Security-Development Nexus

The UN Trust Fund for Human Security defines human security as the means protecting fundamental freedoms, creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and cultural systems that give people the building blocks of survival, livelihood and dignity.

The concept of human security was born to advocate for people centricity instead of state-centric security, by bringing the dimension of individual needs into debate.

The human security-approach goes beyond the absence of conflict, and underlines the importance of human rights, good governance and access to economic opportunity, education and health care, as well as importance for individuals and communities of all type to be able to ensure their own security.

The seven threats identified in the UN’s human security framework are:

  1. Economic security: the lack of a basic income and job security, uncontrolled inflation, economic depression and financial crises
  2. Food security: unequal distribution, famine and starvation due to food shortages
  3. Health security: death and illness linked to poverty, unsafe and unclean environments, access to healthcare, pandemics and infectious diseases
  4. Environment security: degradation of local and global ecosystems, access and purity of water
  5. Personal security: threats of sudden physical violence exercised by states, individuals or other groups
  6. Community security: threats such as intra-community tensions, violence against women or children, hate crime
  7. Political security: torture, political repression and ill treatments

UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

All UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These Goals highlight that ending poverty must go hand in hand with actions that improve health and education, enhance economic growth and reduce inequality, while tackling climate change and preserving the on-land and under-water resources. Check out the 17 Goals, the history of the Agenda, and the implementation progress, on the website: https://sdgs.un.org/goals#implementation.