The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called on world leaders to “get serious” and choose people and planet over pain and war as the world enters 2026.

In his New Year message issued on Monday, December 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C., Mr. Guterres said the world is standing at a crossroads, surrounded by chaos and uncertainty marked by division, violence, climate breakdown, and systemic violations of international law.

He described these trends as “a retreat from the very principles that bind us together as one human family.”

According to the Secretary-General, people across the globe are questioning whether their leaders are truly listening and ready to act. As the world turns the page to 2026, he noted, one fact speaks louder than words.

Global military spending has surged to 2.7 trillion dollars — an increase of nearly 10 percent. This figure is thirteen times higher than total global development aid and is equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of Africa, even as conflicts rage at levels unseen since the Second World War.

Mr. Guterres urged leaders to reassess their priorities in the new year, stressing that a safer world begins by investing more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. “Peace must prevail,” he said.

He emphasized that the world already has the resources to lift lives, heal the planet, and secure a future rooted in peace and justice, calling on leaders and citizens alike to play their part.

“Our future depends on our collective courage to act,” the Secretary-General reiterated. “This new year, let us rise together for justice, for humanity, and for peace.”