Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2007
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Section 3. Human Security
1. The Concept of "Human Security"
The progress of globalization in recent years has seen the movement of people, goods, money and information proceeding at a rapid pace and on a huge scale. This has resulted in an expansion of human trafficking, the smuggling of weapons and drugs, and the spread of infectious diseases. What is more, the expansion of economies has exacerbated environmental problems such as global warming and the tightening of the energy supply-demand situation. Furthermore, the collapse of the Cold War structure has triggered conflicts rooted in religion, race, ethnicity, bringing to the fore such problems as refugees and internally displaced persons and issues caused by antipersonnel land mines and small arms proliferation. Each of these problems does not exist independently, but intertwines and threatens people's lives and livelihoods.
These problems cannot be adequately dealt with solely through the conventional approach of state security, in which the state protects its borders and citizens. There is a need for a comprehensive approach whereby interrelations between these problems are considered and addressed from the perspective of each and every individual. To respond to this situation, the concept of "human security" emerged in the latter half of the 1990s.
Recognized in "human security" is the need to protect people against serious threats to their lives, livelihoods and dignity. It is an approach that seeks to integrate and strengthen efforts that emphasize human-centered perspectives so that the rich potential of people can be fully realized.
To respond to critical and pervasive threats to people's lives, livelihoods and dignity, people must be protected by the state where they reside, and individuals and communities must be empowered so that they can deal with these threats themselves.
The focus of the "human security" approach is on dealing effectively with the various common threats faced in this increasingly interdependent world. To achieve this goal, it is essential that the leaders of countries, international organizations, and civil society join forces to create and maintain societies that bring out the potential of people.
2. Introduction and Development of the Concept of "Human Security"
The concept of "human security" was first introduced in the 1994 Human Development Report of the UNDP. This report defined it as a comprehensive concept centered on two points: security from constant threats such as hunger, diseases and oppression, and protection from sudden disruption of people's daily lives. Emphasized in the report were the lives and dignity of individual people, in the context of development on the eve of the 21st century.
At the UN Millennium Summit held in September 2000, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented a report in which he used the key phrase, "freedom from fear, freedom from want" and addressed the question of how best to deal with various global problems that people face. In response to the Secretary-General's report, then Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, in a speech given at the Summit, declared that human security would be regarded as one of the major pillars of Japan's foreign policy and called for the establishment of an international commission for human security with the participation of world-renowned experts in order to enhance this approach further.
During the visit of Secretary-General Annan to Japan in January 2001, based on then Prime Minister Mori's proposal, the establishment of the Commission on Human Security was announced. The Commission consisted of 12 experts including Mme. Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (currently the President of JICA) and Dr. Amartya Sen, then Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University, as co-chairs.
The Commission on Human Security held five meetings and dialogues, and conducted research on a variety of subjects at various locations around the world. In February 2003, the Commission reported the substance of the final report on human security to then Prime Minister Koizumi, and submitted the report entitled "Human Security Now" to UN Secretary-General Annan in May of the same year. This report stressed the need to expand the scope of "security" from one that only focuses on state security to one that includes people's perspectives, and pointed out the necessity for comprehensive and integrated efforts to secure the safety of human beings. It also defined human security as follows: "To protect the vital core of all human lives that enhance human freedoms and human fulfillment." In September 2003, in order to advise the UN Secretary General on ways to carry out the recommendations of the report and utilize the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, the Advisory Board on Human Security was established. The board meets annually, under the chairpersonship of Sadako Ogata.
In addition to these developments, the Human Security Network was established under Canada and Norway in 1999 as a means of promoting human security. The number of international organizations that emphasize human security has also increased, and human security was included in the outcome document of the World Summit in 2005. Through these moves, human security is attracting interest as a global issue. Furthermore, a meeting of "Friends of Human Security" was held under the leadership of Japan in October 2006, with the aim of raising interests among countries in human security. The "Friends" have met on three occasions so far.1 Also, in December 2006, Japan held the International Symposium on Human Security to mark the 50th anniversary of its admission to the UN under the theme "Human Security in Post-conflict Peacebuilding — Transition from Humanitarian Relief to Development."2
Chart I-10. History of Human Security
3. Japan's Efforts toward Human Security
In order to reflect the perspective of human security in the implementation of Japan's ODA, the Government of Japan has adopted the following six approaches:3
1) Assistance that puts people at the center of concerns and that effectively reaches the people
2) Assistance to strengthen local communities
3) Assistance that emphasizes empowering of people
4) Assistance that emphasizes benefiting people who are exposed to threats
5) Assistance that respects cultural diversity
6) Cross-sectoral assistance that mobilizes a range of professional expertise
These approaches have been incorporated into Japan's ODA across the board. As a means of strengthening efforts, the Government of Japan also provides assistance through the Trust Fund for Human Security established in the UN and bilateral assistance toward NGOs of developing countries through Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects.
(1) The Trust Fund for Human Security
In March 1999, the Government of Japan established the Trust Fund for Human Security in the UN, contributing ¥500 million. Up until FY2006, Japan contributed a cumulative total of ¥33.5 billion for 170 projects. This is one of the largest amount contributed among the trust funds established in the UN.
In FY2006, a number of projects were approved, including US$1.58 million for "Natural Disasters in Peru: from Damage Limitation to Risk Management and Prevention" project, US$2.18 million for "Inter-Agency Programme on the Sustainable Rehabilitation of War Victims in Burundi", and US$0.95 million for an assistance project entitled "Support to ex-poppy farmers and poor vulnerable families in border areas" in Myanmar. In these projects international organizations deal comprehensively with local problems extending over a number of sectors in cooperation with NGOs and other entities. The benefits of these projects are that people and communities are protected from various threats, and provided with the knowledge and skills they need to deal with these threats. In other words, sustained development is supported through the empowerment of people and communities.
For example, in the program to assist returnee war victims in Burundi, the UNDP, UNICEF, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the UN Development Program for Women (UNIFEM) made use of their respective fields of specialization, alongside NGOs, to deal comprehensively with various problems including the prevention of conflict reoccurrence, poverty, health and sanitation, education, and gender issues. The specific activities conducted were divided among the various organizations as follows: (1) development of teachers and the organization of workshops for peace education; (2) community-participation assistance for operation of healthcare facilities and sanitation services; (3) improvement of sanitation through installation of toilets, etc.; (4) vocational training and literacy education; (5) support for displaced women returning home; and (6) securing safe drinking water and food. These activities promoted the creation of a foundation to enable a better future for war victims.
To achieve human security, it is a priority for the future to expand these activities with contributions to the fund from other countries and private-sector organizations.
Chart I-11. Disbursements to the UN Trust Fund for Human Security
(2) Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects
Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects is provided mainly to local and international NGOs, regional and local governments and educational and medical institutions in developing countries. This grant aid instrument provides support to relatively small projects in Basic Human Needs (BHN) sectors at the grassroots level. It has received a worldwide reputation for the provision of timely assistance.
In FY2003, the name of this instrument was changed from Grass-roots Grant Aid to Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects so that it can be clear that this instrument strongly reflects the principles of "human security", and this instrument was commenced to provide assistance to important sectors from the perspective of human security, in addition to support to BHN sectors. Along with these changes, the maximum grant amount of ¥50 million (excluding demining projects) was increased up to ¥100 million, depending on the necessity of the project.
Through this instrument, Japan has provided seamless assistance ranging from humanitarian aid that provides support to communities for their immediate basic human needs to community and nation-building in post-conflict areas, such as the Middle East.
Box 4. Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects