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 fifth part of a series exploring the evolution of the concept and its impact on security thinking and practice.

20 Years of Human Security:
A special focus on health security

By Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Singapore

The explicit link between health and security first entered the policy mainstream in the 1946 World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution. Since the WHO’s Health for All movement began in 1977 and the Alma Ata Declaration was signed in 1978, global focus turned to preventive and primary health care from disease-centred and curative interventions.

The emergence of health security

By the 1990s, health security was firmly in the security lexicon as a basic element of human security as found in the 1994 UNDP Human Development Report. It identifies the threats posed to human lives by communicable and non-communicable diseases, and draws a link between health, poverty and inequality – a preventive strategy. Also in 1994, the WHO released ‘Health in Development’ that asserted basic rights and responsibilities needed to maintain, protect and promote better health, well-being and quality of life in line with economic development.

The 2003 Commission on Human Security (CHS) reaffirmed that good health was no longer just an absence of disease but a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.’ As such, alongside global infectious diseases, poverty-related issues also threaten the health security of states and societies.

A comprehensive way forward

In the same year the CHS released its report, the first case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was reported, which along with avian influenza and the novel coronavirus raised global alarm around transnational health threats. The response culminated in the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), enabling states to coordinate, manage and build capacity for international public health emergencies by 2012. However, 109 of 196 signatories sought a two-year extension to the 2012 deadline illustrating a key challenge to implementing global rules.

Presently, non-communicable diseases have reappeared as a central tenet of health security alongside pandemics and empowerment initiatives such as the Providing for Health Initiative (P4H). P4H comprises actors like the WHO and offers support to developing countries to establish universal health coverage and social health protection. Initiatives like this ensure a comprehensive approach to health security.

Core readings

• World Health Organization, 1994, Health in development: Prospects for the 21st century, background paper for the task force on health and development policies, Geneva.
• Lincoln C. Chen, Jennifer Leaning and Vasant Narasimhan (eds.), 2003, Global health challenges for human security, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Asia Center, Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University Press.
• World Health Organization, 2007, The world health report 2007, a safer future: Global public health security in the 21st century, Geneva.
• William Aldis, 2008, Health security as a public health concept: A critical analysis, Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 369–375.

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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS

News & Commentaries

• Vanessa Ee-Lyn Gomes, Water rationing takes toll on health, environment, The Malay Mail Online, 13 April 2014.
• Damian Carrington, IPCC climate change report: Averting catastrophe is eminently affordable, The Guardian, 13 April 2014.
• Zoe Li, Asian air pollution could have impact on global weather patterns, Cable News Network, 15 April 2014.
• Gabriela Aguilar and Sandya Salgado, Sri Lanka first in South Asia to access innovative World Bank Disaster Risk Financing, The World Bank, 22 April 2014.
• Kevin Lim, Asia needs more insurance against natural disasters, Channel News Asia, 22 April 2014.
• Gianna Gayle Amul and Alistair D.B. Cook, Networked resilience: Moving the Asia-Pacific forward, RSIS Commentaries, 22 April 2014.
• Patrick Michaels, The rise and fall of Earth Day, a day no one notices anymore, Forbes, 22 April 2014.
• Alan Neuhauser, After IPCC report, what's next for climate groups, US News, 23 April 2014.
• Qadir Sediqi, Afghanistan floods claim at least 102 lives, dozens more missing, Cable News Network, 25 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• Cyril Caminade, Sari Kovats, Joacim Rocklov, et al., 2014, Impact of climate change on global malaria distribution, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, Vol. 111, No. 9, pp. 1–6.
• Aditya Bahadur, Amy Kirbyshire, Dina Khan and Mihir Bhatt, 2014, What does it take to mainstream disaster risk management in key sectors?, CDKN Guide, Climate & Development Knowledge Network, London.
• Rafael Leal-Arcas and Catherine M. Wilmarth, 2014, Strengthening sustainable development through preferential trade agreements, in J. Wouters and A. Marx (eds.) Ensuring good global governance through trade, Edward Elgar, forthcoming.

Events & Announcements

• Bonn Climate Change Conference, 4–15 June 2014, Bonn, Germany.
• CSR-Asia Disaster Preparedness Forum 2014, 22 July 2014, Manila, The Philippines.

