Co-Chairs' Summary
Third Meeting of Friends of Human Security

7 November 2007
UN Headquarters, New York

The third meeting of Friends of Human Security (FHS) was held on 7 November 2007 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. H.E. Mr. Yukio Takasu, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Claude Heller, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations, acted as Co-Chairs of the meeting, with assistance from the Human Security Unit of OCHA.

The meeting was attended at the ambassadorial level by Australia, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Denmark, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. Delegates from Afghanistan, Austria, China, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Libya, Monaco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Serbia, and Palestine were also among the countries represented at the meeting.

Special guests included President of the 62nd Session of the General Assembly H.E. Dr. Srgjan Kerim, and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mr. John Holmes.

Also in attendance were representatives from the European Commission, the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OSAA, UNFPA, WFP, Institute for Global Policy, UNICEF, and other bodies.

The agenda covered the following areas:

Opening Remarks by the Co-Chairs, Japan and Mexico

1. Ambassador Takasu welcomed the President of the General Assembly, Dr. Srgjan Kerim, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, Co-Chair Ambassador Claude Heller from Mexico, as well as all other participants in the meeting.
2. Ambassador Takasu explained that at its first meeting, the Friends of Human Security agreed it would not be productive or desirable to pursue a legal definition of the concept of human security; instead the FHS would pursue collaboration on the basis of a common understanding of human security generally in line with the broad definition provided by the Commission on Human Security.
3. Ambassador Takasu pointed out that human security was widely discussed in and outside the UN, and that the concept was gaining increased support, including within regional organizations. The relevance of human security would be judged, however, by the action that was taken as well as the progress made towards operationalizing the concept and the impact that would have on the ground.
4. Ambassador Heller of Mexico agreed that the FHS should act as a flexible, open-ended network, accessible to any Member State willing to take part in its discussions in order to promote a better understanding of human security and its practical and operational dimensions. Ambassador Heller also welcomed the adoption of paragraph 143 in the WSO as a unique opportunity to define the scope of human security and develop new UN programmes.
5. Ambassador Heller emphasized that human security should be understood as a multi-dimensional concept, but should not be considered a synonym for the responsibility to protect. The responsibility to protect, the representative of Mexico explained, was a reactive concept, while human security lay at the core of a culture of prevention.
6. Furthermore human security not only focused on recovery and reconstruction, but also on achieving the MDGs and developing national development policies, and strengthening the rule of law. The concept also sought to strengthen the capacity of the state to protect its citizens. Finally, Mexico underlined that as a concept, human security could help the international community foresee and respond to today's multiple challenges.
7. Both Japan and Mexico said the FHS should explore the possibility of holding an informal General Assembly debate on human security.

Opening Remarks by Dr. Srgjan Kerim, President of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly

8. Welcoming the initiative taken by Japan and Mexico in convening the meeting of the FHS, the President of the General Assembly declared that human security was essential in advancing the goals endorsed by the UN World Summit, namely, "freedom from fear," "freedom from want," and "freedom to live in dignity."
9. Human security, the GA President noted, was a response to a world of interconnected threats and challenges and extended the understanding of security beyond the State, calling for a more holistic approach focused on people, their protection, and empowerment.
10. At the same time, Dr. Kerim underlined that today many new threats required multilateral action and collaboration between States, and he stressed the need to bring together Member States, international organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and NGOs, as well as maintain close links with the ABHS and the HSN.
11. Finally, the GA President endorsed the proposition that an informal thematic debate on human security should be held during the sixty-second session of the GA.

Opening Remarks by Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

12. USG Holmes first welcomed the recent focus on human security, most notably in relationship to its potential role in peacebuilding, achieving the MDGs, and responding to climate change and disaster reduction.
13. He then welcomed the increasing number of Member States supporting human security as a concept covering both "freedom from fear" and "freedom from want," as stated in the World Summit Outcome, although there was at present no agreed legal definition.
14. The USG outlined OCHA's use of human security as a practical tool that brought added value to the conduct of its field operations, citing the support of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security as helping to combine protection and empowerment. Mr. Holmes explained that the UNTFHS had supported 168 projects in more than 65 countries thus far.
15. He thanked Japan as the principle donor to the UNTFHS and also expressed great appreciation for the recent pledges from Slovenia and Thailand.

