HUMAN SECURITY

A critical evaluation of the concept of human security, with the aim of illustrating the elements of
the Remarks to Meeting of Group of Friends of Human Security, will require a clarification of
the concept itself. The components of human security will then be studied after the clarification,
linking each component with elements of the Speech.

Human security is a concept sprung from years of need. This need is not singular, as it is a
conglomerate of needs (United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, 2023), ranging from
needs occurring from the disasters of nature (floods and storms) to needs resulting from the
activities of man (economic instability and global warming). Violent conflicts, political
instability, poverty have been recognised as life-threatening ills which have the power to
devastate nations, and in order to prevent this from happening, human security was developed
(United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, 2023).

In the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of 66/290, human security was described as
an approach which was created in order for Member States to identify these challenges, with the
aid of aiding the survival, livelihood and dignity of persons (United Nations Trust Fund for
Human Security, 2023). It is reflected in the United Nations quote, “freedom from fear, freedom
from want, freedom to living in dignity”.

This concept has been analysed in various studies and articles, with theories proposed for its
creation and conceptualisation. While the general theory of the concept being birthed as a result
of human problems is widely accepted, the particular problems agreed on by scholars differ.
While a few believe that the concept resulted from the aftermath of the Cold War (Johns, 2014),
there are others who believe that it was established in order to connect freedoms, not only from
war, but from fear and want (Alkire, 2003).

The latter aim is upheld by the United Nations, which ensures that human security is centered on
individuals and ensuring that each individual is protected and provided for (London School of
Economics and Political Science & United Nations, 2023). This means that, as stated above and
in earlier parts of the work, human security is essentially identifying the challenges faced by the
individuals and solving them in order to maintain their dignity and ensure their survival.
The concept of human security is based on deprivation and vulnerability (Busumtwi-Sam, 2008),
and its aim is to redefine what was previously obtained as security in international relations. On
the range of deprivation to vulnerability, human security seeks to eliminate what would be
considered threats to human security. One of the elements on the spectrum is threats or risks.
Here, human security is concerned with ensuring that there are no threats to the freedom and
safety of persons. These threats have to have human connected factors for them to be considered
threats to human security (Deudney, 2001). This means that when they are merely threats to the
environment without potential risk to human beings, they will not be within the purview of
human security. As a result, human security threats are usually political, social and technological
threats which occur at various levels of society.

Another element to be considered is vulnerability, where the threats are linked to the weaknesses
of individuals, in order to determine the damage which is to be avoided (Busumtwi-Sam, 2008).
To determine this damage, the exposure which the individuals have regarding the threats is
examined. The aim of this is to find means of reducing the level of exposure which they will
have to the threats. This involves checking the geographical location of the affected individuals
and finding a means of making the area safe, checking the sensitivity of individuals and
employing different methods for specific individuals, and taking account of the resilience of
individuals.

Deprivation, the third and final element, is the lack of security which it seeks to prevent. It is
similar to vulnerability, but unlike vulnerability which is concerned with measuring the
individuals and how they will be affected by future risks, deprivation is faced with the current
issues and how they can be addressed (Busumtwi-Sam, 2008). This may include poverty and
inequality among individuals. Since human security is involved with the issues affecting human
freedom, safety and dignity, its aim is to ensure that these problems are solved, so that they do
not affect the aims which human security is trying to uphold.

In other to achieve the elements, human security follows three steps – prevention, protection and
empowerment (Busumtwi-Sam, 2008). These steps are taken as their name suggests. The threats
which are perceived to affect human security are prevented, and protective measures are taken to
ensure that the prevented threats do not occur. Finally, the individuals are empowered so that the
prevention measures taken are sustained.
These elements are contained on the spectrum of threats to deprivation. In addition to them are
the components of human security. Human security comprises various components, in a bid to
further its aims. These components will be identified from the United Nations (United Nations
Trust Fund for Human Security, 2023):

Human security involves establishing a planned framework. This is because it has been
recognised as a measure towards solving world level threats, and in order to ensure that it is
effectively achieved, an established framework is required to guide the procedures taken in the
achievement of this aim. This framework will involve collection of data regarding the challenges
and threats to be addressed, analysing such data, and determining how they will be effectively
handled, and what form of measures would be most sufficient. In the provided Speech, human
security was recognised in the face of the pandemic, and the post-COVID 19 era, with a
framework to “chart post-pandemic future that will ensure greater equity, opportunity and dignity
for all”. This means that human security is not merely a concept, but requires a framework for its
actualisation.

