Open Debate on “Poverty, Underdevelopment, and Conflict: Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security”
Tomorrow (19 June), the Security Council will hold an open debate on “Poverty, Underdevelopment, and Conflict: Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Kanni Wignaraja, and African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf are the expected briefers. Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Hilton Todd, is expected to chair the meeting. More than 80 speakers (including the briefers, Council members, and other member states) are expected to participate in the open debate.
A draft presidential statement proposed by Guyana on the linkages amongst poverty, underdevelopment, and security was being negotiated. However, consensus could not be reached, and it will no longer be pursued. It appears that one delegation in particular opposed reference to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which was one of the controversial issues during the negotiations. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), which had been negotiating a written advice to the Council in advance of the meeting, was also unable to achieve the required consensus among its 31 members. Reference to the SDGs was a sticking point in the PBC’s deliberations as well.
Guyana has chosen to organise tomorrow’s open debate as the signature event of its June Security Council presidency, in keeping with the overall theme of its Council tenure, “Partnering for Peace and Prosperity”. Guyana has circulated a concept note ahead of the open debate, which says that the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter provides an opportune moment for the Security Council to examine how it can complement a more robust and coordinated UN system-wide approach to preventing conflict by supporting economic, social, and political transformations; protecting development gains and preparing for early recovery during active conflicts; and promoting long-term actions that could prevent the recurrence of conflict. It adds that tomorrow’s meeting is premised on the view that tackling poverty and underdevelopment is an important conflict prevention tool, noting that efforts to promote macroeconomic stability and growth, strengthen institutions, and support local community development can help save possible conflict-related costs, including in terms of humanitarian needs and lost economic output.
Tomorrow’s open debate builds on a recurring theme in the work of the UN, including the Security Council, since the 1990s: the peace, security and development nexus. As early as January 1992, the Council held a meeting at the heads of state and government level that resulted in a statement in which members recognised that “lasting peace and stability require effective international cooperation for the eradication of poverty and the promotion of a better life for all in larger freedom”. Over time—and particularly since the adoption of resolution 2282 of 27 April 2016, which reframed peacebuilding as a proactive, inclusive, and integrated process aimed at preventing conflict—the Council has moved towards a more comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding that recognises the importance of addressing structural issues (that is, taking action to target underlying causes of conflict such as socioeconomic inequality, ethnic discrimination, and the lack of participatory politics).
In recent years, several Council presidents have initiated signature events that highlighted how limited economic progress—especially when combined with inequality, resource scarcity, and political instability—can heighten the risk of violent conflict. These meetings have also explored how conflict disrupts development efforts. For instance, China organised two signature events exploring such themes: an open debate on “Peace and Security in Africa: capacity-building for sustaining peace” held on 8 August 2022 and a 20 November 2023 open debate on promoting sustainable peace through common development. In addition, former Council member Mozambique convened an open debate on 30 March 2023, titled “Peace and security in Africa: the impact of development policies in the implementation of the Silencing the Guns initiative”.
The concept note for tomorrow’s meeting proposes several questions to help guide the discussion, including:
- How can the UN enhance coordination in its conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding efforts to promote sustainable peace and development more effectively?
- How can the Security Council cooperate with other UN entities to enhance its early warning and conflict analysis capacities and what new tools can be leveraged in this regard?
- What steps can the Security Council take to better understand the root causes and drivers of conflict to inform its decisions and mandates?
Tomorrow, several speakers are expected to highlight the connections amongst peace, security, and development. Support may be expressed during the meeting for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by UN member states in September 2015, especially given projections indicating that two-thirds of people in poverty will be living in conflict-affected contexts by 2030. While the 2030 Agenda continues to have extensive international support, the US has been highly critical of it since Donald Trump returned to power in early 2025. At a 4 March meeting of the General Assembly, the US stated that it “rejects and denounces” the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, stating that they advance “a program of soft global governance that is inconsistent with U.S. sovereignty and adverse to the rights and interests of Americans”.
Some of the speakers may also express the view that alleviating poverty can help to prevent conflict—a point that China, Guyana, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia also made at the Council’s March 2024 open debate organised by Japan on “Promoting conflict prevention—empowering all actors including women and youth”. The same speakers might also draw on recent data, such as that contained in the World Social Report 2025 produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), to highlight that conflict deepens poverty by destroying livelihoods and institutions, while poverty and underdevelopment foster grievances, weaken social cohesion, and increase the risk of violence. They could further emphasise that breaking this cycle requires integrated, conflict-sensitive development strategies that build resilience, strengthen institutions, promote equity, and foster trust.
Some participants may also call on the Security Council to develop more strategic partnerships with other parts of the UN system—such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the PBC, and relevant funds, programmes, and agencies—as well as with international financial institutions and regional and sub-regional organisations in support of the UN’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts. There may be references to the review of the Peacebuilding Architecture that is currently underway, including discussion of how the Council and the PBC can work together more effectively to combat poverty and underdevelopment while building and sustaining peace.
Some speakers may underscore the importance of strengthening coordination between UN peace operations and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in addressing socioeconomic challenges that exacerbate insecurity. The need to transfer tasks from UN peace operations to UNCTs during transition processes in an orderly and coherent way may be highlighted in this regard.
Contrasting views are likely to be expressed on the Council’s role in addressing the linkages between security and development. Some members may argue that issues such as climate change and gender inequality are key sources of underdevelopment that contribute to insecurity. In contrast, others may argue that such factors are not within the Council’s mandate. Like the references to the SDGs, language on climate change was a controversial topic during the negotiations on the draft presidential statement that will no longer be pursued.