Developments since the second meeting of the Friends of Human Security in April 2007

The Co-Chairs opened the floor to presentations by Member States on developments since the last meeting of the FHS.

16. Slovenia, as past Chair of the Human Security Network (HSN) for the period June 2006 to May 2007, called attention to the HSN's work on the protection of children from violence.
17. Greece, current Chair of the HSN, underlined that the Network supported human security as "freedom from fear," "freedom from want," and "freedom to live in dignity."
18. Greece explained that under its chairmanship of the Network, the HSN would focus on climate change and human security. Greece underlined that climate change was a major challenge to human security and recalled that the UN recent high-level meetings on climate change acknowledged the implications for peace and security, and that Member States agreed to view climate change as a cross-cutting issue requiring a long-term multi-dimensional and global response.
19. Greece announced that during its chairmanship of the HSN, it would focus on raising political awareness of the human security implications of climate change, with special reference to the devastating impact of global warming on the vulnerable populations of children, women, and persons fleeing their homes due to climate change.
20. Spain, as current Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), reported on the OSCE Workshop on Human Security held in Vienna in May 2007, explaining that participants had acknowledged the relevance of the human security concept to OSCE activities. Spain stated that the Workshop referred to human security as a human-centered, integrated, and multi-sectoral approach to areas where more targeted human security action and cooperation with other organizations was needed.
21. Mexico reported on the July 2007 Climate Change Workshop held at UN Headquarters. [Please refer to related information .]

Information on past, present and future human security related initiatives

22. Chile said that priority should be placed on issues related to "freedom from fear" and the physical integrity and dignity of individuals. Efforts could for instance be directed towards reaching agreement on a world convention on the use of conventional weapons and the issue of sub-munitions.
23. Chile mentioned that during the negotiations on the Outcome of the World Summit in 2005, it played a leading role, together with Japan, in the efforts to include in paragraph 143 in that document a specific reference to human security.
24. Chile agreed with previous statements on prioritizing the operationalization of human security over seeking a legal definition of the concept. It explained that the benchmark for progress on the human security agenda should indeed be achievements on the ground, including in the area of peacebuilding. It thus supported the plan to hold an informal thematic debate on human security in the GA.
25. Switzerland presented its ongoing Peacebuilding Initiative , implemented by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University and supported by Switzerland, an information platform. Switzerland also welcomed the support expressed by USG Holmes for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction as a key component in operationalizing human security.
26. Thailand called attention to its establishment of its Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, which was the driving force behind the implementation of human security in a concrete and substantive manner. Thailand said it would be glad to share the best practices and lessons learned by its Ministry of Human Security with other Member States. In addition, this year the Government of Thailand paid particular attention to human trafficking issues and human rights education, organizing related activities.

Issues for Future Cooperation

The Co-Chairs then opened the floor to suggestions for future areas of collaboration.

