Human Security Notes

SN: human security 2018
Q. Critically examine the concept of human security.

Discuss its dimensions. 2017
A ) Definition:
‘Human security can no longer be understood in purely military terms.

Rather, it must encompass
- economic development,
- social justice,
- environmental protection,
- democratization,
- disarmament, and
- respect for human rights and
- the rule of law....
Moreover, these pillars are interrelated; progress in one area generates

progress in another.’ kofi annan
B ) Diff between trad sec
and human sec
Traditionally, security meant protection of the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of states from external military threats. This was
the essence of the concept of national security, which dominated security
analysis and policymaking during the cold war period.
The concept of human security challenges the state-centric notion of

security by focusing on the individual as the main referent object of
security. Human security is about security for the people, rather than
of states or governments
C ) Origin
A ) human security was the handiwork of a group of development economists,
such as the late Pakistani economist Mahabub ul Haq. They were
increasingly dissatisfied with the orthodox notion of development, which
viewed it as a function of economic growth. Instead, they proposed a
concept of human development which focuses on building human capabilities
to confront and overcome poverty, illiteracy, diseases, discrimination,
restrictions on political freedom, and the threat of violent conflict:
B ) The move towards human security was also advanced by the work of several
international commissions. Foremost among them was the Report of the Palme
Commission of 1982, which proposed the doctrine of ‘common security’.
C ) In the post-cold war era, the importance given to people’s security
has grown in salience. One reason for this is the rising incidence of civil
wars and intra-state conflicts
For eg, Traditional national security approaches have not been

sufficiently sensitive towards conflicts that arise over cultural, ethnic,
and religious differences, as happened in Eastern Europe, Africa, and
Central Asia in the post-cold war era.
D ) The notion of human security has also been brought to the fore by the
crises induced by accelerating globalization. For example, the widespread
poverty, unemployment, and social dislocation caused by the Asian
financial crisis 1997 underscored the vulnerability of people to the
effects of economic globalization
D ) The concept of human

sec
UNDP Report
The origin of the concept of human security can be traced to the

publication of the Human Development Report of 1994, issued by the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP 1994). The Report defined the scope
of human security to include seven areas:
•1 ) Food security—ensuring that all people at all times have both

physical and economic access to basic food.
•2 ) Health security—guaranteeing a minimum protection from diseases

and unhealthy lifestyles.
•3 ) Environmental security—protecting people from the short- and

long-term ravages of nature, man-made threats in nature, and
deterioration of the natural environment.
•4 ) Personal security—protecting people from physical violence,
whether from the state or external states, from violent individuals and
sub-state factors, from domestic abuse, and from predatory adults.
• 5 ) Community security—protecting people from the loss of traditional

relationships and values, and from sectarian and ethnic violence.
• 6 ) Political security—ensuring that people live in a society that

honours their basic human rights and ensuring the freedom of individuals
and groups from government attempts to exercise control over ideas and
information.
• 7 ) Economic security—an assured basic income for individuals, usually

from productive and remunerative work, or, in the last resort, from some
publicly financed safety net.
Scope
box
‘freedom from fear’:

- initially articulated by the former Canadian External Affairs Minister,
Lloyd Axworthy,
- focuses on reducing the human costs of violent conflicts through
measures such as a ban on landmines, using women and children in armed
conflict, child soldiers
Freedom from want:

- The latter view, advocated by Japan (Director-General of the Foreign
Ministry of Japan 2000),
- is closer to the original UNDP formulation. It stresses the ability of
individuals and societies to be free from a broad range of non-military
threats, such as poverty, disease, and environmental degradation
Dimensions
All proponents of human security agree that its primary goal is the
protection of individuals.
However, there are differences about precisely what threats individuals

should be protected from.
box
1 ) Proponents of the ‘narrow’

concept of human security focus on violent threats to individuals or, as
former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan puts it, “the protection of
communities and individuals from armed conflict and internal violence”.
2 ) Proponents of the ‘broad’

- concept of human security argue that the threat agenda should include
hunger, disease and natural disasters because these kill far more people
than war, genocide and terrorism combined.
Similarity between the two:

But the differences between the two conceptions of human security can be
overstated,
- since both regard the individual as the referent object of security.
- and both call for a rethinking of state sovereignty as a necessary part

of promoting human security.
- There is considerable overlap between the two conceptions:
Seeking freedom from fear without addressing freedom from want would
amount to addressing symptoms without the cause.
*insert diagram on how these conceptions are linked
Dimensions A : Impact of narrow conceptions on human security

(of armed conflict on civilians)
A ) direct impact
civilian casualities:
there are some horrific costs associated with these conflicts.
For example,
- The conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region has displaced nearly 2 million

people.
use of landmines
there remain 80 million live mines undetected and 80 per cent of those
killed or injured by landmines are civilians
B ) indirect impact
Many armed conflicts have indirect consequences on human life and

well-being. economic disruption, disease, and ecological destruction.
diseases
Disease accounts for most of the 3.9 million people who have died in the
conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo
child mortality
It found that out of the 52 countries that are reversing or stagnating
in their attempts to reduce child mortality, 30 have experienced conflict
since 1990.
Impact of broad conceptions on human security
1 ) Poverty
terrorists often ‘exploit poverty and exclusion in order to tap into
popular discontent—taking advantage of fragile states such as Somalia
2 ) Environmental degration:
Environmental degradation, which is often linked to poverty, is another
source of conflict (Homer-Dixon 1991, 1994).
Egs:
- Analysts have identified competition for scarce resources as a source

of possible conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours,
3 ) Climate change
Climate change can be linked to people’s human security issues such as
increased poverty, state failure, food shortages, water crisis, and
disease.
4 ) Natural disasters
Natural disasters can also affect the course of conflicts by either
exacerbating or mitigating them. The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
changed the course of two separatist conflicts: Aceh in Indonesia and
Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka. In Aceh, where the government announced
a ceasefire to permit relief work, improved prospects for reconciliation
followed. In contrast, the conflict in Sri Lanka, where relief supplies
did not reach rebel-held territory, saw an escalation of violence.
5 ) Population growth
- Population growth, in turn, contributes to resource scarcity and

environmental stress, often resulting in conflict.
For example, South Asia, one of the poorest and most heavily populated
regions of the globe, faces intensified competition and the possibility
of conflict over scarce water resources.
6 ) Gender inequality
For example, between 250,000 and 500,000 women were raped during the 1994
genocide in Rwanda. Such atrocities against women are now recognized as
a crime against humanity
E ) Promoting human
security
1 ) Role of ICC:
- The ICC was established on 1 July 2002 with its headquarters in The Hague,
the Netherlands
- It is a permanent institution with ‘the power to exercise its

jurisdiction for the most serious crimes of international concern’ (Rome
Statute, Article 1). These crimes include genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression,
- The ICC is a ‘court of last resort’. It is ‘complementary to national

criminal jurisdictions’, meaning that it can only exercise its
jurisdiction when national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate
or prosecute such crimes.
- eg:
Since its establishment, the ICC has been involved in the prosecution of
some high-profile war criminals in the former Yugoslavia, including the
former President of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević
2 ) Role of intl agreements
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production,

and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines bans the development, production,
acquisition, stockpiling, transfer, and use of anti-personnel mines
(Ottawa Treaty, Article 1, General Obligations, 1997).
3 ) Role of UN peacekeeping
a UN Peacebuilding Commission was inaugurated in 2006. Its goal is to

assist in post-conflict recovery and reconstruction
4 ) Role of UN humanitarian intervention
Humanitarian intervention for relief to kurds escaping the iraqi army

during the gulf war 1991
5 ) Un specialised agencies
UN Specialized Agencies play a crucial role in promoting human security.

