The sixth meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security (ABHS) was convened on 14-15 November 2007 at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting was chaired by Mrs. Sadako Ogata and attended by the following Board members: Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Ms. Sonia Picado, Mr. Bradford Smith, Mr. Vijay Nambiar and Ambassador Yukio Takasu.

Also present were Ambassador Sanja Štiglic, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations, Ambassador Don Pramudwinai, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations, Sir John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Rashid Khalikov (Director, OCHA New York Office), Mr. François Fouinat (former Executive Director of the Commission on Human Security), representatives from the Permanent Missions of Japan, Slovenia and Thailand, representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Human Security Unit, OCHA, and representatives from the United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP/RBA).

• Mrs. Ogata welcomed the participants to the sixth meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security, and noted the change in representation by the Government of Japan and the Chef-de-Cabinet of the United Nations. She welcomed Ambassador Yukio Takasu and Mr. Vijay Nambiar as new members of the Board, and also welcomed the participation of the Permanent Representatives of Slovenia and Thailand as observers to the meeting.

• In opening the discussions, Mrs. Ogata reported that human security had continued to permeate strategic thinking within the international community and that the concept was having a growing impact on the ground through a wide range of operational efforts led by international, regional, national and local actors. 

• Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, highlighted the dissemination efforts by the Friends of Human Security, among others, to deepen the understanding of the concept among UN member states. He also mentioned how the human security concept is greatly contributing to efforts by the international community towards post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, achieving the Millennium Development Goals, supporting disaster risk reduction responses and advancing the One UN reform agenda.

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

• Mr. Rashid Khalikov briefed the Board on the progress made by the Human Security Unit (HSU) for the period of April to September 2007. He noted that the efficiency of the management of the UNTFHS had continued to steadily improve, with significantly shortened review periods and the completion of the review process for all backlog projects.
  
  
• Furthermore, Mr. Khalikov underlined that the quality of concept notes being submitted by UN organizations continues to improve. As a result, OCHA anticipates that more concept notes will be approved for development into full proposals, with substantial increase in the number of multi-sectoral and multi-organization projects that can better advance effective, integrated and efficient responses as per the Guidelines of the UNTFHS.
  
  
• Mrs. Ogata stated that she appreciates the increase of multi-sectoral projects since it means that the concept of human security approach has been understood among UN organizations. She welcomed the continued contribution made by the Government of Japan and the new commitments by the Governments of Slovenia and Thailand, and wished to have further contributions  in the future.

• The Board commended OCHA’s efforts in strengthening the application of the Guidelines of the UNTFHS and in supporting projects that promote multi-sectoral responses based on multi-organization cooperation. Welcoming the continuing improvement of projects funded under the UNTFHS, Ambassador Takasu noted that the added transaction costs of multi-organization programming may however have contributed to a decreasing trend in concept notes and project proposals submitted to the Fund since the last revision of the Guidelines of the UNTFHS in February 2006.

• In this regard, OCHA explained that while the total number of approved projects may have decreased, at the same time projects have greatly increased in breadth and quality. This trend has meant that project budgets have simultaneously risen, which in turn has ensured steady disbursement of funds under the UNTFHS.Moreover, OCHA highlighted that initiatives supported under the Trust Fund have been unique in successfully bringing organizations together in an integrated manner, with synergies across organizations effectively translating into synergies across sectors. 

• The Board reviewed the Guidelines of the UNTFHS in view of establishing a multi-donor management framework for the Fund and noted that earmarking of contributions to the Fund should be avoided. 
  

• The Board also reviewed the Guidelines (IV.4.) and recommended to specify the standard upper limit on the budget for projects implemented by more than one organization to be 2.5 million US dollars per year.
  

• Moreover, in reviewing the Guidelines (IV.2.g), the Board noted that those projects aimed at disseminating the human security concept should contribute to the formulation of concrete projects and action-oriented initiatives that address specific human security challenges. In this regard the Board recommended to specify the standard upper limit on the budget for dissemination projects to be 300 thousand US dollars. 
  

• The Board noted that while significant advances have been made in propagating the concept of human security, however, the need for continued promotion of the concept remains one of the main objectives of the UNTFHS. In this regard, Board members welcomed the ongoing efforts by the Government of Japan in further disseminating the concept within the General Assembly and thanked Ambassador Takasu for his briefing on the Third Meeting of the “Friends of Human Security.” The Board also commended OCHA’s efforts in compiling a compendium on human security related activities by UN organizations. Members of the ABHS agreed that such information would prove highly valuable in mainstreaming human security across the UN system and in supporting ongoing discussions within the General Assembly.
  

• In addition to increasing dialogue with UN Member States, the Board also underlined the need to continue developing a pool of champion projects that highlight the operational and strategic added value of the human security approach. Furthermore, Dr. Pitsuwan 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.

6. Eligibility of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to apply to the UNTFHS and report by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan on the WHO-IOM project in Thailand

• Dr. Pitsuwan briefed the members of the Board on his recent visit to UNTFHS funded project sites in Thailand under a joint WHO-IOM initiative that aimed to improve health conditions among vulnerable migrant workers. Noting the positive contribution of the IOM under this project, the Board decided to modify the Guidelines of the UNTFHS so as to allow, on an exceptional basis, for the IOM to apply directly for funding under the UNTFHS. 
  

• Mrs. Ogata concluded the meeting on the following action points and noted 12-13 November 2008 as the tentative dates for the next ABHS meeting.