10 december 2017_final

NAM and human security
The emergence of new security threats has led to a
reconceptualization of the concept of security. Security
in a post-Cold War world is not merely an absence
from armed threat or war. The concept has undergone
an expansion and has been moving away from
traditional, state-centric conceptions of security that
focused primarily on the safety of states from military
aggression, to one that concentrates on the security
of the individuals, their protection and empowerment.
The term Human Security was first popularized by the
United Nations Development Program in the early 1990s.
It emerged in the post-Cold War era as a way to link
various humanitarian, economic, and social issues in
order to alleviate human suffering and assure security.
The Commission for Human Security defines human
security thus: “Human security means protecting
fundamental freedoms – freedoms that are the essence
of life. It means protecting people from critical (severe)
and pervasive (widespread) threats and situations. It
means using processes that build on people’s strengths
and aspirations. It means creating political, social,
environmental, economic, military and cultural systems
that together give people the building blocks of survival,
livelihood and dignity”. As a people-centered concept, human
security places the individual at the ‘centre of analysis.’
Non-Aligned Movement has reaffirmed the commitment
to discuss and define human security in the UN
General Assembly, in conformity with the principles
enshrined in the Charter and taking into consideration
the common understanding of the notion of the human
security in General Assembly resolution 66/290. The
UNGA Resolution 66/290 states that 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.
In accordance with the above UNGA resolution, NAM
recognises that human security entails the right of
people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty
and despair. All individuals, in particular vulnerable
people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom
from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all
their rights and fully develop their human potential.
NAM Member States have implemented a range
of national initiatives to promote human security.
Mongolia is endeavouring to ensure human security of
its people through both national action and international
cooperation. Mongolia launched in late 2000 the Good
News From Non -Aligned World
By Dr. Ankit Srivastava, Editor
Governance for Human Security Program aimed at
improving the capacity to formulate and implement
policies to ensure human security. This has resulted in
securing national commitment by all the branches of
the State power to its implementation; institutionalize
the program’s implementation mechanism; and lay the
groundwork for greater involvement and participation
of the civil society, private sector and academia.
“NAM Member States have implemented a range
of national initiatives to promote human security.
Mongolia is endeavouring to ensure human security
of its people through both national action and
international cooperation. Mongolia launched in
late 2000 the Good Governance for Human Security
Program aimed at improving the capacity to formulate
and implement policies to ensure human security. This
has resulted in securing national commitment by all
the branches of the State power to its implementation;
institutionalize the program’s implementation
mechanism; and lay the groundwork”
In Ecuador, the inclusion of human security in
Ecuador’s constitution which is currently being
realized through Plan Ecuador, a people-focused,
preventive and multidimensional framework, aims to
solve the interrelated problems of poverty, exclusion
and violence. In Kenya, The Kenya Vision 2030 is the
national long-term development blue-print that aims to
transform Kenya into a newly industrialising, middleincome
country. The Vision comprises of three key pillars:
Economic; Social; and Political. The Economic Pillar
aims to achieve an average economic growth rate of 10
per cent per annum and sustaining the same until 2030.
The Social Pillar seeks to engender just, cohesive
and equitable social development in a clean and
secure environment, while the Political Pillar aims
to realise an issue-based, people-centred, resultoriented
and accountable democratic system.
The Movement further recognises that human
security calls for people-centred, comprehensive,
context-specific and prevention-oriented responses
that strengthen the protection and empowerment
of all people and all communities and that human
security recognizes the inter-linkages between peace,
development and human rights, and equally considers
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
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December, 2017