For example, the UN Development Programme and the World Health
Organization (WHO) have been at the forefront of fighting poverty and
disease respectively.
6 ) Role of INGOs
Non-governmental organizations contribute to human security in a number

of ways: - as a source of information and
- early warning about conflicts,
- providing a channel for relief operations,
- supporting government or UN-sponsored peacebuilding and rehabilitation

missions.
Eg:
Other NGOs include Medicine Sans Frontieres, Save the Children, and
Amnesty International
F ) Challenges to human
security promotion
1 ) the continued importance of national/state security over human

security
Yet, whether viewed as freedom from fear or freedom from want, the concept
of human security has not replaced national security.
Why the continued importance of national/state security over human

security? For developing countries, state sovereignty and territorial
integrity take precedence over security of the individual.
A ) Many countries in the developing world are artificial nation-states.
State responses to ethnic separatist movements (now conflated with
terrorism), have been accompanied by the most egregious violations of
human security by governments.
B ) Moreover, many Third World states, as well as China, remain under

authoritarian rule. Human security is stymied by the lack of political
space
2 ) The overwhelming presence of the hegemon
- In the developed as well as developing world, one of the most powerful

challenges to human security has come from the war on terror led by the
United States in response to the 9/11 attacks.
- These have revived the traditional emphasis of states on national

security.
- governments have used the war on terror to impose restrictions on, and
commit violations of, civil liberties.
G ) Criticism of the
concept of human
security
A ) For critics of human security, the concept is too broad to be useful

as a tool of policy-making. Roland Paris has argued: ‘Existing
definitions of human security tend to be extraordinarily expansive and
vague, encompassing everything from physical security to psychological
well-being, which provides policymakers with little guidance in the
prioritization of competing policy goals.
B ) Another criticism is that such a concept might cause more harm than
good: ‘Speaking loudly about human security but carrying a Band-Aid only
gives false hopes The definition of human security is seen to be too
moralistic compared to the traditional understanding of security, and
hence unattainable and unrealistic
C ) A third and perhaps most powerful criticism of human security is that

it neglects the role of the state as a provider of security. Buzan argues
that states are a ‘necessary condition for individual security because
without the state it is not clear what other agency is to act on behalf
of individuals’

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SN: human security 2018

Q. Critically examine the concept of human security.

‘Human security can no longer be understood in purely military terms.

- respect for human rights and

- the rule of law....

Moreover, these pillars are interrelated; progress in one area generates

The concept of human security challenges the state-centric notion of

For eg, Traditional national security approaches have not been

D ) The concept of human

The origin of the concept of human security can be traced to the

•1 ) Food security—ensuring that all people at all times have both

•2 ) Health security—guaranteeing a minimum protection from diseases

•3 ) Environmental security—protecting people from the short- and

• 5 ) Community security—protecting people from the loss of traditional

• 6 ) Political security—ensuring that people live in a society that

• 7 ) Economic security—an assured basic income for individuals, usually

‘freedom from fear’:

Freedom from want:

However, there are differences about precisely what threats individuals

1 ) Proponents of the ‘narrow’

2 ) Proponents of the ‘broad’

Similarity between the two:

- since both regard the individual as the referent object of security.

- and both call for a rethinking of state sovereignty as a necessary part

- There is considerable overlap between the two conceptions:

Dimensions A : Impact of narrow conceptions on human security

- The conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region has displaced nearly 2 million

Many armed conflicts have indirect consequences on human life and

Impact of broad conceptions on human security

- Analysts have identified competition for scarce resources as a source

- Population growth, in turn, contributes to resource scarcity and

- It is a permanent institution with ‘the power to exercise its

- The ICC is a ‘court of last resort’. It is ‘complementary to national

2 ) Role of intl agreements

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production,

a UN Peacebuilding Commission was inaugurated in 2006. Its goal is to

4 ) Role of UN humanitarian intervention

Humanitarian intervention for relief to kurds escaping the iraqi army

UN Specialized Agencies play a crucial role in promoting human security.

Non-governmental organizations contribute to human security in a number

- early warning about conflicts,

- providing a channel for relief operations,

- supporting government or UN-sponsored peacebuilding and rehabilitation

1 ) the continued importance of national/state security over human

Why the continued importance of national/state security over human

B ) Moreover, many Third World states, as well as China, remain under

2 ) The overwhelming presence of the hegemon

- In the developed as well as developing world, one of the most powerful

- These have revived the traditional emphasis of states on national

A ) For critics of human security, the concept is too broad to be useful

C ) A third and perhaps most powerful criticism of human security is that

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