Achim Steiner, the outgoing head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), has warned that increasing defence budgets while cutting international aid is shortsighted. He argued that without tackling the climate crisis in poor countries, higher military spending will prove pointless in an interconnected global economy.
Speaking as many nations, including the US, UK, and EU members, boost defence spending but slash overseas aid, Steiner said: "The more you restrict your ability to act by simply focusing on what’s happening inside your country, the more vulnerable you become." He added that defunding aid and cooperation reduces the ability to respond to shared threats like climate change.
Steiner identified cyberterrorism, future pandemics, and runaway climate change as greater risks than territorial aggression. He urged governments to reframe climate finance and development spending as part of national security, potentially classifying them under or alongside defence budgets. "Both are ultimately integral to a national security strategy," he said.
Some countries are already broadening their security definitions. Germany includes climate projects in infrastructure spending, while Spain has earmarked €1.75bn from its defence budget for climate activities. The UK, however, has cut international aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP to fund a defence increase to 2.5% of GDP.
Steiner warned that the world faces a "moment of deep disruption," with multilateral institutions under unprecedented strain from defunding and geopolitical tensions. He stressed that development aid is preventive, investing in solutions before problems become societal schisms, and that the poorest are suffering most from current reversals.
