The eighth meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security (ABHS) was convened on 10 to 11 November 2009 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. Bradford Smith and Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Ambassador Matjaz Kovacic and Mr. François Fouinat. Also present were former members of the Commission on Human Security (CHS): Mr. Lincoln Chen and Ms. Frene Ginwala. Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Mr. Iqbal Riza, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General; Mr. William Lyerly, Director of International Affairs and Special Assistant for Global Health Security to the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs at the US Department of Homeland Security; representatives from the Permanent Missions of Japan and Thailand; and the Human Security Unit (HSU), OCHA, were also present at the meeting.

1. Introductory remarks

• Mrs. Ogata welcomed the members of the ABHS as well as former members of the CHS to the eighth meeting of the ABHS. She also noted with appreciation the participation of representative from Mission of Japan and Thailand.
   
• Further to the recommendations by the co-Chairs of the CHS, Mrs. Ogata informed the participants that the ABHS has confirmed the nominations of Ambassador Matjaz Kovacic and Mr. François Fouinat as new members to the ABHS and has consented to accordingly revise the terms of reference for the ABHS.
  

2. Goals of Human Security and the UN Trust Fund for Human Security: Overview of the past 10 years and recommendations for the future

• Introducing the second Agenda item for the meeting, Mrs. Ogata reminded the participants of the key issues highlighted in the Report of the CHS entitled Human Security Now. In particular, Mrs. Ogata noted that issues including the need for a people-centered and multi-sectoral approach; the necessity to protect and empower people so that they can live in dignity, free from fear and want; and the linkage between security and development remain as relevant to the objectives of human security today and are especially important in light of sudden downturns, whether caused by socio-economic or political conditions such as the current financial crisis, conflicts, displacement, etc.
   
• Mrs. Ogata further recalled that the UNTFHS was established to serve as the means to propagate and implement the goals of human security as outlined in the findings and recommendations of the CHS. To this end, 185 projects have already been implemented in over 70 countries through the UNTFHS.
   
• In view of Mrs. Ogata’s remarks, Mr. Holmes stressed that the concept of human security has gained growing acceptance in the international community and within the United Nations. While not limiting the concept at the theoretical and policy levels, Mr. Holmes recommended that the UNTFHS may wish to consider a more focused approach when applying the concept at the field-level. As one such possibility, Mr. Holmes underlined the need to support transitions from conflict and humanitarian relief into long term development.
   
• Moreover, to further foster the understanding of the concept, several Board members emphasized the need to continue to promote and disseminate the goals of human security among policymakers and civil society actors. In this context, it was suggested that the HSU should carry on with its leadership in the propagation of the human security concept within the UN and should continue to organize training workshops at the regional level. Furthermore, the Board underlined the value of collaborating with national human security initiatives and regional organizations such as the African Union, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, among others, in disseminating and implementing the goals of human security.
   
• In light of the Board’s recommendation to further strengthen dissemination activities within and outside of the UN, the HSU proposed the development of an electronic community of practice on human security, as suggested by several participants at recent regional workshops on human security organized by the HSU in Ghana and Bangkok. Furthermore, based on the participants’ inputs at these workshops, the HSU is also planning to initiate a briefing session on human security during the Annual Resident Coordinator Meeting in New York in 2010. The Board welcomed and supported both proposals.
   
• Recognizing the limited resources of the UNTFHS in achieving the goals of human security, Ambassador Takasu proposed that projects should focus on multiplier effects and that further cooperation with other funding sources should be considered. The HSU indicated that it is seeking further collaboration with other funding mechanisms at the United Nations, including the Peacebuilding Fund as well as the Central Emergency Relief Fund.
   
• Meanwhile, several Board members discussed whether an optimum number of agencies could be considered when implementing UNTFHS projects. Members agreed that in some cases multi-agency projects may create additional workload arising from inter-agency coordination. It was underlined that an integrated multi-sectoral response is nonetheless at the core of the human security approach and hence projects should be assessed based on the nature of the activities being proposed, with a view to ensure the most efficient and catalytic use of UNTFHS resources.
   
• Finally, praising the progress made over the last 10 years in advancing the understanding of the human security concept and in implementing UNTFHS projects, several Board members suggested that based on the analysis of past human security activities at the policy and operational levels, a strategic framework for further disseminating and implementing human security goals should be formulated highlighting specific human security challenges and opportunities as faced in the various regions of the world. In this context, the Board stated that such a framework could provide guidance to the UNTFHS and facilitate the expansion of the donor base of the Fund.

3. Mainstreaming of human Security at the UN

• In briefing the ABHS, Ambassador Takasu outlined recent efforts made by Member States in disseminating the human security concept through the Friends of Human Security (FHS), the Human Security Network (HSN), as well as the General Assembly Thematic Debate on Human Security in May 2008. Moreover, Ambassador Takasu noted that several Heads of State and Government made reference to human security during the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. Notwithstanding, Ambassador Takasu stressed the need to continue to promote and advance the understanding of the human security concept both within and outside of the United Nations.
   
