Peace order required: DGB warns of record conflicts in 2025!

Peace order required: DGB warns of record conflicts in 2025!

On July 17, 2025, we face a disturbing reality: a record number of armed conflicts are expected since the end of the Second World War. The German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) and its member unions are therefore calling for an urgent reorientation of the peace and security order within the framework of the United Nations. They emphasize the need for multilateral conflict solutions that rely on diplomacy and crisis prevention. For them, the inviolable cornerstones of a rules-based international order are the prohibition of force under international law, the sovereign equality of states and the self-determination of peoples. According to dgb.de, these approaches are essential in order to deal with the tense geopolitical situation.

As the current situation shows, the effects of war and conflict are devastating. Over 200,000 deaths and 120 million people losing their homes paint a bleak picture. Children, who are often considered the “forgotten victims” in crisis regions, are particularly affected. The DGB demands, among other things, that additional military spending must not come at the expense of social programs. Questions are rightly being raised with regard to the planned increase in defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product - this would amount to almost half of the entire federal budget. Instead, the focus should be more on social investments and diplomatic initiatives.

The role of the United Nations

A central actor in peacekeeping is the United Nations, which, since its founding in 1945, has formulated the call to uphold international law and secure world peace. The UN currently has 193 member states, and their Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining world peace, as described in Article 24 of the UN Charter. But the challenges are great. There have been no new peacekeeping missions in the last decade, while conflicts such as the one in Ukraine continue to escalate. Tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Iran, are also increasing. The Security Council, which can only take military action with the consent of all permanent members, is often complicated by veto rights and great power interests, which puts a strain on the credibility of peace missions, as bpb.de notes.

Another example is the situation in conflict regions such as Myanmar or the Sahel region, where human rights violations and war crimes are widespread. This increases the responsibility of the international community, especially the EU and NATO countries, which run the risk of becoming the pawn of major powers. While the UN regulations on the prohibition of force under international law provide a clear structure, the logic of the stronger is increasingly taking effect, demands deutschlandfunk.de and politics must therefore face the challenges of the present.

A call for climate awareness

In view of the impending catastrophes, efforts to create a peaceful and just world are more urgent than ever. The DGB makes it clear that Germany must strengthen its independent role as an international peacemaking power and work to end the current spiral of rearmament. A commitment to defending liberal democracy and the social market economy is also required. Arms spending that comes at the expense of social programs weakens both defense capability and democracy in the long term.

In summary, the trade unions are calling for a return to the values ​​of the UN Charter and the principles of the Final Act of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in order to find a path to a peace policy that not only takes past conflicts into account, but also offers a glimpse of a better future and stability in the world.