A publication of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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This year is the 20th anniversary of the release of the 1994 United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report, which defined the concept of human security and brought it to international attention. It is thus timely to ask: where is human security today? The following is the first part of a series exploring the evolution of the concept and its impact on security thinking and practice.
Human Security 20 Years On:
The evolution of human security
By Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Singapore
The latter part of the 21st century witnessed a shift in the understanding of international security. As tensions between countries eased with the end of the Cold War, new and significant security challenges gained prominence, and some began to argue that security as had been understood was not sufficient to guarantee peoples’ well-being. ‘Human security’ was thus introduced into the world’s security consciousness through the UNDP’s 1994 Human Development Report.
The broadening of security
The 1994 Human Development Report called for the broadening of the scope of global security, from one that focuses on the protection of state borders from external threats, to one that concerns the lives of people and communities inside and across those borders. Specifically, it outlined seven components of human security:
- economic security.
- food security.
- health security.
- environmental security.
- personal security.
- community security.
- political security.
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Freedom from fear vs freedom from want
Although human security is now seen as a core national security framework by many countries, debates over its meaning continue. One of the early controversies was the question of whether human security was essentially about freedom from fear or freedom from want.
Countries such as Canada and Norway emphasised human insecurity resulting from violent conflict and were strong advocates of human security as freedom from fear. This focus resulted in international treaties such as the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Mine Ban Treaty) and the 1998 Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Meanwhile, countries in Asia appeared to favour the notion of human security as freedom from want. Japan, for example, emphasised human insecurity resulting from poverty and economic deprivation. It uses its Official Development Assistance programme as the main tool for international engagement in this regard. It also played a key role in the establishment of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the Commission on Human Security.
Today, human security is largely understood as encompassing both freedom from fear and freedom from want, as well as the freedom to live a life of dignity.
Human security in practice
In recent years, there have been efforts to move human security beyond the realm of theory to that of practice, an area that is as yet under-developed. An example of such is Amitav Acharya et al.’s Human Security: From Concept to Practice (2011), which applies several human security tools to conflict-affected areas in India. The range of tools used includes the Human Security Governance Index, the Human Insecurity Index and the Human Security Impact Assessment (for development projects).
In addition to helping to prevent and mitigate threats, such tools are important in refining the human security concept itself. For example, the 2011 analysis by Acharya et al. suggests that the notion of a sharp line between freedom from fear and freedom from want – the subject of much debate in academic and policy circles – holds little meaning for those directly affected by conflict.
Human security has come a long way from its early beginnings and has shaped the foreign policy agendas of many countries. With the security impacts of various threats – internal conflicts, climate change, natural disasters, transnational crime – continuing to rise in significance, there is increasing urgency to develop human security as a framework for threat evaluation and forecasting, among others; and so increase its utility for strengthening the human security of populations around the world. Throughout 2014, the NTS Bulletin will explore each human security component in turn.
Core readings
- UN Development Programme (UNDP), 1994, Human development report 1994: New dimensions of human security, New York.
- Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver and Jaap de Wilde, 1998, Security: A new framework for analysis, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
- Mely Caballero-Anthony and Alistair D.B. Cook (eds), 2013, Non-traditional security in Asia: Issues, challenges and framework for action, Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS
News & Commentaries
- Roger Williamson, Focus on poverty: Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan, SciDev.Net, 21 November 2013.
- Graham Readfearn, How rich countries dodged the climate change blame game in Warsaw, Planet Oz, 25 November 2013.
- Justin Goldman and Ava Patricia C. Avila, Operation Damayan and a forward-looking PH-US Alliance, Rappler, 2 December 2013.
- Snow falls in Vietnam, Al Jazeera, 16 December 2013.
- Everton Fox, Australia goes from heatwave to flood watch, Al Jazeera, 23 December 2013.
- Sapa-AFP, Typhoon sparks Philippine children trafficking fears: Charity, Times Live, 11 January 2014.
- Darwin G. Amojelar, World Bank cuts PH growth forecast for 2013–2014 on typhoon impact, InterAksyon, 15 January 2014.
- Jacques Maudy, Dynamite fishing in Burma’s Mergui Archipelago proves hard to stop, The Irrawaddy, 15 January 2014.
