The original HS4A campaign was developed in partnership with the UN Trust Fund for Human Security. This campaign is solely an initiative of The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and the information and views presented on this site do not represent the views of the United Nations or its Member States.
Visit the HS4A website
Read the HS4A Booklet
What is human security?
Human security1 starts with people and what it means for us to be safe and secure. It means security from harmful disruptions and calamities – in our homes, our jobs, our communities, and our environment.
It’s also about our needs and hopes, our chance to develop our potential, especially those of us who are the most vulnerable.
Human security is about empowering people to participate in making choices on how they can be most secure and resilient in face of current and future risks.
Often policies and solutions assist people with one aspect of human security. But when a crisis comes along, it affects us in many ways.
Consider COVID-19, which threatened our lives and health but also our economies – many lost their jobs and their ability to put food on the table. Others, confined to their homes, experienced threats to their personal security.
Or consider people who have been forced to leave their homes due to natural disasters. People who are displaced need places to live and be safe, jobs and income to survive, but also community networks, a sense of belonging and ways to sustain their culture and their dignity.
In response to these and other threats, our needs and hopes must be heard and heeded – our insecurities must be tackled together, comprehensively.
Without human security, there is no national or global security. Read more on HS4A campaign background
HS4A Newsletter
– Promoting Human Security Through Love
– Human Security and Parliaments
– Safeguarding the Human Experience Through Technology
– EarthX 2023: HS4A Attends the Largest Environmental Expo in the World
– Implementing Human Security: Methods & Tools
– We Celebrate World Oceans Day, and the Anniversary of The Garbage Patch State
Read the Newsletter
A proven approach to human security
In ensuring human security for all, we draw on lessons learned from applying the human security approach in more than 295 programmes in 135 countries.2
The human security approach is a framework for assessing, developing and implementing comprehensive responses to complex challenges in communities, countries or regions. The approach puts a priority on prevention and creating early warning mechanisms to detect threats, minimize their impact and, when possible, prevent their occurrence. It is a valuable tool for tackling today’s interconnected threats and addressing their root causes before they become much bigger humanitarian, economic and environmental crises.
Follow us on Social Media
Join our mailing list to receive regular updates on the campaign, contact [email protected]
Featured Events
Human Security and Parliament
This webinar will discuss how parliaments can incorporate the Human Security Approach into their work, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to foster peace, stability, and sustainable development in an increasingly interconnected world. Read more
Science for Human Security
The webinar will introduce biohydrogen, its production and uses. It will then focus on some specific pathways for producing hydrogen for potential energy use. Read more
Implementing Human Security
This webinar aimed to identify new directions for scientific and evidence-based approaches to Human Security. Read more
Technology & Human Security
The inaugural webinar in our Human Security series was held, offering an introduction to the concerns of the Academy’s founders regarding the impact of knowledge and technology. Read more
Education for Human Security
The 6th International Conference on Future Education was held online on March 7-9, 2023. Leading educators and policy-makers discussed on the central importance of the United Nation’s Human Security Approach as an integrating framework for educational reform. Read more
Technological Innovations for Human Security: HS4A at CES2023
Human Security for All (HS4A) was the central theme of the CES 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA on 5-8 January 2023. Consumer Technology Association (CTA) promoted innovative solutions by businesses to address global human security issues. Read more
Press & Publications
- “Oppenheimer” is a gripping biographical film that delves into the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the most brilliant and conflicted minds of the 20th century. – Walt Stinson [more]
- The film “Oppenheimer” explores how WWII and the atomic weapons’ development reshaped global perspectives on science, leading to the establishment of the World Academy and its ongoing focus on human security. – Garry Jacobs [more]
- UN Publications on Human Security – Repository of Academic Literature
- Educational Program organized by the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents. Read the Interviews
- Cadmus journal issued a special report in support of the HS4A global campaign. The intention of the report is to foster awareness and understanding of the concept of human security from a multitude of perspectives and different dimensions at the local, national and global level. Read the report
- Force for Good, WAAS partner and an institution focused on transforming capitalism, published a report on the first day of the CES 2023 event. The report points out and warns that the world is not on track to achieve the UN SDGs – targets designed to help protect people and the planet. It also estimated that tech investment and innovation can help cut the cost to fund the SDGs by $55 trillion. Read the report
- Press coverage of the CES 2023 event
References –
1) In 2012, the UN General Assembly – made up of more than 190 nations as UN Member States – affirmed a common understanding of human security: “The right of people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair. All individuals, in particular vulnerable people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential.”
2) These programmes are supported by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. The human security approach has also been applied in regional and global initiatives. Many examples of lessons learned can be found here