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In this Age of the Anthropocene, the world of work is being radically disrupted by mass precarity, rising wage and income inequality, habitat destruction, and the rise of artificial intelligence. Facing such insecurity, people, we show, are careering toward radical ways of making a living. They range from radical professionals to social media influencing and environmental activism. Human security is fundamentally enhanced by sustainable livelihoods, and we explore ways not only to de-radicalise, but also to accept and embrace radical careering, if and whenever it serves the purpose of making people's livelihoods more sustainable for society, economies, and ecosystems. The article concludes by introducing an Index of Sustainable Livelihoods (SL-I). Success to the successful. The Sustainable Livelihoods Index (SL-I) is designed to be a 'visible hand' for end-users, including career counsellors, students, and workers undergoing career transitions, by Corporate Responsibility Officers, and by government ministries supporting just workforce transitions into sustainable livelihoods.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the increased salience of the concept of human security was a welcome development both in academic and policy circles. Problematizing the state's central role as the principal object of security allowed human beings' security needs and concerns to be put in front and center, at least in theory, if not necessarily in practice. The increasing traction the concept got also allowed several non-traditional security threats, such as environment, health and migration, to be approached through security lenses and put on security agendas. Despite the burgeoning literature and the notable frequency at which the concept of human security got incorporated into policy discussions, it has lost, at least partially, its analytical traction and policy saliency. The lack of a clear definition as well as vague and tactical use of the concept by policymakers have raised concerns about the human security concept turning into an empty signifier. While the human security concept was welcome by some feminist approaches, it is also criticized by others. This article aims to discuss the human security concept through different feminist perspectives and understand its adaptability in the field based on a comparative interpretive analysis of feminist foreign policy initiatives by Sweden, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Spain, Chile and Luxembourg. To realize this aim, we analyze the conceptualization and implementation of feminist foreign policies and how they put the human security approach into practice. We seek to problematize how feminist foreign policies tackle the ambiguities and limitations within the human security framework, and to what degree these policies confront or maintain current power dynamics and state-centered security models. We argue that feminist foreign policies do highlight the problems related to gender equality and contribute to their solutions, but do not challenge patriarchy and the power relations behind it. As such, while they contribute to better implementation of human security as a guiding principle for foreign policy, conventional foreign policy concerns limit the change they can create on the ground.

The research objective of this article is to develop an optimal model for a human security system in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF). This topic has gained particular relevance as the focus of Arctic exploration has shifted to include human interests, needs, concerns, and threats to human security. Despite this shift, the concept of human security has not yet been incorporated into the strategic documents of the Russian Federation that outline development priorities for the AZRF, nor into practical policies at the federal, regional, or municipal levels. This study employs qualitative methods of systems modeling and elements of quantitative analysis to create a human security index for the AZRF. The novelty of this study lies in its analysis of the existing human security system in the AZRF, identifying the key elements of the management mechanism, their interrelationships, and the challenges in the mechanism’s functioning. Based on this analysis, specific recommendations are proposed to optimize the structure of public administration in this area and to improve the effectiveness of interactions between government structures, businesses, and civil society organizations (including indigenous peoples’ organizations) operating in the AZRF. Additionally, the study develops a set of specific indicators describing various aspects of the human security system in the region. In accordance with UN recommendations, these indicators are classified into seven groups, covering economic, food, health, environmental, personal, cultural, linguistic, and political aspects of human security. Using these indicators, the study proposes to create a human security index for the Russian Arctic. This index will enable the monitoring of human security trends in the AZRF and inform adjustments to government policy in this area.

When discussing Human Security and Democracy, especially from a Brazilian perspective but also with global implications, it becomes essential to consider the impact and influence of what is commonly called cyber activism, which has started influencing public opinion and altered the approach to electoral outcomes. Thus, in contemporary societies, analyzing the exercise of democracy necessitates considering social control and efforts to combat intentional disinformation.

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This project was the product of innovative research, motivated by interdisciplinary discourses and personal reflections growing up in rural Ghana. With ethnographic evidence from the field, this study united strands of several disciplinary inquiries that are linked to current trends of globalization, democratization and feminist discourses. It assesses the intersectionality between tradition and modernity by placing women traditional leaders known as queen mothers, clan heads and cult leaders as active agents in the UNDP’s human security. I explored in this learning paper that the approaches I applied provide knowledge production while synthesizing ideas that broaden the understanding of women leaders and human security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses how the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in January 2024 highlighted the growing connection between technology and human security. CES, held annually in Las Vegas, is one of the largest technology conferences in the world. In recent years, the organizers recognized the role of technology in addressing major social challenges and partnered with the World Academy of Art and Science and the UN Trust Fund for Human Security to promote the theme of “Human Security For All.” At CES 2024, there were over 135,000 attendees from around the globe witnessing innovations in areas like AI, smart cities, health tech, and more that have implications for human well-being and security. The event reflects how technology is increasingly shaping all sectors of society. It also serves as a platform for policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to discuss opportunities and challenges related to ensuring technology benefits humanity. The article also provides examples of new partnerships between diverse companies enabled by technological convergence. In conclusion, CES has become an important forum for moving the agenda of human security and technology forward in a collaborative way.