Selected Publications
The recommendations in this policy brief are based on four civil society consultations from 2012 to 2013. Civil society participants noted that human activity is causing severe damage to the ecosystems that support life. Of concern are the increasingly unsustainable consumption and production patterns, particularly the inequitable exploitation of natural resources by the extractive, energy and agro-industrial industries.
This legal reference guide examines the connections between climate change and human rights, with particular focus on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It aims to ensure that governments continue to meet their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil economic, social and cultural rights in the context of new challenges brought about by climate change, as well as to highlight opportunities for policymakers.
This paper discusses how China’s changing socioeconomic landscape could threaten biogas as a sustainable energy solution for millions of rural households. It suggests that reviewing the biogas sector and taking objective action to secure China’s future would benefit the country and provide lessons to other countries facing challenges in rural energy supply.
Events & Announcements
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ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY
News & Commentaries
- Alison Sider and Kristin Jones, In fracking, sand is the new gold, The Wall Street Journal, 2 December 2013.
- ADB loan to help power further growth in Bali, Asian Development Bank, 3 December 2013.
- Rajeev Jayaswal, Technology and market-based pricing are two factors to lead shale gas revolution: PM Manmohan Singh, The Economic Times, 3 December 2013.
- India will be largest source of oil demand growth after 2010: IEA, NDTV, 5 December 2013.
- Bambang Muryanto, RI, Sweden to develop renewable energy technologies, The Jakarta Post, 8 December 2013.
- Daniel Gilbert, Exxon presses for exports, The Wall Street Journal, 11 December 2013.
- IEA raises oil demand outlook on European, US growth, Channel NewsAsia, 11 December 2013.
- Japan lacks decommissioning experts for Fukushima, Today, 15 December 2013.
- Dan Frosch, A struggle to balance wind energy with wildlife, The New York Times, 16 December 2013.
- Outlook for Asia power sector stable in 2014: Moody’s, The Jakarta Post, 16 December 2013.
Selected Publications
The energy sector is undergoing a market shift. With China and India set to become the largest oil and coal importers respectively and US moves towards energy self-sufficiency, energy trade would start to flow from the American continent to the Asia-Pacific. Nevertheless, fossil fuels are likely to remain the primary source of energy in the near future. The Middle East is also likely to continue playing a pivotal role despite rising unconventional oil outputs in the US, Canada and Brazil.
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in Asia faces unpredictability of supply and demand. In China, LNG has competition from other sources including potential domestic shale gas production. In Japan and South Korea, nuclear energy use is declining, but LNG may not be an automatic substitute. On the supply side, there are new producers such as the US, Australia and Canada, but there is domestic opposition in the US and Canada against exporting their LNG and current prices of Australian LNG are high.
Events & Announcements
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FOOD SECURITY
News & Commentaries
- Ronnel W. Domingo, More funds eyed for PH farm sector, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2 December 2013.
- Rice inventories jump as exports climb, Bangkok Post, 4 December 2013.
- China’s top farm official reins in land reform expectations, Reuters, 5 December 2013.
- Mustaquim Adamrah and Linda Yulisman, WTO inks historic deal, The Jakarta Post, 8 December 2013.
- Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Finishing off hunger, Project Syndicate, 9 December 2013.
- Vietnam’s foray into social marketing of nutrition, IRIN, 10 December 2013.
- Elena L. Pasquini, Agriculture development – A risky business, Devex, 11 December 2013.
- Chikako Mogi and Masaaki Iwamoto, Abe breaks micro-farms to end Japan agriculture slide, Bloomberg Businessweek, 12 December 2013.
- Genetically modified crops: Food fight, The Economist, 14 December 2013.
- Major economic models on climate change and agriculture point in same direction, but differ on magnitude of effects, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 16 December 2013.
- Yupin Pongthong, World rice market to shrink: TDRI, The Nation, 17 December 2013.
Selected Publications
This report examines why and how pathogens of animal origin have become a global health threat and what might be done to mitigate it. The report suggests a paradigm shift in risk assessment, towards a greater focus on a ‘health-in-development’ approach that allows for increased stakeholder participation and analysis of the drivers of disease dynamics.
This paper outlines a framework for examining the relationships between poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, and proceeds to look at the empirical links among them. The analysis reveals that many countries manifest chronic poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, but a much smaller set of countries suffer from acute instances of such. This suggests that acutely vulnerable countries may benefit from targeted agricultural development strategies.
