Towards a Fourth Pillar of Human Security: „Freedom from Hazard ...

8.2. Towards a Fourth Pillar of Human
Security as Freedom from Hazard Impact
• Conceptual and policy task for UNU-EHS: to develop human security
as “freedom from hazard impact”, contribute to it through capacitybuilding
for early warning, vulnerability indicators, & mapping.
• Natural hazards cannot be prevented, but their impact can be reduced
by early warning and better disaster preparedness.
• “Freedom from hazard impact” implies that people can mobilise their
resources to address sustainable development goals rather than
remain in the vicious cycle of the survival dilemma.
• “freedom from hazard impact” requires hazard specific policies &
combination of technical, organisational and political measures for:
– Slow-onset hazards: sea-level & temperature increase (climate change
– Rapid-onset hydro-meteorological hazards:
– Rapid-onset geophysical hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis
– Man-made disasters: technical, organisational, political