This article discusses the issue of localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how this is critical for achieving human security globally. It notes that while the SDGs have been successful in generating consensus around sustainability, progress has been lacking and many targets may not be met. A key obstacle is that the SDGs have not been properly localized, which is essential given that real change needs to happen at the local level. The author argues that a bottom-up, localization-driven approach is needed to complement the existing top-down monitoring approach. This would empower local actors and allow them to develop diverse solutions through connecting and sharing ideas. A proposed solution is a digital platform that is co-created with local stakeholders and facilitates the networking of local actors as well as access to expertise. This could help drive cultural and social change from the bottom-up in support of the SDGs.

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has shown that human security is just as important as state security. The public health emergency unleashed by the pandemic has affected all sectors of human lives and has become a ‘human rights crisis’ affecting human dignity. From the broad human security architecture perspective, this research seeks to understand how Covid-19 has impacted human security in Ghana. The study used the mixed method approach to collect and analyse data from 163 household heads and six key informants. The interview schedule and guide were used to collect information from the household head and the key informants. In the end, it was evident that the pandemic seriously affected households’ disposable incomes, access to healthcare, and livelihoods. In addition, it was evident that the pandemic affected their civic liberties concerning freedom of movement, association and religion. The study also revealed little support was offered to people with disabilities and older people. Financial constraints and the harsh effects of the lockdown reduced their disposable income and made spending on PPEs very difficult. It is recommended that governments should implement policies to reduce disparities and improve access to essential services, including healthcare, education, and social support, particularly for marginalized communities. However, these policy interventions should be done to benefit all and not only political party members.

This article uses the case of Zimbabwe to explore the interface between militarisation and state capacity, and through that critique the emancipatory potential of the human security concept. It argues that militarisation undermines state capacity to provide emancipatory security as envisioned in the human security concept. A militarised state is severely incapacitated and challenged to deliver emancipatory security because it lacks the functional capacity and legitimacy of a state that is capable of safeguarding the security of the individual. The Zimbabwean case shows how the nature of the struggle for the country's independence conditioned the political elite's siege mentality and concomitant predisposition to use militarisation to safeguard their interests while ignoring those of the broader citizenry. By underscoring the adverse effects of militarisation on state capacity and legitimacy, the Zimbabwean case reinforces critiques of the state-centric approach of the human security concept, which severely constraints the latter's emancipatory potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2022, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) released a Special Report on threats to human security in the Anthropocene, a year after UN Secretary-General António Guterres released his report Our Common Agenda. In anticipation of the 2024 Summit of the Future, both called for a reinvigoration of networked multilateralism and for solidarity to be adopted as a third human security pillar alongside protection and empowerment. This article explores those expectations against a deeper understanding of the UN history of human security and a cycle of declared concerns about human insecurity and precarity dating at least to UNDP's 1994 Human Development Report. It argues that there is little new in the "next-generation" model of networked multilateralism and that, as a global governance norm, solidarity for human security is underconceptualized and poorly operationalized. It points to the importance of reclaiming the local as a site of people-centered agency, care, and voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The theme of ‘Human Security’ was first articulated by Mahbub-ul-Haq in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report in 1994. Freedom from fear and freedom from want are the two cardinal principles of human security. Human Security puts individual as the prime referral point in its exposition and analysis. Since, there is a lot of emphasis upon gender-specific discourses in the last three decades this article seeks to bring into limelight the critical perspectives of the interfaces between gender and human security, with special reference to India. This article raises some fundamental and pertinent questions. What impact does gender have on human security? What are the different dimensions of Human Security? To what extent we have been able to establish a gender-specific human security discourse in India? This article tries to answer all these substantive questions and establish a gendered-human security discourse in contemporary India.

Due to climate change, the decline in the African continent’s rich ecological biodiversity threatens increased food insecurity, mobility, millions of livelihoods, land conflicts, and zoonotic disease transmission that could lead to more pandemics. This climate change comes with human security and political and economic concerns. As it stands, attempts to stop all greenhouse gas emissions cannot relieve the pain inflicted by climate change. Accordingly, there is a need to direct attention to the inescapable consequences of climate change. The estimate that by 2050, about 200 million climate migrants will have been forcibly displaced worldwide, of which 86 million will be in Africa, is a cause for concern. By disconnecting security and migration, academics and peace and security practitioners must reframe their understanding of migration as a human security threat. Based on a systematic literature review, this study explores human security and mobility in Africa’s climate change context. It is argued that challenges from climate change, human activities and population pressure on land impacting land degradation are critical factors in increasing the risk of mobility and human security in Africa. These risks require anticipatory steps to overcome them. Hence, this study contributes to the risk assessment of mobility and human security by highlighting some indicators and distinguishing the incremental impacts of climate change while investigating opportunities to design adaptation actions for sustaining security and mobility. The study suggests that the human security approach should be integrated into the migration and climate migration policy frameworks, including efforts to promote a people-centred and more holistic approach to address human security. Even if climate migration presents a security issue, it does not necessarily threaten national security alone but human security. Options considering the complex and multifaceted nature of challenges to peoples’ well-being because of climate change and its related disasters across Africa are explored.