Events & Announcements
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HEALTH SECURITY
News & Commentaries
- Scientists discover potential malarial vaccine, Asian Scientist, 20 December 2013.
- Dyna Rochmyaningsih, Alleged cure for dengue in Indonesia stirs debate, SciDev.Net, 30 December 2013.
- There should be no more Indonesians without health coverage: SBY, The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2013.
- ASEAN Congress of Tropical Medicine, Parasitology to discuss tropical diseases, Bernama, 2 January 2014.
- Mike Ives, Setback for dengue-blocking mosquito trial in Vietnam, SciDev.Net, 3 January 2014.
- Health tourism: Thailand plans to become Asian medical hub, Tourism-review.com, 5 January 2014.
- Mayen Jaymalin, DOH: Measles outbreak in MM, The Philippine Star, 6 January 2014.
Selected Publications
An assessment of drug reformulations, repurposed products, vaccines and clinical trials (as markers of new advances) reveals that there is insufficient drug and vaccine development for neglected diseases. Indeed, product development research is still focused on malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhoeal diseases.
This article reviews the presentation, burden, correlations and treatment of mental disorder after disasters and identifies logistical and methodological challenges for disaster-related psychopathology. It suggests several directions for future research, including longitudinal assessments of disaster victims to identify disorder trajectories, evaluation of existing research to assess post-disaster functioning, and evaluation of a range of potential risk factors at multiple levels.
Events & Announcements
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INTERNAL AND CROSS-BORDER CONFLICT
News & Commentaries
- Gardiner Harris, Opposition leader’s execution spurs protests in Bangladesh, The New York Times, 12 December 2013.
- UN continuing to improve quality of peacekeeping, says senior official, UN News Centre, 13 December 2013.
- Asia-Pacific developing economies face low growth again in 2014, UN forecasts, UN News Centre, 19 December 2013.
- Sinthana Kosolpradit, Thai protester killed as election tensions rise, Reuters, 28 December 2013.
- Talks’ next hurdle: Territorial waters, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 28 December 2013.
- Julfikar Ali Manik and Gardiner Harris, Political clashes grow in Bangladesh’s capital, The New York Times, 29 December 2013.
- Confidence-building key to Kachin ceasefire, IRIN, 31 December 2013.
- Chun Han Wong and Sun Narin, Four dead in Cambodia garment strike, The Wall Street Journal, 3 January 2014.
- The plight of Myanmar’s Chins in India, IRIN, 3 January 2014.
- Shibani Mahtani, In Myanmar, pressure grows to clear way for a Suu Kyi presidency, The Wall Street Journal, 5 January 2014.
- Daniel Hurst, Asylum-seeker turnback: Indonesia conflicted on Abbott’s hardline policy, Guardian, 9 January 2014.
Selected Publications
This report presents the progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in the Asia-Pacific. Although countries in the region have had much success in poverty reduction, there are still many challenges in areas like social equality, urban planning, management of climate change effects, environmental protection and water security. It calls for a new development framework that emphasises sustainable development, inclusive growth, goals based on a country’s needs, social equity, reliable financing, partnership and better developmental statistics.
This is based on an interview with Professor Ibrahim Gambari. Drawing on his experience as a diplomat and UN envoy, Prof. Gambari discusses changes in international peacemaking, including new challenges in peace negotiations and the rising role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). He also talks about his involvement in Myanmar’s peace process and China’s engagement with peacebuilding.
Events & Announcements
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TRANSNATIONAL CRIME
News & Commentaries
- People smugglers selling visas for Australia, Channel NewsAsia, 18 November 2013.
- Margaret Munro, China’s academic ‘black market’ fooled Canadian journal, report says, The Province, 28 November 2013.
- Sue Dunlevy, Crystal meth drug laboratories in South East Asia double, News.com.au, 5 December 2013.
- Nigel Blundell, The new godfathers: Deadlier and more secretive than the Sicilian mafia, Mirror Online, 8 December 2013.
- Adriana Brasileiro, Brazil’s child sex trade soars as 2014 World Cup nears, Guardian, 9 December 2013.
