For many people, today’s world is an insecure place, full of threats on many fronts. Protracted crises, violent conflicts, natural disasters, persistent poverty, epidemics and economic downturns impose hardships and undercut prospects for peace, stability, and sustainable development. Such crises are complex, entailing multiple forms of human insecurity. When they overlap, they can grow exponentially, spilling into all aspects of people’s lives, destroying entire communities and crossing national borders.
As noted in General Assembly resolution 66/290, “human security is an approach to assist Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their people.” It calls for “people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people.”
The human security approach is a proven analytical and planning framework that supports more comprehensive and preventive responses by the United Nations, cutting across sectors, developing contextually relevant solutions, and adopting partnerships to help realise a world free from fear, want and indignity.
Programmes applying the human security approach and supported by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) have a well-established track record and proven value. They have reinforced United Nations support to Member States in strengthening resilience to climate change and natural disasters; promoting peaceful and inclusive societies; addressing the underlying causes of persistent poverty; and bolstering the transition from humanitarian crisis to longer term sustainable development. As such, the application of human security can significantly enhance actions taken by the United Nations and its partners to fully realize the transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Sustaining Peace Agenda.
Human Security Unit
The Human Security Unit (HSU) was established in May 2004. The overall objective of the HSU is to integrate the human security approach into the work of the UN system and to strengthen the Organization’s response to multiple and complex challenges. By combining the management of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) with advocacy and outreach activities, the HSU plays a pivotal role in translating the human security approach into concrete outcomes. Today, the principles of human security are mainstreamed in key global agendas.
The Human Security Unit (HSU) was established in May 2004. The overall objective of the HSU is to integrate the human security approach into the work of the UN system and to strengthen the Organization’s response to multiple and complex challenges. By combining the management of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) with advocacy and outreach activities, the HSU plays a pivotal role in translating the human security approach into concrete outcomes. Today, the principles of human security are mainstreamed in key global agendas.
The HSU develops frameworks and tools for applying the human security approach in UN activities. These practical tools bring together diverse partners from across the UN system in collaboration with Governments, civil society and the private sector to address the needs and vulnerabilities of communities.
Through the UNTFHS, the HSU helps to translate the human security approach into concrete activities to improve the lives and livelihoods of people faced with complex and multidimensional situations of insecurity. UNTFHS programmes employ integrated strategies that are oriented towards the prevention of crises as well as the promotion of long-term peace and sustainable development.
The HSU works to mainstream the human security approach in the work of the UN at headquarters and the country level. The HSU supports the Special Adviser on Human Security, establishing partnerships with member States in bodies such as the Friends for Human Security and the Human Security Network, and within the UN system through the Inter-Agency Working Group on Human Security.
The HSU works with academic institutions, regional intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental and community-based organizations, as well as foundations and the private sector, to foster tangible and innovative initiatives for advancing the priorities of the international community.
