Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Warning that the world is surrounded by “chaos and uncertainty”, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his New Year message on December 29 appealed for prioritising development aid over military spending.
“On this new year, let’s resolve to get our priorities straight,”he said. “A safer world begins by investing more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. Peace must prevail,” he declared. The video of Guterres delivering a message also had a version with Hindi subtitles.
“As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads,” he said.
“Global military spending has soared to $2.7 trillion, growing by almost 10 per cent” — 13 times more than all development aid, equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of Africa, he said, making the case for increasing development aid.
India, which has been promoting the use of Hindi at the UN by underwriting the expenses so far to the tune of $6.8 million, signed a memorandum of understanding in February renewing the “Hindi@ UN Project” for five years.