Secondly, human security requires unification. A call for partnership is essential for human
security to be effectively achieved. These partnerships are formed to unify sectors which are
connected with the challenges faced, leading to more efficient responses. Noting that each sector
or community is equipped at different levels than others, in terms of knowledge and resources,
the United Nations requires multi-stakeholder contributions from the sectors, so as to attain
complete equipment for human security. This is reflected in the Speech, which calls for “bringing
together the different agendas of the international community”. The aims of these people are
recognised and streamlined towards human security.

Another core component of human security is localisation and individuality. With its main aim
being to ensure collective freedom, it seeks to attain this by recognising the bodies who make up
the collective. This means that it targets the root problems, and tries to address them at those
roots. Understanding that the challenges surrounding human security differ with each individual,
community and country, it provides unique ways of dealing with them, and does not employ a
uniform approach for all instances. In applying its framework, it allows for localisation and
recognition of national agendas in order to ensure that each nation is part of the human security
initiative. An illustration of this in the Speech where the Secretary General states that “by
prioritizing a ground-up approach, it deepens our capacity to make meaningful progress on the
commitment to leave no one behind”. This statement emphasises the priority the United Nations
has placed on localisation as a key factor of human security.

Finally, human security is not only focused on remedying problems. It seeks to prevent the
causes of these issues, providing solutions that will ensure that they do not become major threats
to human security. In this component, early action is the keyword, as attention is paid to
emerging risks in order to address them before they become grave challenges. Through focusing
on prevention, resilience becomes a tool for ensuring that this component of human security is
achieved. This is because achieving a resilient system fixated on human security, will maintain a
check for arising problems. This form of system will be constantly equipped to ensure that
human security is achieved, and promote social cohesion aimed at identifying situations where
such cohesions are threatened. As seen in the Speech, “it guides forward-looking strategies that
build the resilience of people and minimize the potential for sudden or slow-onset crises to grow
into full-blown human catastrophes”. This form of resilience and preventive measures mean that
a system that maintains a constant check for human security will be installed.

Conclusively, human security aims not only to protect individuals and countries from war and
violence, but to ensure their freedom and wellbeing, and safeguard their interests. These aims are
achieved by ensuring that the components of human security remain in place, guaranteeing its
achievement.
REFERENCES

Alkire, S. (2003). A Conceptual Framework for Human Security. Centre for Research on
Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity Working Paper.

Busumtwi-Sam, J. (2008). Contextualizing Human Security: A ‘Deprivation–Vulnerability’

Approach. Policy and Society, 27(1), 15-28.

Deudney, D. (2001). Environment and Security: Muddled Thinking. Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists, 47(3).

Johns, L. (2014). A Critical Evaluation of the Concept of Human Security. E-International

Relations. Available at: https://www.e-ir.info/2014/07/05/a-critical-evaluation-of-the-concept-of-
human-security/ (Accessed: 12 November 2023).

London School of Economics and Political Science & United Nations. (2023). Human Security:
An Approach and Methodology for Business Contributions to Peace and Sustainable
Development. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/Assets/Documents/
project-docs/un-at-lse/LSE-IDEAS-Human-Security-
Background.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiNqMfQn8mCAxWQQUEAHaO-
DSIQFnoECBUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3_heGRcvoomxy8VMo9zcOh (Accessed: 11 November
2023).

United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. (2023). What is Human Security? Available at:
https://www.un.org/humansecurity/what-is-human-security/ (Accessed: 11 November 2023).