The renewed relevance of people-centred security approaches

Abstract

Paper presented at the conference ‘Critical World Issues’, held at Initiatives of Change, March 10-14, 2011, Caux, Switzerland.

In 1994 the UNDP launched the notion of ‘human security’ in its World Development Report. The concept was welcomed, but also criticised due to its lack of operationalisation and vagueness. The War on Terror pushed it again somewhat to the background with its emphasis on coercive approaches and its centrality of state or homeland security. However, the course of events in several ‘theatres of war’ such as Afghanistan and Iraq, the frequent misconceptions of terrorism, as well as the recent developments in Tunesia and Egypt compel us to take a fresh look at people-centred approaches to security and peace. In this paper I will sketch the origins and development of the human security approach, its strengths and weaknesses, and will elaborate on the renewed relevance of these at the present juncture.