GOMEZ Oscar A.
   Department   Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University  College of Asia Pacific Studies
   Position   Associate Professor
Language English
Publication Date 2012/10
Type Research paper (Academic/Professional Journal)
Peer Review Peer reviewed
Title What is a Human Security Project? The Experience of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security
Contribution Type Single Work
Journal Global Change, Peace & Security
Volume, Issue, Page 24(3),pp.385-404
Details The idea of human security continues to gain global recognition, offering an alternative framework for the evolving challenges of the new century. While the human security literature has addressed the definition of the concept exhaustively, thorough analyses on efforts to operationalize it are scarce. The UN Trust Fund for Human Security is an appealing source of insights on the praxis of the idea because of the Fund's long-standing effort, which includes more than 190 implemented projects. The article is an examination of the Fund's experience operationalizing human security in three steps: principles, criteria, and actual project formulation. While asking what a human security project is, the article follows the process through which the results of the Commission on Human Security are translated into the Fund's guidelines, and how those guidelines are used to design activities. The revision highlights the strengths of a human security framework when addressing complex situations, allowing for multiple, innovative interventions under one umbrella of action. However, coordination problems and an evaluation of whether humans are more secure through the use of the concept remain operational concerns.
DOI 10.1080/14781158.2012.718430
ISSN 1478-1158