Beyond Bullets
An initiative of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, Beyond Bullets, asks a simple but important question: why should disarmament matter to you? Through a monthly blog, it unpacks the crosscutting, intersectional issues in the Asia-Pacific region that are affected by disarmament. These monthly editions break down ‘disarmament’ into something readable, relatable, and real, stripping away the jargon and bringing disarmament back to what it has always been about: people.
Less Guns, More Goals:
Discussing the overlaps between disarmament and the SDGs
What do fewer weapons and a sustainable world have in common?
One makes the other possible.
Imagine a world without poverty. A world where every child goes to school, every community has clean water, and no one lives in fear of conflict. That is not a dream; it is the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals. Adopted by world leaders in 2015, the SDGs set out a roadmap for a better future by 2030.
There is a direct line between disarmament and development — and the data makes it impossible to ignore. Increased investment in development initiatives, along with plans to reliably monitor the flow of these investments, are instrumental in bolstering the achievement of the SDGs. However, 2024 marks the tenth consecutive year of increasing military expenditure (read more).
To put it in perspective, even a 1% increase in military spending results in an almost equal reduction in publicly financed health services, while less than 4% of the current global military spending could be sufficient to eradicate world hunger. Meanwhile, progress on hunger, climate action, quality education, and inequality is stalling across the region.
Asia-Pacific is home to some of the world’s strongest political and economic powers, and nearly half the population of the planet. In fact, out of the top twenty countries with the highest military budgets, six belong to the region — including China at $250 billion and India at $76 billion in 2025. Asia-Pacific is thus a significant and rapidly growing driver of global military expenditure. As a stark reminder, the average SDG score of the region — which can be understood as a percentage indicator of SDG achievement — is just 68.6. At its current pace, the Asia-Pacific will not achieve all SDGs until 2062, marking a 32-year delay. However, it is also important to note that this average is pulled up considerably by high-income countries like Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Countries like Pakistan perform comparatively poorly, scoring just 56.97. Thus, an average of 68.6 reflects significant gaps despite some strong performers.
Compounding these issues, merely 12 out of 57 (21%) countries in the region are State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), while just 9 out of 57 (16%) countries in the region are signatories of the ATT. Adopted in 2013, the ATT aims to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms, and promotes cooperation, transparency, and responsible action among the international community.
This is not just a story about weapons and money. It is a story about what we choose to call security. For too long, security in the Asia-Pacific has been framed almost exclusively in military terms, measured in defence budgets, weapons stockpiles, and strategic deterrence. But real security looks different. It looks like a child who can go to school without the fear of hunger or armed violence. A community with access to clean water. A coastline protected from the climate disasters that are already reshaping lives across Asia and the Pacific. Reframing security to focus on the sources of individual perceptions of insecurity and vulnerability is not a soft position; it is the most strategic one available, and it is one the SDGs were built around.
The resources exist to change this trajectory. Asia-Pacific is one of the most dynamic and innovative regions in the world. But potential alone does not deliver development. When governments choose to invest in weapons over welfare, in arms over agriculture, in deterrence over diplomacy, the results are stark. They are measured in preventable deaths, in children out of school, and in communities left behind. The SDGs are not yet having the desired impact, not because the vision was wrong. They are lagging because the priorities are.
The good news is that the region is not without hope or agency. Regional dialogue platforms (such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting), confidence-building measures, and growing momentum around treaty ratification offer tangible pathways towards restraint and transparency. A new generation of young leaders across the Asia-Pacific is demanding accountability, pushing for inclusion in security dialogues, and refusing to accept the dichotomy between peace and progress. Regional cooperation, transparency in military expenditure, and the meaningful inclusion of civil society and youth in security dialogues are not idealistic aspirations. They are practical, proven tools for building the kind of stable, peaceful environment in which development can actually take root and grow.
The Asia-Pacific does not need to choose between security and sustainability, but it does have to stop treating them as separate conversations. Disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation are not unattainable, idealistic, or a threat to stability. They are, in fact, the most practical investment the region can make in its own future because a region that chooses people over power, and dialogue over dominance, is a region that can actually deliver the world the SDGs promised.
The path to 2030 runs through peace, and in the region, the call to travel on it has never been more urgent — or more attainable.
The material in this publication and the views of the authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States.
For more information, contact unrcpd-info@un.org.
About the Author
Tejaswi is a recent graduate from Symbiosis Law School, India where she earned her degree in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Legislative Laws. She is passionate about gender equity, socio-economic inclusion, and sustainable development, and is a vocal advocate for marginalized communities.
Currently, Tejaswi is working as a Public Affairs intern at the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and playing chess.
To learn more about Tejaswi’s work, find her on LinkedIn.