• With a view to further facilitate the propagation of the human security concept, several Board members stressed the need to separate discussions on the human security concept from those on the responsibility to protect (R2P).Underlining the different agenda items of these two concepts and their separation as distinct initiatives in the 2005 UN World Summit Outcome (WSO), the Board noted that the WSO allows for a more focused discussion on the meaning and the application of the human security concept. The ABHS also suggested that in order to further disseminate the concept, the application of the human security concept on the ground and its integration into national and international policy frameworks will need to be further articulated. In particular, members noted that dissemination messages on the human security concept should highlight how human security is not a threat to national sovereignty but rather a framework that strengthens Government and societal capacities in addressing old and new challenges in ways that are comprehensive, people-centered, context specific, sustainable and preventive.
   
• In line with the Agenda of the meeting, the HSU presented the Board with an outline of the upcoming Report on Human Security to be issued by the UN Secretary-General in 2010. Commending the involvement of the HSU in drafting the Secretary-General’s Report, the Board noted with appreciation the support of the Secretary-General and recognized the important opportunity this provides in further advancing the human security concept.
  

 4. Project visits by Board members since the last ABHS meeting

• Based on the recommendations of the Board at its previous meeting in 2008, Board members had agreed to visit UNTFHS funded projects. Accordingly, Mr. Smith and Mr. Fouinat reported on their respective missions to Brazil, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2009. Mrs. Ogata thanked both for taking the time to visit the aforementioned projects and underlined the continued importance of visits by members of the ABHS and the CHS to UNTFHS funded projects. Recognizing the difficulties in assessing project proposals on paper, the Board encouraged the HSU to further undertake field missions to assess concept notes, while at the same time acknowledging the limited human resources of the Unit and hence the challenge in ensuring the ongoing review of projects approved by the UNTFHS.

 5. Regional dissemination

• Further to the request by the Board, the HSU presented the objectives and the activities of the approved UNTFHS funded project entitled “Promoting and developing the human security concept in Latin America”. In discussing the proposal, the Board suggested that the project should be linked to lessons learnt from UNTFHS projects already implemented in the region. Such an approach, the Board noted, would allow for the propagation of the concept to be more closely linked with the concept’s operational and practical relevance on the ground. Moreover, the Board recognized that the project in Latin America could provide for a more strategic regional approach to the promotion of human security and if successful may be replicated in the development of regional human security projects in other regions.
   
• Meanwhile, the Board stated that the participation of non-UN entities such as civil society actors is crucial to the propagation of the human security concept and in this regard stressed the need for strong involvement of Board members or the HSU in dissemination activities so as to ensure consistency on the understanding of the human security concept.
   
• Noting that the project advisory notes of the Guidelines for the UNTFHS offer up to US$10,000 for dissemination activities related to UNTFHS funded projects, the HSU suggested that promotion and dissemination of human security at the regional level may be linked to the regional workshops on human security planned in 2010 in the following regions: East and Southern Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and South America.

 6. Management of the UNTFHS

• The Board noted with appreciation the work of the HSU and welcomed the continued contributions made by the Governments of Japan, Slovenia and Thailand.
   
• Reporting on the current resources of the UNTFHS, the HSU underlined that while the Governments of Japan, Slovenia and Thailand continue to financially support the UNTFHS, however, a wider support from Member States is desirable for mainstreaming human security in the United Nations and improving the financial health of the UNTFHS. In this regard, the Board emphasized that the upcoming Report by the UN Secretary-General on Human Security presents a significant opportunity to expand the resource base of the UNTFHS and that related efforts should be pursued in this context.
   
• Following discussions by the Board on the implementation of UNTFHS projects, the HSU shared observations from human security regional workshops conducted by the Unit in 2009. Subsequently, the ABHS and the HSU recognized that the establishment of human security focal points at regional and sub-regional level would be helpful in assisting UN organizations in the development, implementation and monitoring of UNTFHS funded projects, on condition that such measures do not lead to creating new posts to the HSU in view of the limited resources of the Fund.
   
• The Board then agreed that since most projects approved under the new guidelines of the UNTFHS began in 2006/2007, evaluation of the Fund while important however should be delayed until a larger pool of projects is completed. Furthermore, the Board noted that external funding for the evaluation of the UNTFHS should be explored and that the UN Secretary-General’s Report on Human Security may provide additional incentive to attract external funding for such an evaluation.
   
• Finally, given the limited resources of the UNTFHS, the Board discussed the possibility of identifying priority areas for the Fund while underlining the broad nature and the comprehensive breadth of the human security concept. In this context, Ambassador Takasu suggested that the HSU may proactively assist country teams in the design of concept notes which demonstrate the relevance of the human security approach with regards to specific geographic and/or thematic issues.

 7. Conclusion

• Mrs. Ogata concluded the meeting and fixed 2 - 3 November 2010 as tentative dates for the next ABHS meeting.