Standing Committees > Human Security

There is a strong argument that the traditional state-centric approach to security has failed. Genocide, sectarian and ethnic violence, famine, torture, environmental degradation, and crime continues to dominate the news. Is it time for a change?

Human Security holds that a people-centered view of security is necessary for national, regional and global stability. Human security has been defined as safety from chronic threats and protection from disruptions in the patterns of daily life. But it is not as black and white as it seems.

Within the realm of human security, advocacy groups have mobilized around some issues, but not others. Is this just another example of political agendas chasing research dollars, or is it because the situation varies from one region to another?

The UNDP’s 1994 Human Development Report’s definition of human security argued that the scope of global security should include threats in seven areas – economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security.