New York, 6 November 2007 – The “Friends of Human Security” will hold its third meeting on Wednesday, November 7. The focus is expected to be on efforts by Member States and UN agencies to “mainstream” the concept of human security at the UN.

The Friends of Human Security (FHS) is an informal, open-ended group of supporters of human security, consisting primarily of Member State representatives and international organizations working at UN headquarters. The meeting is organized by the missions of Japan and Mexico and the Human Security Unit of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The group began meeting in October 2006 to explore ways to follow up on the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (WSOD). In the WSOD, Member States committed to "discussing and defining the notion of human security in the General Assembly" (OP 143). However, the concept of human security has yet to be discussed in the General Assembly. Pursuing a legal definition of human security has been considered unrealistic since the 2005 Outcome. In that context, the goal of FHS so far has been to better incorporate the concept of human security into UN activities without a legal definition, while building a shared understanding of human security among Member States, international organizations, and NGOs.

The definition of the Commission on Human Security (CHS) – an initiative by Japan in 2001 – currently provides the basis for a very broad understanding of human security. The CHS defines human security as the protection of "the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and human fulfillment. 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" (Human Security Now, 2003).

A possible future step in following up on the WSOD is a General Assembly debate on human security (without the aim to agree on a definition).

Existing UN entities for human security include:

the Human Security Unit of OCHA;

the UN Trust Fund for Human Security, which funds projects to “advance the operational impact of the human security concept”; and

the Advisory Board on Human Security, which is responsible for addressing the recommendations of the CHS and advising the Secretary-General about human security. The Advisory Board most recently convened in October 2006.

In October the Human Security Unit introduced a website to provide a central resource on all three bodies’ and their work. (Click here for website.)

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