Today, in many countries, the mainstream media and especially governments are focusing on the importance of their strategic defense alliance with NATO. As a result, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is receiving negative publicity, as national defense and security issues are taking precedence over international aid. In the context of global instability, UNESCO is one of the first victims following the current reassessment of government budget priorities, where remilitarization is being prioritized over international aid.
UNESCO’s mission
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture. UNESCO is increasingly under threat.
Recently, UNESCO officials highlighted the situation to demonstrate how international aid is increasingly being neglected: in 37 hours, global military spending equals the total annual international aid provided to education by donor countries, according to 2025 data.
While estimates of last year’s forecasts predicted a 25% decrease in aid to education by 2027, the most recent data indicates that this reduction could reach 30%, at a significantly faster pace than previously anticipated, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report. (La Presse)
Conversely, NATO member countries—often major donors—are engaged in a race for military procurement.
This is a global trend, and this shift in priorities is concerning,” says Yuki Murakami, a researcher on UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report team, in an interview. (La Presse)
A Series of Budget Cuts
This is also the case in Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly opened the coffers in recent months to purchase military equipment, in a context where his government has pledged to reach the increased target of 5% of GDP set by NATO by 2025.
At the same time, the Canadian government has slashed international aid. The cuts are not as draconian as those in the United States (57%), with the dismantling of USAID, but the budget still was slashed by 38%, according to the UNESCO document.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, funding for the International Climate Cooperation Program (ICCP), within the framework of the 2030 Green Economy Plan, was cut by 38%.
These reductions are compounded by those of European countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, the British government also announced significant cuts to its international aid budget to finance increased defense spending. The decision was made to reduce the share of GDP allocated to development assistance from 0.5% to 0.3% – the UN agency’s target is 0.7%.
UNESCO’s target 0.7% of countries GDP
In the past years virtually no country reaches the 0.7% target. Canada was at 0.32% for 2025, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), far behind countries like Norway (1.03%), Sweden (0.85%), or Denmark (0.72%), but ahead of the United States (0.09%).
Underfunded education despite pressing needs
In the poorest countries, debt repayments are almost four times higher than education spending, and in 18 “heavily indebted” countries, the gap “exceeds a factor of five,” UNESCO emphasized in a report released earlier this year.
In total, 113 countries, home to 6.1 billion people, devote more resources to debt servicing than to their education systems, according to the same UN publication.
It is one of the most frequently neglected sectors because the benefits are not tangible,” insists UNESCO researcher Yuki Murakami.
The benefits in the field of education are primarily for future generations. In most countries future generations are neglected. Today we are experiencing the absurd consequences of governments’ response to the climate crisis, which will increase and affect the living conditions of future generations in the near future. It’s the well-being of future generations that is never taken seriously in government budgets, except when it comes to investments that will generate dividends for the corporate world.
Yet, education is the most profitable long-term investment for a country’s economic and human development, and for ensuring global security.
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Source: Le Journal, La Presse, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report
