Development as peace measure

The 1990s marked the beginning of a period of optimism with the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the concept of “peace dividends”. This concept suggested that states could reduce their military budgets and reallocate these funds toward social, environmental, and humanitarian projects. In 1994, the United Nations introduced the notion of “human security”, which placed the individual—rather than national military security—at the center of concerns. It defined security as the fulfillment of fundamental needs, such as access to food or freedom from violence.

In September 2000, the UN adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a roadmap to combat global poverty and inequality. Although these goals were not fully achieved, they paved the way for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched in 2015 to be accomplished by 2030.

Luxembourg has fully aligned its development cooperation policies with these SDGs, as evidenced by its strategy En route pour 2030. The country strives to expand access to basic services, such as education and healthcare, and promotes the socio-economic integration of women and youth. To achieve this, it has committed to allocating 1% of its gross national income to development aid, making it one of the most generous donors in the world. Beneficiaries include the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Despite its humanitarian framework, development aid is often criticised. It is sometimes accused of serving geopolitical interests, of securing new foreign markets for the businesses of donor countries, or of reflecting Western cultural supremacy. Some critics also highlight its ineffectiveness, as development aid often fails to address the root causes of crises in the Global South. This argument is further emphasised when donor countries contribute—directly or indirectly—to these crises through military interventions, resource exploitation, or close diplomatic ties with corrupt and dictatorial regimes.