Professor laments $2.9 trillion spent on war as he accepts Luxembourg Peace Prize
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2026 winner Emeritus Professor Tom Woodhouse from the University of Bradford used his acceptance speech to warn of a global imbalance between spending on war and investment in peace.
Professor Woodhouse, awarded in the category of outstanding contribution to peace education, was presented with his award by the Schengen Peace Foundation at a ceremony in the European Convention Center in Luxembourg.
In his acceptance remarks, Professor Woodhouse highlighted what he described as a stark reality, with more than $2 trillion spent globally on military and defence each year, compared with less than one per cent of that invested in peace education and conflict prevention.
“This imbalance is striking and is also getting worse. Even a small reduction in world military spending could generate a big peace dividend globally with investment into education, health and clean energy.”
World order
Professor Woodhouse, an internationally recognised figure in peace studies, has spent more than five decades shaping the field. His work has included supervising generations of doctoral researchers, leading the University’s Centre for Conflict Resolution, and helping to establish peace studies programmes across Europe and Asia.
Reflecting on the wider picture, he also pointed to significant progress. When he began his career in the 1970s, there were around 20 peace studies centres worldwide. Today, that number has grown to more than 700, underlining a growing global recognition of the importance of peacebuilding.
“Peace research and education has to be taken seriously. To counter the current fragmentation of world order and the alarming increase in defence spending, there is a strong economic case, as well as a moral one, for investment in peace education and peacebuilding at the local and global levels.”
His journey into the discipline began in 1974 when, after completing his PhD in history, he heard about the initiative at Bradford University to establish a new Department of Peace Studies. He was appointed as research assistant to Adam Curle, the UK’s first Professor of Peace Studies, and began what would become a lifelong career in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
Emeritus Professor Tom Woodhouse from the University of Bradford. Credit: University of Bradford.
Peace through football
Alongside his academic contributions, Professor Woodhouse has championed innovative approaches to peace, including the use of sport as a tool for social change. He is a founder of the Football Peace Academy, which promotes peace through football-based initiatives, including work in Colombia and the University of Bradford.
Reflecting on the award, he described it as both a “personal honour” and a “recognition of the University of Bradford’s long-standing commitment to peace education.”
The Luxembourg Peace Prize 2026 ceremony took place on Friday 19 June 2026 at the European Convention Center in Luxembourg.
Estimates for global defence spending can be found in the most recent reports published by both the Institute for Economics and Peace and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), both of which track global militarization.