New Delhi, September 30, 2026: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the international community to draw renewed inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, dialogue and human dignity as wars, displacement and military expenditure continue to rise across the world.
In his message marking the International Day of Non-Violence on October 2, Guterres said Gandhi demonstrated that lasting change could be achieved without replicating the cruelty of oppression.
“Gandhi showed that the best way to counter injustice is not to mirror the cruelty and violence of systemic discrimination and oppression—but to employ instead the tools of dialogue and non-violence to build bridges of understanding, deliver dignity and create lasting change,” he said.
The UN chief’s appeal comes as the world faces its most intense period of organised violence in decades. According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, 65 state-based conflicts were recorded in 2025, the highest number since records began in 1946. The number of wars rose to 13, while conflict-related deaths reached approximately 244,600, the highest level recorded since 1994.
Africa remained the region with the largest number of state-based conflicts, with 29 recorded in 2025. Asia accounted for 19 conflicts and the Middle East for 14—the highest number ever documented in the region. Europe recorded the highest number of conflict-related fatalities, largely because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Interstate conflicts double
The return of direct conflict between states has added to concerns over a wider breakdown of international security.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said the number of interstate armed conflicts doubled from three in 2024 to six in 2025. The conflicts involved at least 13 states, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, the United States, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
UCDP separately reported that 2025 saw eight interstate conflicts, the highest number in the post-Second World War period. It said the current decade had already witnessed 22 interstate conflicts, compared with 12 during the entire 2010s.
The trend points to a growing internationalisation of civil wars and regional disputes. Conflicts that begin within national borders are increasingly shaped by foreign weapons, proxy forces, military alliances and direct intervention.
Global military spending hits record
At the same time, governments are spending more on military preparedness than on diplomacy and conflict prevention.
Global military expenditure reached $2.887 trillion in 2025, an 11th consecutive annual increase and the highest level ever recorded by SIPRI. Military spending accounted for 2.5 per cent of global GDP.
European military expenditure rose by 14 per cent, while spending in Asia and Oceania increased by 8.1 per cent. Africa recorded an 8.5 per cent increase. India’s military expenditure rose by 8.9 per cent to approximately $92.1 billion, according to SIPRI.
The increase has been driven by the war in Ukraine, heightened tensions in Europe and Asia, instability in the Middle East and the broader competition among major powers.
The growth in military spending, however, has not translated into greater civilian security. Instead, it has coincided with rising displacement, humanitarian needs and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Displacement and hunger deepen
By mid-2025, an estimated 117.3 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide by conflict, persecution and insecurity. Sub-Saharan Africa hosted more than 45 per cent of the world’s internally displaced people, while the Middle East and North Africa accounted for around one-fifth of the global forcibly displaced population.
The humanitarian consequences are particularly severe in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar and several African conflict zones.
Conflict has also intensified food insecurity. FAO estimates that approximately 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, while around 2.1 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.
The FAO and the World Food Programme have identified conflict and violence as the main drivers of food insecurity in several major crises, including Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
War destroys food production, disrupts supply chains, drives people from their homes and restricts humanitarian access. For civilians, the impact continues long after the battlefield falls silent.
“Foundations of peace” being ignored
Guterres said poverty and inequality were widening the divide between the rich and the poor, while the foundations of peace and development were being undermined.
“The very foundations of peace and development—the UN Charter, human rights, international law and diplomacy and dialogue—are being ignored and flouted with impunity,” he said.
His remarks reflect growing concern over the erosion of international norms. The weakening of accountability has allowed powerful states and armed groups to evade consequences for violations of international humanitarian law, attacks on civilians and the obstruction of aid.
The decline of peacekeeping capacity has added to the strain. SIPRI reported that the number of multilateral peace operations fell to 58 in 2025, while personnel deployed to such missions declined by nearly half over the previous decade.
The contrast is stark: military expenditure is reaching record levels, while the resources available for mediation, peacekeeping and conflict prevention are shrinking.
Non-violence as political action
The UN message frames non-violence not as passivity, but as a method of political resistance and social transformation.
Gandhi’s legacy, in this context, extends beyond the absence of war. It involves confronting injustice without reproducing the hatred and brutality that sustain it. It requires dialogue, accountability and the protection of human dignity—even when political differences are deep.
For governments, that means treating diplomacy as a central instrument of national security rather than a last resort. It also means protecting civilians, expanding humanitarian access, supporting mediation and ensuring that weapons transfers do not contribute to violations of international law.
For international institutions, the challenge is to restore confidence in the rules they were created to uphold.
A warning to world leaders
The UN Secretary-General called for courage, empathy, dignity and a shared sense of humanity to overcome today’s divisions.
“Let’s work to heal divisions through genuine dialogue and diplomacy, end suffering, and build a peaceful world through non-violence,” he said.
The appeal carries particular weight this year. The global conflict data suggests that violence is no longer confined to isolated emergencies. It is spreading across regions, drawing in outside powers and placing unprecedented pressure on civilians.
The central message of Gandhi’s legacy is therefore also a warning: a world that treats violence as the first response will eventually make peace more difficult, more expensive and more elusive.
As governments mark the International Day of Non-Violence, the test will not be the language used in official statements. It will be whether dialogue is pursued before escalation, whether civilians are protected before statistics are counted and whether the global community is prepared to invest in peace with the same urgency with which it funds war.
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