- Desiree Tresa Gasper and Zazali Musa, Ancient treasures for sale on modern eBay, The Star, 12 December 2013.
- Nadeem F. Paracha, Years of the gun: A political history of the AK-47 in Pakistan, Dawn.com, 26 December 2013.
- Hong Kong authorities crack down on sex workers from mainland China, Want China Times, 29 December 2013.
- Emma Graham-Harrison, Drug trade could splinter Afghanistan into fragmented criminal state – UN, Guardian, 6 January 2013.
- Clark Gascoigne, US$400 billion smuggled into China from Hong Kong through trade misinvoicing since 2006, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), 7 January 2014.
Selected Publications
This publication presents a framework for companies to develop comprehensive anti-bribery programmes. While many large companies have no-bribes policies, all too few implement these policies effectively. The report encourages companies to consider using business principles as a starting point for developing their own anti-bribery programmes or to benchmark existing ones.
Despite eradication efforts, Southeast Asia continues to see a rise in poppy cultivation. Myanmar leads the way with poppy cultivation increasing 13 per cent from the previous year to 57,800 hectares, more than double that of 2006. In all, the country produced 870 tonnes of opium in 2013, an increase of 26 per cent over the previous year.
According to this report, developing countries lost USD5.9 trillion to illicit outflows from 2002 to 2011, with USD946.7 billion lost in 2011 alone owing to crime, corruption, tax evasion and other illicit activities. The outflows increased at an average rate of 10.2 per cent per year over the decade. China leads the world over the 10-year period with USD1.08 trillion in illicit outflows. However, 2011 marked the first time that Russia’s illicit outflows (USD191.14 billion) exceeded China’s (USD151.35 billion).
Events & Announcements
- 17th Transnational Crime Conference, 2–4 April 2014, Istanbul, Turkey.
- International Conference on Internet and Web, 7–8 June 2014, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 9–11 October 2014, Lincoln, NE, US.
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WATER SECURITY
News & Commentaries
- Russell Sticklor, New trilateral water-sharing deal a rare cause for optimism in the Middle East, World Politics Review, 12 December 2013.
- Keith Schneider, Torrent of water and questions pour from India’s Himalayas, Circle of Blue, 13 December 2013.
- Palash Ghosh, What are India and Pakistan really fighting about?, International Business Times, 17 December 2013.
- Matthew Yglesias, Freshwater macroeconomics has failed the market test, Slate, 18 December 2013.
- Shamsul Islam, Water security: ‘Water scarcity has put survival in jeopardy’, The Express Tribune, 18 December 2013.
- Peter Fisher, The world has fresh water, but it’s full of poison, The Conversation, 19 December 2013.
- Naimul Haq, Rice adding to arsenic toxicity in Bangladesh, SciDev.Net, 20 December 2013.
- GCC unified water security strategy discussed, Bahrain News Agency, 24 December 2013.
- Lia Paola Zambetti, Could there be fresh groundwater in Singapore?, Asian Scientist, 30 December 2013.
- World’s shrinking groundwater ‘needs better governance’, Phys.org, 30 December 2013.
- Egypt to cooperate with Nile Basin countries for water security, AllAfrica, 31 December 2013.
- Trip Gabriel, Thousands without water after spill in West Virginia, The New York Times, 10 January 2014.
Selected Publications
This new study estimates that half a million cubic kilometres of freshwater lie under the seas off the coasts of North America, China, Australia and South Africa. This is a hundred times more than what has been extracted from under the earth’s surface since 1900. Successfully extracting this freshwater from aquifers under the seabed however is likely to require expensive offshore drilling technology and the development of new techniques to prevent salinisation of the reserves.
According to this study, water shortages could double the impact of climate change on agriculture, leading to an estimated loss of up to 43 per cent of the supply of rice, maize, wheat and soybeans. Some regions are however predicted to have more water available in the future. The challenge will be whether these new wetter regions will be able to make up for the projected decline in food production in other areas.
The WRI Aqueduct Project evaluated, mapped and scored risk associated with freshwater for 180 countries around the world to create a global water stress index. After assessing 100 river basins ranked by area and population, the project identified 36 countries as facing ‘extremely high’ water stress levels. For an online interactive map, visit http://www.wri.org/resources/maps/aqueduct-country-and-river-basin-rankings.
Events & Announcements
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