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ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Richard Anderson, How America energy independence could change the world, BBC, 2 April 2014.
• Victoria Bekiempis, It’s a wind-wind situation, Newsweek, 2 April 2014.
• European energy security: Conscious uncoupling, The Economist, 5 April 2014.
• Bryan Walsh, Renewable energy investment is down – and that’s OK, Time, 7 April 2014.
• Keith Bradsher, China takes on big risks in its push for shale gas, The New York Times, 11 April 2014.
• Mark Eels, China’s delicate pursuit of natural gas, The Diplomat, 15 April 2014.
• Robert D. Blackwill and Meghan O’Sullivan, America’s energy edge, Foreign Affairs, 21 April 2014.
• Wilda Asmarini, Indonesia’s PLN expects LNG demand to double in 2015 – executive, Reuters, 21 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• Frankfurt School–UNEP Collaborating Centre, 2014, Global trends in renewable energy investment 2014: Key findings, Frankfurt.
• Sarah O. Ladislaw et al., 2014, New energy, new geopolitics, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington.

Events & Announcements

• Sustainable Energy for All Forum, 4–6 June 2014, New York, the United States of America.
• Charting the Course to a Secure and Cleaner Energy Future, 30 June–1 July, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

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FOOD SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Anna Scott, Global food security: Could wheat feed the world?, The Guardian, 1 April 2014.
• Peter Shadbolt, Hong Kong’s fish farm in the sky, BBC News, 2 April 2014.
• Ernesto M. Ordoñez, Gov’t urged to take into account incomes of farmers, fishers, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 April 2014.
• San Yamin Aung, Burma bans foreign fishing boats from its waters, The Irrawady, 3 April 2014.
• Thai plan to offload record rice stockpiles may spark price war, Today, 4 April 2014.
• Michael Taylor and Yayat Supriatna, Indonesia import duty decision set to shake up global cocoa supply, Jakarta Globe, 8 April 2014.
• Beth Hoffman, The shocking cost of food waste, Forbes, 11 April 2014.
• Kim Luces, World’s longest rice experiment seeks answers vs. climate change, GMA News Online, 18 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• Oxfam International, 2014, Hot and hungry – how to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger, United Kingdom.
• Anna Locke and Giles Henley, 2014, Biofuels and local food security: What does the evidence say?, ODI Briefing Paper No. 86, London, United Kingdom.

Events & Announcements

• Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture 2014, 14–15 July 2014, Manila, The Philippines.
• 4th International Rice Congress, 27 October–1 November 2014, Bangkok, Thailand.

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HEALTH SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Paul Icamina, Study recommends shift in pneumonia vaccination strategy, Asian Scientist, 11 April 2014.
• South Korea’s state health insurer sues Philip Morris, BAT for smoking damages, Reuters, 13 April 2014.
• Lotuslei Dimagiba, Asia-Pacific nations prodded on hepatitis action plans, Asian Scientist, 15 April 2014.
• Saliou Samb, West African Ebola outbreak caused by new strain of disease: Study, Reuters, 17 April 2014.
• Alex Bookbinder, Amid peace talks, health cooperation in Karen State sends positive signals, DVB Multimedia Group, 18 April 2014.
• 35 cases of H1N1 reported in Thani province; 4 fatalities, AsiaOne, 23 April 2014.
• MERS outbreak not an epidemic, says Saudi health ministry, Bernama, 23 April 2014.
• Michael Blanding, Are electronic cigarettes a public good or a health hazard? Forbes, 23 April 2014.
• Namini Wijedasa, Evolving dengue strains plague Sri Lanka, SciDev Net, 24 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• Derrick Silove, Belinda Liddell, Susan Rees, et al., 2014, Effects of recurrent violence on post-traumatic stress disorder and severe distress in conflict-affected Timor-Leste: A 6-year longitudinal study, The Lancet Global Health, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. e293–e300.
• Martin Gerdin, Mile Clarke, Claire Allen, et al., 2014, Optimal evidence in difficult settings: Improving health interventions and decision making in disasters, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 4, p. e1001632.

Events & Announcements

• mHealth Summit Asia-Pacific, 20–21 May 2014, Sydney, Australia.
• 20th International AIDS Conference, 20–25 July 2014, Melbourne, Australia.

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INTERNAL AND CROSS-BORDER CONFLICT

News & Commentaries

• Robert Carmichael, Cambodia’s eight-month political deadlock shows hints of ending, Voice of America, 2 April 2014.
• Sara Schonhardt, Why a vote in Aceh matters for Indonesia, The Wall Street Journal, 3 April 2014.
• UN vote and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, Al-Jazeera, 5 April 2014.
• Paula Defensor Knack, Bangsamoro peace deal for Mindanao: Where’s the peace?, The Diplomat, 9 April 2014.
• Unclear path for Sri Lankan war probe, IRIN, 15 April 2014.
• Myanmar rebel urges US role in country’s peace process, Associated Press, 22 April 2014.
• Sarah Whyte, Cambodia resettlement deal for asylum seekers moves closer, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 April 2014.
• UN urges greater action to combat sexual violence in 21 conflict countries, UN News Centre, 24 April 2014.
• Carl Thayer, ASEAN and UN peacekeeping, The Diplomat, 25 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• International Crisis Group, 2014, Myanmar’s military: Back to the Barracks?, Asia Briefing No.143, Yangon/Brussels.
• Hernan Quincy, Louisa Johnson and Clara Langevin (eds.), 2014, Pathways to security: Closing gaps for forced migrants, University of Washington, The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Task Force 2014.

