New Working Paper Reframes Military Expenditure as a Human Rights Issue

Our recent working paper, ‘Reframing Military Expenditure as a Human Rights Issue‘, written by Florence Foster, argues that military spending must be understood not only as a matter of national security or fiscal policy, but as a direct human rights concern. The paper examines how large-scale defense budgets can divert resources from essential public services — including healthcare, education, housing, and climate resilience — thereby undermining the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights.

The paper highlights that while states are legally obligated under international human rights law – in particular International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) – to use available resources to the maximum of their means to fulfill rights, excessive or poorly justified military expenditure may constitute a failure to meet those obligations. It further identifies a lack of transparency and accountability in how military funds are reported, which hinders the ability of UN Treaty Bodies to monitor human rights compliance.

Drawing on case studies and international legal frameworks, the paper calls for greater transparency, parliamentary oversight, and human rights impact assessments of defense budgets — urging states, civil society, and UN Treaty Bodies to treat military spending as a matter of accountability under human rights law.