Chair's Summary
"Friends of Human Security" Meeting
19 October 2006
13:15 to 18:00
Millennium United Nations Plaza Hotel
New York
The first meeting of "Friends of Human Security" (FHS) was held on 19 October 2006 at the Millennium United Nations Plaza Hotel in New York. H.E. Mr. Yukio Takasu, the Ambassador of Japan in charge of human security, acted as the Chair of the meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Representatives from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser for Africa (OSAA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO) were also in attendance.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide an informal forum for Member States as well as relevant international organizations to discuss the concept of human security from different angles in order to seek a common understanding of human security and explore collaborative efforts for mainstreaming it in United Nations activities.
The meeting consisted of an opening session followed by a substantive session in which the follow-up on the World Summit Outcome document and collaboration on human security initiatives were discussed. At the opening session, introductory remarks were made by the Chair, followed by remarks by H.E. Mr. Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico. H.E. Mr. Heraldo Muñoz, Permanent Representative of Chile, H.E. Mr. Peter Maurer, Permanent Representative of Switzerland, and H.E. Mr. Roman Kirn, Permanent Representative of Slovenia, also made comments.
During the substantive session, the nature of the FHS was discussed. Participants agreed that the FHS should be an informal and open-ended group and that its work should be flexible. For example, any Member State should be able to take part in the discussion depending on the issues at hand.
In this connection, there were questions regarding the relationship between the FHS and the Human Security Network, particularly with regard to possible duplication in their work. The Chair stated that the Human Security Network is a well-defined group with thirteen members and one observer that hold regularly-scheduled meetings at the ministerial and other levels. On the other hand, the FHS is a flexible and open-ended informal group of supporters of human security, consisting mainly of representatives from Member States and international organizations working at the UN headquarters in New York. He also added that there has been improved collaboration between the Human Security Network and other Member States such as Japan. For instance, Japan was invited to the Human Security Network Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok in May 2006. Some participants also expressed the view that the Human Security Network and the FHS can complement each other by sharing information, exchanging views, and, where possible, conducting joint activities.
Regarding the follow-up to the World Summit Outcome document, there was a general agreement among participants that it is not productive nor desirable to pursue a legal definition of human security because it is unrealistic to assume that a definition of human security can be agreed upon in a General Assembly resolution. Some Member States are opposed to the reference to human security in the UN, and the concept and its focus are evolving in response to the ever-changing international situation, in which new threats to the individual constantly appear. Instead, it was agreed that the FHS should pursue collaboration on the basis of a common understanding of human security, which is generally in line of the definition provided by the Commission on Human Security. It could facilitate concrete collaborative actions among Member States, international organizations and NGOs to promote human security in United Nations activities in such areas as peace building, human rights, development, migration, the environment, gender, and combating trafficking and organized crime.
Participants also emphasized the importance of disseminating the concept on the ground, particularly in developing countries, in terms of national development plans and projects and also within the country level UN Development Assistance Frameworks. For example, human security has already been reflected in some of the country programmes of UNDP and the World Bank.
It was noted that very positive initiatives towards collaboration have been taken by such organizations as the African Union (AU), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Union (EU). The Human Security Network has also been very active in promoting human security. Participants agreed that these initiatives should be expanded.
Several proposals for concrete actions were made by participants. Some participants proposed meeting directly with H.E. Ms. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the 61st Session of the General Assembly, to discuss the follow-up to the World Summit Outcome document. A discussion may be organized on human security at the General Assembly at an appropriate occasion, without aiming at agreeing on a definition of human security. A meeting with the Secretary-General-designate, H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon and also with the Chairman of UN Development Group were suggested. A FHS website and a Human Security Index were also proposed, but require further elaboration.
The Chair proposed holding the next meeting in about six months to review any relevant development. The exact date and venue will be subsequently discussed. In the intervening time, the Mission of Japan will consult with the other FHS participants to elaborate on the proposals made at the first meeting.
Back to Index