27. On the topic of child protection, Slovenia called for the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, and called attention to the upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly on the Protection of Children in December 2007. Slovenia also called on Member States to support the work of the Peace Building Commission and the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which would be holding an open debate in February 2008.
28. Slovenia also underlined the opportunity provided by the tenth year strategic review of the Gra_a Machel Study on Children and Armed Conflict to advance the protection of children. Finally, Slovenia welcomed the efforts of the UNTFHS in the area of child protection and called for further collaboration between the Fund and UN agencies working on children issues, including UNICEF, ILO, and UNHCR.
29. Kenya noted that human security and the MDGs were closely linked within a wider international environment where development, human security, human rights, and peace were closely inter-connected. Kenya explained that consequently, realizing minimum standards in education, health and fair trade and access to markets would be key components of any further advance achieved with respect to human security. On the MDGs, Kenya called for commitments that went beyond rhetoric, noting that Africa was currently off target in its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The upcoming TICAD IV, Kenya noted, must therefore be an opportunity to ensure Africa was brought back on track.
30. Japan, speaking as Chair of the PBC, underlined that peacebuilding was a process that involved many stakeholders, skills, and expertise and that the human security concept could add value to post-conflict recovery strategies. Ambassador Takasu explained that the perspective of human security sought to ensure that the rewards of peace were brought to people on the ground in societies recovering from conflict.
31. Japan also welcomed the Peacebuilding Initiative platform, noting that information-sharing was a key to any peacebuilding strategy as it would help to map the wide range of actors and programmes, identify gaps, and respond to all needs on the ground.
32. Mexico noted that climate change was the most pressing environmental problem today, and that it demanded increased international cooperation in the delivery of new political agreements post-2012 that would enable the international community to respond, in a coordinated and efficient manner, to the inherent challenges that climate change presented.

Discussion

The Co-Chairs invited participants to join the discussion and opened the floor to questions and suggestions.

33. Canada noted that "freedom from fear" needed to stay an important component of the human security agenda, and stressed the importance of closely following the Security Council's proceedings, including implementation of Council resolution 1612.
34. El Salvador agreed that the international community needed to explore the links between human security and the Peace Building Commission's activities. It also proposed coordinating conceptual discussions on human security ahead of an informal debate at the General Assembly, mainly to establish an understanding of post-conflict environments and what human security implies in such contexts.
35. Egypt saw a risk in seeking to operationalize an idea without a prior agreement on its actual definition, but welcomed the initiative of incorporating human security in the Peace Building Commission's work once a definition had been agreed. Egypt also cautioned that peacebuilding should remain strongly rooted in the concept of national ownership. In this regard, it said, human security should not become an instrument for the international community could use to come between a government and its people.
36. Japan noted that the FHS had agreed to pursue collaboration on the basis of a common understanding of human security generally in line with the broad definition provided by the Commission on Human Security. It also noted that national ownership was indeed a cornerstone of the human security approach but that when a government failed to fulfill its responsibility, the international community needed to play a complementary role.
37. Chile noted that the lack of an internationally agreed definition of international terrorism had not prevented the United Nations from working on this issue. In this regard, Chile explained, the absence of a formal definition of human security should not be considered an obstacle in operationalizing the concept. On the contrary, the United Nations had a wealth of expertise in human security-as exemplified in the information collected by OCHA-and could truly make great advances in operationalizing the concept, based on its wide range of experience.
38. Guatemala noted that human security could also be a leitmotiv for the UN's activities, especially in pursuing the system-wide coherence agenda.
39. Mongolia suggested that the upcoming mid-term review of the implementation of the MDGs next year could provide an opportunity to conduct a review not solely from the perspective of governments, but also from the human security perspective and from the people's point of view.

Closing Remarks

40. Mexico and Japan concluded by saying that, in the end, many if not all of the UN's activities were related to human security. Japan also underlined that the challenges human security focused on such as poverty and disease were not necessarily new-issues. Nevertheless the effectiveness of the concept of human security lay in an integrated approach focusing on the individual and community. In this regard, while human security did cut across most of the UN's activities, there was no real risk of duplicating programmes or efforts. On the contrary, human security presented an opportunity to promote coherence and better action by the UN for the benefit of people and communities on the ground.
41. In this regard, Mexico noted that it was important that human security should be understood as a multidimensional concept, which would also contribute to breaking the existing polarization of the three pillars of the UN: peace and security, development, and human rights.
42. Japan closed the meeting by noting that the Co-Chairs would work towards holding an informal thematic debate on human security at the General Assembly by early 2008, as suggested by the President of the General Assembly.
43. The Co-Chairs proposed holding the fourth meeting in about six months, possibly April, to review progress.

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