Many interlinkages already exist between security and development, despite the fact they traditionally maintained separate bodies of literature and compartmentalized presence in policymaking. This introductory article to the special issue seeks to provide guidance on how to bridge the gap between Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Sustainable Development Goals. It focuses on the nexus between the two concepts particularly SDG-16 devoted to effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. It argues that the human security paradigm provides the most rewarding approach for bridging the gap between these two, as it centres the focus on the human element of these two endeavours. It first provides an overview of the security-development nexus, followed by a discussion of the commonalities and differences between SSR and SDG-16 specifically, outlining how human security provides a better connection between the two. It concludes that the bottom-up and multistakeholder approaches of the human security paradigm and its context-specific perspective ensure that the SSR missions and attainment of the SDG-16 targets will be more effective and efficient.

The Republic of Croatia has announced a plan to build a radioactive waste repository in Mount Trgovska Gora located along the border area with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which has upset residents living in the border municipalities in BiH. This paper seeks to examine local residents’ opinion regarding the construction of a radioactive waste repository. Our study was conducted in Novi Grad, a place located in the immediate vicinity of Trgovska Gora. The aim of the study was to examine local residents’ perceptions and the implications of the planned project for human security. This study is based on a qualitative research approach using the focus group interview as a technique. Eleven respondents participated in the focus group interview. The group consisted of representatives of local communities, residents, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Our findings indicate that local residents strongly disagree with the announced project and numerous negative implications for human security.

This article delves into the pivotal role of transformative leadership in shaping 21st century healthcare, advocating for a model that marries human security, global leadership, and collaborative innovation. It underscores the imperative for leaders to steer healthcare systems towards holistic approaches that address the multifaceted challenges of today, such as pandemics and climate change. Emphasizing leadership’s responsibility in fostering technological advancements, cross-sector cooperation, and international collaboration, the author posits leadership at the core of achieving a resilient, inclusive healthcare system aimed at securing a healthier future for all.

There is an increasing consensus that climate change undermines human security by exacerbating existing challenges, acting as a “threat multiplier”. Bangladesh is a climate hot spot due to its geographical location, dense population and vulnerable socio-economic infrastructure. Although there is an increasing number of studies on the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, aggregated research that combines this evidence and provides a comprehensive overview is lacking. The aim of this research is to thoroughly investigate the characteristics of the academic literature on the complex pathways through which climate variability affects different components of human security in Bangladesh, allowing for determination of the trends and research gaps, as well as whether they lead to conflict or cooperation. We used a systematic mapping methodology to search and screen 1839 publications in Web of Science, including 320 publications for the final synthesis. We found a predominant research focus on rural areas, especially in the southwestern region, with declining crop yield, economic loss, migration, water shortage, food scarcity and health hazards being the highlighted impacts of climate change for Bangladesh. The impacts on food, economic, environmental, health and water security have been well studied, but we found significant research gaps in some human security components, especially energy security. Women and the economically disadvantaged are disproportionately affected, and the causal pathways between conflict or cooperation and the ever-changing climate lack research efforts, implying a dire need to focus on under-researched areas before they become more complex and difficult to address. Policies and interventions should prioritise climate-resilient agricultural practices and infrastructure in high-risk areas, building local capacities and integrating climate risk assessments into urban planning, considering the high influx of environmental migrants. This systematic map provides a foundation for future longitudinal studies, establishes a baseline for this era for future comparisons and serves as a reliable database for relevant stakeholders and policy makers.

In the third year of Jokowi's government, the focus remains on the continued economic transformation and the Indonesia-centric paradigm initially set in the first year. This study analyzes the three-year performance report of the Jokowi-JK government using the human security approach. The methodology involves a thorough review of reports and news on implementing equitable development. The study findings indicate that the Jokowi government has significantly prioritized development with a human security approach. Keywords: Human security; Nawa Cita Agenda; Indonesia-centric; Regionalized Development

The text discusses two recent books that examine the rise of stabilization in UN peacekeeping and international interventions. The first book, "Stabilization and Human Security in UN Peace Operations" by Alexander Gilder, explores how UN peacekeeping can provide a holistic approach to ending armed conflicts and building peace. Gilder argues that while some peacekeeping practices align with a human security approach, the focus on stabilization and increased militarization often undermines this approach. The second book, "Stabilization as the New Normal in International Interventions: Low Expectations?" edited by Roberto Belloni and Francesco N. Moro, provides a broader analysis of stabilization across various actors and locations. The book highlights the negative implications of stabilization, such as its security-focused nature and retreat from human rights and democracy. Overall, both books offer critical appraisals of stabilization interventions and raise important questions about its effectiveness and future use. [Extracted from the article]