The ninth meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security (ABHS) was convened on 2 and 3 November 2010 at the Beekman Tower Hotel, New York. The meeting was co-Chaired by Mrs. Sadako Ogata and Ms. Sonia Picado and was attended by the following Board members: Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Mr. François Fouinat, Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida, Ambassador Matjaž Kovacic and Mr. Bradford Smith.

Also present were Ms. Frene Ginwala and Ambassador Carl Tham, former members of the Commission on Human Security (CHS); Ms. Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator; representatives from the Permanent Missions of Greece, Japan, Mexico and Slovenia; representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; Ambassador Yukio Takasu; Ms. Kayoko Gotoh on behalf of Mr. Vijay Nambiar, Chef-de-Cabinet and member of the ABHS; as well as the staff of the Human Security Unit, OCHA (HSU-OCHA).

1. Introductory remarks

• Mrs. Ogata welcomed the members of the ABHS to the ninth meeting of the Board. She also extended a warm welcome to Ms. Frene Ginwala, Ambassador Carl Tham, Ms. Catherine Bragg, as well as representatives from the Permanent Missions of Greece, Japan, Mexico and Slovenia.
   
• In opening the discussions, Mrs. Ogata noted that 2010 was a successful year for the advancement of human security. In this context, she highlighted the report of the Secretary-General on human security (A/64/701), the symposium on “Human Security: Its history and future – towards the achievement of the MDGs” in Tokyo (co-organized by HSU/OCHA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Waseda University) and the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on human security (A/RES/64/291), all of which have contributed to the propagation of the human security concept. Furthermore, Mrs. Ogata also stressed that the human security concept has continued to gain momentum among several regional organizations, prominent international forums and various universities.
   
• Stating her satisfaction with projects funded by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) and in view of the growing recognition of the human security concept within and beyond the United Nations, Mrs. Ogata invited the Board to deliberate on the way forward, bearing in mind the achievements of the past and the challenges ahead.
  
  

2. Report to the Board on the activities of the Human Security Unit

• Invited by the Chair, Ms. Mostafavi briefed the participants on the activities and the progress made by the HSU-OCHA over the past 12 months (October 2009 to September 2010). In addition to the management of the UNTFHS, Ms. Mostafavi underlined the Unit’s involvement, among others, in drafting the Report of the Secretary-General on human security and its release in April 2010; supporting the General Assembly debate in May 2010 and the related follow-up activities; and organizing the symposium in Tokyo in June 2010. Furthermore, Ms. Mostafavi drew the Board’s attention to the publication of the Human Security Newsletter which is circulated to a network of over 10,000 members, consisting of both UN and non-UN partners.
   
• Ms. Mostafavi then informed the Board on the continued work of the HSU in promoting and disseminating the human security concept. Towards this end, and based on the Human Security Handbook, three additional regional workshops were organized in Johannesburg, Nairobi and San José. These workshops brought together UN and non-UN stakeholders from 23 countries, and have resulted in greater understanding of the human security concept as well as the parameters of the UNTFHS. During these workshops, participants have also made a number of recommendations on how best to mainstream the human security concept into the work of the United Nations. These are areas that the HSU-OCHA is looking into and will provide the ABHS with its recommendations at the next meeting of the Board.

3. Project visits

• Based on the recommendations of the ABHS at its previous meeting in 2009, Board members had agreed to visit UNTFHS funded projects during this reporting period. Accordingly, Mr. Fouinat briefed the participants on his missions to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and El Salvador in 2010.
   
• In sharing with the Board his assessment regarding his visit to the UNTFHS funded project entitled, “Integrated Community Empowerment and Peace-Building Support Project in Ituri – DRC,” Mr. Fouinat reminded the ABHS that the project was initiated in 2007 and that the purpose of the mission was to see how the human security concept had been useful in analyzing and addressing the post-conflict situation faced by the people of Ituri. Mr. Fouinat underlined that despite the difficult situation in Ituri, the results stemming from the project are encouraging. In this context, Mr. Fouinat commended the UN Country Team and highlighted the usefulness of the UNTFHS in playing a pioneering role in post-conflict situations and in acting as a catalyst in consolidating peace and development. Mr. Fouinat noted that based on its emphasis on community participation and implementation, its multi-sectoral approach, and its protection and empowerment framework, this initiative is considered as a model project in the DRC.
   
• Mr. Fouinat then reported on his visit to the project entitled, “Strengthening human security by fostering peaceful coexistence and improving citizen security in 3 municipalities in the department of Sonsonate.” Mr. Fouinat informed the Board that the project, in addressing urban violence and street crime through an integrated and comprehensive human security approach, has been successful in meeting the objectives of the UNTFHS and is being considered by other interested actors in El Salvador and beyond as the appropriate approach for dealing with similar situations.
  
