II and displacement crises continue to worsen globally. His call carries particular weight as 2026 marks his final year serving as Secretary-General, positioning his address as a legacy statement on the world’s most pressing challenges.
Guterres opened his message with an unvarnished assessment of the global condition. “As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us,” he stated, before cataloguing the forces pushing humanity toward a precipice.
The UN chief identified the core crises defining this moment. Division, violence, climate breakdown and systemic violations of international law now characterise the international landscape. The deterioration is particularly troubling, according to Guterres, because these challenges reflect a fundamental retreat from shared values that once bound nations and peoples together.
Public confidence in leadership has eroded alongside these developments. Guterres highlighted a crisis of faith in governance, with people everywhere questioning whether their leaders are listening and whether they possess the will to act. The refrain captures the sense of powerlessness many feel as crises multiply without adequate response.
Perhaps the most damning indictment in Guterres’ message concerns global spending priorities. Military spending has soared to 2.7 trillion dollars, growing by almost 10 per cent, the UN chief revealed, describing this surge as the most glaring evidence of distorted priorities.
The scale of this disparity becomes even more striking when compared to other global commitments. This represents thirteen times more spending than all development aid combined, equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of Africa. The contrast encapsulates the fundamental imbalance that Guterres argues now defines global decision-making. Whilst vast sums flow toward military hardware and defence systems, the resources to address poverty, disease and inequality remain chronically insufficient.
This military spending surge arrives at a moment of unprecedented humanitarian need. A September 2025 UN report on rebalancing military spending revealed the opportunity cost of current priorities. Less than 4 per cent of $2.7 trillion ($93 billion) is needed annually to end world hunger by 2030; just over 10 per cent ($285 billion) could fully vaccinate every child; and $5 trillion could fund 12 years of quality education for every child in low- and lower-middle-income countries. These figures underline how the funds exist to solve some of humanity’s most pressing challenges if priorities were reordered.
The human toll of conflict and displacement has reached historic proportions. Guterres drew particular attention to the scale of displacement, noting that over one-quarter of humanity now lives in areas affected by conflict. This staggering statistic reflects the near-total globalisation of violence, where few populations remain untouched by war or its spillover effects.
The global displacement crisis has reached unprecedented scale. More than 200 million people globally need humanitarian assistance, and nearly 120 million people have been forcibly displaced, fleeing war, crises, disasters or persecution. This represents a near-doubling of displacement figures over the past decade, from approximately 60 million at the beginning of the 2010s.
The composition of global displacement by mid-2025 revealed regional concentration of crisis. At the end of 2025, over 30.5 million refugees were recorded by UNHCR, with the remainder made up of internally displaced people and those in refugee-like situations. The vast majority of this displacement originates from just a handful of countries, with Sudan emerging as the world’s largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis.
Conflict in Sudan has created what the UN describes as the largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis in the world. The scale of Sudan’s displacement is staggering: over one-third of the country’s 47 million people have been displaced by the civil war. Within Sudan, 11.6 million people remain internally displaced, whilst 2.7 million have fled to neighbouring countries, placing enormous strain on some of the world’s poorest and most fragile nations.
Other major crises continue to drive displacement. Syria, despite recent political changes following the Assad regime’s December 2024 fall, remains the second-largest refugee crisis globally. Ukraine continues to displace hundreds of thousands annually, whilst the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen displacement figures reach historic levels not witnessed in nearly 75 years.
Guterres made clear that insufficient funding compounds the crisis. Humanitarian agencies have faced severe budget cuts in 2025, reducing their ability to respond to growing need. The funding cuts in 2025 have led to around 11.6 million people forced to flee being at risk of losing urgently-needed assistance this year.
The funding disparity is striking. Whilst global military spending reached $2.7 trillion in 2025, UNHCR’s budget has remained relatively stagnant despite displacement figures having nearly doubled. The agency received $3.4 billion in 2015 when 64 million people were displaced; a decade later, facing nearly double the need, its budget remains essentially unchanged.
These cuts translate directly into suffering. Food rations for refugees and displaced people have been drastically cut. Services that protect vulnerable populations—particularly women and girls at risk of violence—face termination. Education programmes that offer displaced children stability and hope are closing. The efficiency of protection systems designed to identify and assist the most vulnerable continues to deteriorate.
Guterres presented his New Year appeal as fundamentally an argument about choice and values. In 2026, world leaders must work to ease human suffering and fight climate change, he said. “I call on leaders everywhere: Get serious. Choose people and planet over pain.”
The UN chief urged governments to view poverty reduction and investment in people as strategic imperatives, not optional priorities. “In this New Year, let’s resolve to get our priorities straight. A safer world begins by investing more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. Peace must prevail,” Guterres insisted.
His argument carries both moral and pragmatic weight. Investment in education, healthcare, social protection and climate action generate not only human dignity but also economic benefits and stability. Spending $1 billion on the military creates 11,200 jobs, but the same amount creates 26,700 jobs in education, 17,200 in healthcare or 16,800 in clean energy. The case for rebalancing becomes not merely humanitarian but economically sound.
Guterres did not confine his appeal to government leaders. The secretary-general urged everyone who hears the message to play their part, noting that “our future depends on our collective courage to act.” This framing acknowledges that whilst government decisions are critical, broader societal engagement is essential to shifting priorities.
The Secretary-General concluded with an appeal to unity across dividing lines. His final words captured the arc of his message: “This new year, let’s rise together: For justice. For humanity. For peace.”