Events & Announcements

• Refugee Protection Outside of The International Legal Framework: Expanding Cross-National and Cross-disciplinary Collaboration, 27–28 May 2014, Evanston, USA.
• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 29 May.

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TRANSNATIONAL CRIME

News & Commentaries

• Alistair D.B. Cook and Caitriona H. Heinl, New avenues for regional cooperation: Tackling human trafficking in Asia, RSIS Commentaries, 3 April 2014.
• US unearths sophisticated border drug tunnels, The Straits Times, 5 April 2014.
• Andrew R.C. Marshall and Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Special report: Flaws found in Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown, Reuters, 10 April 2014.
• Sara Grosse, Guidelines to protect human trafficking victims during investigations being considered, Channel News Asia, 15 April 2014.
• Lucy Westcott, North Korea’s illicit economy includes fake Viagra and smuggled ivory, Yahoo News, 15 April 2014.
• Dinh Phu, Vietnam hub to tighten drug airport detection, Thanh Nien News, 28 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• KPMG International, 2013, Global profiles of the fraudster: White-collar crime present and future, Geneva.
• European Commission, 2014, Report from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: EU anti-corruption report, Brussels.

Events & Announcements

• ACAMS 13th Annual AML and Financial Crime Conference, 29 September–1 October 2014, Las Vegas, USA.
• Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 9–11 October 2014, Lincoln, USA.

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WATER SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Biruk Mekonnen, Egypt: South Sudan conflict and Egypt’s hydro politics, AllAfrica, 9 April 2014.
• Iraq insurgents use water as weapon after seizing dam, Reuters, 11 April 2014.
• Medilyn Manibo, Ho Chi Minh Declaration dodges Mekong dams dispute: Rivers group, Eco-Business, 15 April 2014.
• Cameron Harrington, Water wars? Think again: Conflict over freshwater structural rather than strategic, New Security Beat, 15 April 2014.
• Jenny David, Palestinian water shortages intensify due to drought, aging infrastructure, inaction, Bloomberg, 18 April 2014.
• Egypt challenges Ethiopia’s ‘logic’ the dam is ‘Sovereign Affair’, Geeska Afrika, 21 April 2014.
• Analysis: Water and conflict, IRIN, 22 April 2014.
• 60% of China underground water polluted: Report, AFP, 23 April 2014.
• Paul Kelly, What to do when we run out of water, Scientific American, 25 April 2014.
• S. Chandrasekharan, Pakistan’s water woes and India bashing – Analysis, Eurasia Review, 27 April 2014.
• Stephen Lendman, Kiev wages water wars, thepeoplesvoice.org, 27 April 2014.

Selected Publications

• Patricia A. Gober et al., 2014, Divergent perspectives on water security: Bridging the policy debate, The Professional Geographer, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 1–10.
• UN-Water, 2014, Coordination of water actions at the country level: A report of the UN-Water Task Force on country level coordination.

Events & Announcements

• Water Security for Policy Makers and Practitioners short course, 19–23 May 2014, Norwich, UK.
• Singapore International Water Week, 1–5 June 2014, Singapore.

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About the Centre:

The Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, based in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), was inaugurated by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan in May 2008. The Centre maintains research in the fields of Climate Change, Food Security, Energy Security, Health Security, as well as Internal and Cross-border Conflict. It produces policy-relevant analyses aimed at furthering awareness and building capacity to address NTS issues and challenges in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The Centre also provides a platform for scholars and policymakers within and outside Asia to discuss and analyse NTS issues in the region.

The Centre is the Coordinator of the ASEAN-Canada Research Partnership (2012–2015) supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. It also serves as the Secretariat of the initiative.

In 2009, the Centre was chosen by the MacArthur Foundation as a lead institution for its three-year Asia Security Initiative (2009–2012), to develop policy research capacity and recommend policies on the critical security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific. It is also a founding member and the Secretariat for the Consortium of Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia (NTS-Asia).

More information on the Centre can be found at www.rsis.edu.sg/nts.

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