  

4. Dissemination activities

4.1 The GA process on human security and follow-up

• Recounting the history behind the dissemination of the concept at the United Nations, Ambassador Takasu highlighted the enormous progress that has been achieved in reaching a broad consensus around the notion of human security. Moreover, he stated that the formal debate at the General Assembly in May 2010 and the subsequent GA resolution should be seen as positive developments for advancing the human security concept within the United Nations.
   
• With a view to further facilitate the acceptance of the concept, several Board members stressed the need to continue to separate discussions on the human security concept from those on the responsibility to protect (R2P). Meanwhile, the representative from the Permanent Mission of Mexico noted that paragraph 3 of the GA resolution is instrumental in maintaining the momentum for more discussion on human security at the General Assembly and should not be lost in the coming years.

4.2 The human security symposium in Tokyo

• Further to the request by the Board, Mr. Matsuura, Director, Global Issues Cooperation Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, briefed the ABHS on the human security symposium entitled, “Human Security: Its history and future – towards the achievement of MDGs,” which took place in Tokyo on 15 July 2010. In this context, he stressed that discussions at the symposium marked a new momentum for human security and provided the Board with the following observations: (i) a broad range of actors participated in the event and expressed their interest in human security, including Mr. Mark Malloch-Brown, UNICEF, the World Bank, etc.; (ii) the existence of several regional initiatives on human security as reflected in communications by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and Mr. Amre Moussa; (iii) the need to reach a wider audience including the private sector, academia, and civil society; and (iv) the symposium’s summary conclusions which may guide future activities on human security.

4.3 Regional initiatives

• In line with the recommendations of the ABHS at its last meeting, Ms. Picado updated the Board on progress made on the UNTFHS funded project entitled “Promoting and developing the human security concept in Latin America” which is currently being implemented by UNDP Costa Rica in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIHR). Ms. Picado informed the Board that activities are currently underway and include the establishment of an advisory board; the provision of lectures on the concept of human security; mapping of UNTFHS and non-UNTFHS funded activities on human security in Latin America; and the launch of the “Human Security in Latin America” website.
   
• Mrs. Ogata thanked Ms. Picado for her commitment and contributions to this initiative. In this context, Mrs. Ogata also highlighted the ASEAN initiative entitled, “Concept and Practice of Human Security in South East Asia” and noted that in view of the growing interdependence of the world, the human security concept is increasingly regarded as a relevant concept by regional organizations as well as international fora such as the World Economic Forum. In this regard, Mrs. Ogata stressed the need to spread the human security concept as the basis for practical action in addressing current and emerging challenges.

5. Collaboration with non-UN entities

• In collaborating with non-UN entities, the Board considered possible ways to: (i) strengthen outreach to non-intergovernmental international fora; (ii) enhance cooperation with regional organizations; and (iii) improve collaboration with civil society and non-governmental actors. The Board stressed that cooperation with these entities is essential to further promote the human security concept.
   
• Using the example of the UNTFHS funded project on “Human Security in Latin America,” Ms. Picado confirmed that cooperation with regional organizations can be very helpful in disseminating the concept beyond the UN. Furthermore, Ambassador Tham noted that the human security concept has been widely discussed in the EU, especially with regards to the financial crisis. In this context, and with a view to further strengthen cooperation with credible non-UN entities, Ms. Ginwala and Mr. Smith suggested that more research would be required on defining the strategy, principles, and objectives for engagement with non-UN entities.

6. Review of the role of the UNTFHS

• Several Board members suggested that to better assess the impact of projects funded to date and to develop a more systematic way to review projects in the future, the HSU-OCHA should take stock of projects already funded under the UNTFHS and identify what insecurities have been addressed. Based on this analysis, Ms. Ginwala stressed that the UNTFHS could subsequently inform governments, the public, and the UN on lessons learnt and best practices from a human security perspective. In addition, Professor Adedeji noted that human security is a process that can only be sustainable if it is linked to existing programmes and processes and not if implemented on an isolated project by project basis.
   
• The visibility of the UNTFHS was another point of concern raised by most members of the ABHS. In this context, Ambassador Kovacic highlighted that UN organizations should report on their efforts to disseminate the human security concept. Furthermore, the ABHS agreed that a branding strategy, although not necessarily a logo for the UNTFHS, could be an important mechanism to further publicize the activities of the Fund and to strengthen the promotion of the concept of human security.

7. Next steps

• Ms. Picado concluded the meeting by thanking Mrs. Ogata for her leadership of the ABHS and by extending her appreciation to the HSU-OCHA for their preparation and assistance during the meeting.
   
• In closing, the following action points were highlighted:
  
  
  1. The HSU-OCHA to provide the ABHS with the criteria as well as the financial rules and regulations for engaging with non-UN entities.
      
  2. The HSU-OCHA to take stock of projects already funded under the UNTFHS and to identify the insecurities that have been addressed, the lessons that have been learnt and the best practices that can be identified from a human security perspective.
      
  3. The HSU-OCHA to develop a possible branding strategy for the UNTFHS in line with UN rules and regulations.