Minutes of the ABHS Seventh Meeting

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The seventh meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security (ABHS) was convened on 12-13 November 2008 at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting was chaired by Mrs. Sadako Ogata and attended by the following Board members: Mr. Vijay Nambiar, Ms. Sonia Picado, Mr. Surin Pitsuwan, Mr. Bradford Smith, and Ambassador Yukio Takasu.

Also present were some of the members of the Commission on Human Security (CHS): Mr. Amartya Sen, Mr. Albert Tevoedjre, and Mr. Carl Tham as well as Mr. François Fouinat, former Executive Director of the CHS. Ambassador Sanja Štiglic, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations; Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; and representatives from the Permanent Missions of Japan, Slovenia and Thailand; a representative from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, Director of the Program for Peace and Human Security in Sciences Po in Paris; as well as the Human Security Unit (HSU), OCHA, also attended the meeting.

1. Introductory remarks

Mrs. Ogata welcomed the members of the Advisory Board on Human Security to its seventh meeting. She also welcomed the members of the Commission on Human Security: Mr. Amartya Sen, Mr. Albert Tevoedjre and Mr. Carl Tham, as well as the participation of the Permanent Representatives of Japan, Slovenia and Thailand.

In opening the discussions, Mrs. Ogata highlighted that after having worked on elaborating the human security concept 5 years ago, this meeting should give the ABHS and the Commissioners the opportunity to further brainstorm, discuss and articulate views on human security in the world, and on related developments.

Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted that since the 2005 World Summit, the concept of human security has continued to draw attention in the international community and within the United Nations. He then commended the dissemination efforts by the Friends of Human Security (FHS) and the Human Security Network (HSN) to deepen the understanding of the concept among UN Member States. In this context, Mr. Holmes also highlighted the participation of numerous Member States during the thematic debate on human security in the General Assembly (GA) in May 2008 and that the President of the 63rd Session of the GA also expressed his interest in pursuing these discussions at the GA.

Mr. Holmes commended efforts made to translate human security into concrete activities on the ground through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) but also highlighted the need to further focus on the areas of prevention and recovery of conflicts as well as the interlinkages with other threats such as climate change.

2. Report to the Board on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the Human Security Unit

Mr. Kazuo Tase briefed the Board on the progress made by the HSU over the past 12 months (September 2007 to October 2008) and noted that the efficiency of the management of the UNTFHS has been improving steadily with the implementation of the revised UNTFHS Guidelines. In addition, he mentioned that a new and recently endorsed review process will further accelerate the application procedure and strengthen the management of the UNTFHS.

Furthermore, Mr. Tase highlighted that while concept notes are increasingly addressing the multi-sectoral demands of human security, the HSU is planning to more proactively support UN country teams in the project formulation process so as to further incorporate the human security approach. He then reported that in view of the recommendations made by the ABHS during its meeting last November, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been admitted as an official recipient of the UNTFHS and that the organization has already received funding in support of a project on human trafficking in Moldova.

3. General discussion on developments since the publication of the CHS report “Human Security Now” in 2003

The Board and the Members of the CHS then reviewed developments since the publication of the Commissions’ final report, Human Security Now, in 2003.

On the propagation of the concept, the Board stressed the continued relevance of the findings of the CHS report as, for example, with regards to (i) the marginalisation of vulnerable groups and the prevalence of abject poverty among these groups; (ii) downturn with security and the importance of safety nets; and (iii) post-conflict situations and the transition to peace, security and development.

Furthermore, given the current context of the global financial crisis, Ambassador Takasu noted that the CHS was established in response to the Asian financial crisis. In this context, several participants highlighted that the current financial crisis as well as the debates on climate change present an opportunity to further disseminate the human security approach as an appropriate framework to address current challenges.

The Board further underlined that the term ‘human security’ is generally well accepted by the academia, the media, as well as by a growing number of Governments. However, Mr. Pitsuwan emphasised that many actors still need further guidance and clarification on the substance of human security such as its protection and empowerment framework and the needed policy formulations under the human security approach.

In order to continuously link the human security approach to current challenges, Mr. Tevoedjre proposed that 1% of the UNTFHS should be directed to studies on human security and its application to emerging threats such as climate change and food insecurity. Mr. Tevoedjre also mentioned that each project should establish a communication and public relations strategy in order to better disseminate the human security concept and its understanding by the applying agencies.

Highlighting that human security is not competing with the Human Development Index (HDI), Mr. Sen suggested that the Board should identify 2 to 3 major indicators for human security such as participatory rights, healthcare coverage, democracy rights, etc., which could then be integrated into the Human Development Reports (HDRs). These reports could also be an important mechanism for improving the understanding of the human security approach.

Mrs. Ogata closed the session by highlighting the added value of the human security approach in addressing current challenges and thanked the Members for their invaluable contributions.

4. Presentation on UN migration initiatives

On behalf of Mr. Peter Sutherland, the UN Special Representative for Migration and former Member of the CHS, Mr. Fouinat briefed the participants on migration initiatives within the UN and their links to human security.

After elaborating on the background of the “Global Forum on Migration and Development,” Mr. Fouinat informed the participants that this initiative - while not a direct outcome - has nevertheless taken its roots in the work of the CHS. In particular, the selected theme of ‘Protection and Empowerment of Migrants for Development’ is very much linked to the report of the CHS, especially the chapter on people on the move and the need to better protect and empower migrants in countries of origin and settlement.

Given the current nature of the globalization process, participants highlighted the importance of tackling the issue of migration from a human security perspective. In this context, Mr. Nambiar recognised that discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) should not only focus on the mobility of capital but also that of labour. Furthermore, Mr. Nambiar highlighted the need to also include in the deliberations on migration further discussions on the issue of ‘brain drain’ and its impact on the development process.

5. Strategies for concept dissemination and global outreach

Ambassador Takasu, in his presentation to the Board, highlighted efforts made in disseminating the human security concept among UN Member States through initiatives such as the ‘Friends of Human Security’ (FHS) and the thematic debate on human security at the General Assembly in May 2008. Ambassador Takasu also underlined dissemination efforts in other fora such as the G8, the World Bank and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

The Board noted that significant advances have been made in propagating the concept of human security but also highlighted the need for the continued promotion of the concept. Several participants called on OCHA to ensure that operational projects funded under the UNTFHS also seek to propagate the human security concept among local stakeholders and beneficiary communities.

Lastly, Board Members highlighted the need to emphasize the complementary relationship between human security and the important role of an enabling State in addressing human security challenges and ensuring responses that are people-centered, comprehensive and in line with the protection and empowerment framework.

8. Presentation on “Overview on the application of Human Security in the field”

Ms. Tadjbakhsh noted that countries increasingly acknowledge human security as an effective tool to tackle regional and national challenges. However, she emphasized that human security challenges should not be limited to southern countries and should instead be inclusive of all individuals and communities who are faced with critical and pervasive threats to their well-being. Ms. Tadjbaksk recommended that more attention be given to training on human security and its application.

8. Conclusion

Mrs. Ogata concluded the meeting by thanking the HSU-OCHA for the preparation of the ABHS meeting in 2008 and noted the period of 9 to 11 November 2009 as tentative dates for the next ABHS meeting.