At a time when the world is witnessing a significant growth in arms sales due to an increase in military spending – as affirmed by the latest annual report of the SIPRI Foundation -- the number of poor people is also rising globally due to sharp increases in food prices. It is expected that the wars and conflicts that are raging in many parts of the world will result in more people becoming destitute in the coming years, thus fueling more poverty, hunger and deprivation, especially among the vulnerable whose meagre incomes are inadequate to meet inflation and the increase in the prices of food.
Modern wars, such as the one that is underway between Russia and Ukraine, will spur many world governments into allocating more money for military spending. Inevitably, this will lead to an increase in the number of refugees, the needy, the poor and the deprived in the world.
The world has been going through various crises over the past years, starting with the financial crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and other conflicts. Wars, in particular, have prompted governments to build new arsenals of weapons. In 2021 alone, new arms purchases totaled $2.1 trillion in value. These sums are enough to eradicate poverty and human disability, and fund the establishment of thousands of economic projects that will be useful for the people and the unemployed.
It turns out that all the rich countries of the world did not reduce their military expenditures – a trend that was followed by other countries as well. Everyone is racing to obtain weapons and complex ammunitions of war, at a time when we see that there are large numbers of people suffering from severe poverty, lack of food and the absence of basic services that they need, such as health, education, water, electricity and other necessary social services.
Military spending in some countries exceeds the global average, especially amid the escalation of tension in the world due to the current hostilities between the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia. The conflict is expected to fuel military spending in European countries and abroad, as they all work to maintain technological superiority.
More than funding for war, the world today is in dire need of these funds for investment in innovation, research and development in the productive fields of agriculture, fisheries and other resources. Output from these sectors can help feed the world’s population by supporting sustainable development. At the same time, adequate funding is required to secure people's health, education and welfare and reform economic and social systems so that people can live in peace, security and a productive environment.
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