Video of event here

“If we invest more in armaments and in weapons, are we contributing to a safer world?”

This question was at the heart of the vital issues raised by former president of Costa Rica, H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, at a meeting hosted by the Bahá’í International Community (BIC), the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), and the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN), where participants discussed how to maintain security in a fracturing world.

“I do agree that we need to invest in a safer world,” President Alvarado continued. “The question is, is it a tank? Is it a bomb? Is it a missile? Is that the way to make it safer?”

The event, titled, “Militarization Trends and Their Impact on Sustainable Development Goals and Sustaining Peace,” continued a series of  “Road to the Summit” meetings hosted by the BIC ahead of last year’s Summit of the Future at the United Nations in New York. The latest discussion included government officials, UN agency representatives, and civil society actors, who explored Costa Rica’s unique history and the unconventional steps it took to abolish its armed forces in 1948. Costa Rica has since prioritized investment in social development—representing a notable alternative approach to national security spending.   

Military expenditure placed a heavy cost on taxpayers, BIC Representative Liliane Nkunziman said in opening remarks. “In 2023, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute calculated that world military spending had reached $2.4 trillion,” she said, “while in 2024, the Financing for Sustainable Development Report outlined that SDG financing and investment gaps were estimated to be between $2.5 and $4 trillion annually.”

Addressing the role that “global inequity” and “unsustainable practices” play in driving instability, co-moderator Michael Collins, executive director at the Institute for Economics & Peace, said that recent trends were leading to “an increased military expenditure.”

The conversation was held in response to a call for papers and events from the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs on the relationship between disarmament and development. Many at the meeting expressed concerns that geopolitical upheavals were prompting governments to increase spending on armaments—at the expense of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Acknowledging the unique case of Costa Rica, President Alvarado stated, “I will not argue for the case of absolute disarmament in this world. It will sound very unrealistic, and even naive.” 

“I’m convinced that it’s not about implementing somebody else’s formula…. We preach a lot, saying this is the developmental pathway, this is the diagnosis, and this is the remedy. I believe that we need to liberate the space for people to think about their own developmental pathway,” he added.

Other topics discussed included diplomacy as an instrument for security, the value of prioritizing investment in human and sustainable development, and the importance of the rule of law in promoting trust and managing international disputes.

In closing the session, and in response to the Secretary-General’s upcoming analysis on the impact of increasing military spending on the Sustainable Development Goals, President Alvarado said: “My recommendation goes in the direction of challenging the notion that arming makes you more secure. It’s just not the answer.” 

“If we were to actually deescalate and use those fiscal margins to address an existential threat such as climate change or loss of biodiversity, if we use them to address the existential threats of the people that are the most vulnerable, then you start building a more secure planet for all of us,” the former president added.

President Alvarado was also interviewed about sustainable futures by the BIC’s Daniel Perell and C4UN’s Nudhara Yusuf on the UN Necessary podcast. And Costa Rica’s efforts on climate change were featured in a recent episode of the Outrage + Optimism podcast. A summary of the BIC’s meeting featuring President Alvarado can be accessed at this link.