ADVISORY BOARD ON HUMAN SECURITY FIFTEENTH MEETING 28 29 October 2014 One UN Hotel New York Tuesday, 28 October 2014 Agenda 10:00 am Opening remarks by Ms. Sonia Picado, Chair 10:10 am Opening statement by Mrs. Sadako Ogata, Honorary Chair 10:20 am Welcome remarks by Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations 10:30 am Update on the activities of the HSU since the last meeting of the ABHS by Ms. Mehrnaz Mostafavi, HSU 11:00 am Discussion on the implementation of the HSU s Strategic Plan (2014-2017) Goal 1: Mainstream human security in the activities of the United Nations 1:15 pm Lunch 3:30 pm Discussion on resource mobilization for the UNTFHS 5:45 pm Meeting adjourned Wednesday, 29 October 2014 10:00 am Discussion on the implementation of the HSU s Strategic Plan (2014-2017) Goal 2: Extend global awareness of human security and the usage of the human security approach 11:15 am Review and revise the Guidelines for the UNTFHS as per the HSU s Strategic Plan and its effective implementation 1
12:30 pm Concluding remarks by Ms. Sonia Picado, Chair 12:45 pm Meeting closed Minutes of the Fifteenth ABHS Meeting The fifteenth meeting of the Advisory Board on Human Security (ABHS) was convened on 28 and 29 October 2014 at the One UN Hotel, New York. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Sonia Picado and was attended by the following Board members: Mrs. Sadako Ogata, Honorary Chair, Mr. François Fouinat, Mr. Matjaž Kovačič, Mr. Kamel Morjane, Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn, Mr. Bradford Smith, Mr. Masami Tamura, Mr. Yukio Takasu, Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, Mr. Knut Vollebaek and Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, as a special guest of the Board. Also present were Ms. Justine Rubira from the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG), representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as staff of the Human Security Unit (HSU). 1. Introductory Remarks Ms. Sonia Picado welcomed the members of the ABHS and presented the following two new members, Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, President of JICA, and Mr. Knut Vollebaek, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway to the Board. Ms. Picado expressed her gratitude to the Board members for their commitment to the advancement of the human security approach within the United Nations and beyond, and extended a special welcome to the Board s Honorary Chair, Mrs. Sadako Ogata. Mrs. Ogata conveyed her appreciation to the Board for its support in the development of the human security approach as a valuable policy concept within the international system over the past decade. She reflected on the genesis of the human security approach in addressing insecurities that spread across international boundaries in an increasingly interlinked world. Mrs. Ogata noted that today support for human security is well established within the General Assembly and has evolved into an important policy concept that can be applied both domestically and internationally. Mrs. Ogata stressed that human security is a significant tool for responding to today s complex challenges and underscored the importance of its mainstreaming into national and global policies. Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa welcomed the Board and provided an update on key developments since the Mid-term Consultation Meeting of the ABHS in April 2014, including the General Assembly Thematic Debate on 18 June during which Member States expressed their views on how the human security approach could be incorporated into the post-2015 development agenda. Furthermore, Ambassador Yoshikawa informed the Board of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe s remarks at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly in September reiterating Japan s continued commitment to human security. 2
2. Update on the activities of the HSU since the last meeting of the ABHS Reflecting on the activities of the past 12 months, Ms. Mehrnaz Mostafavi highlighted the release of the third report of the Secretary-General on human security and the issuance of the Human Security Unit s Strategic Plan 2014-2017. Towards implementing the Strategic Plan s goals and objectives, Ms. Mostafavi informed the Board that an Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Human Security had been established to explore the system-wide application of the human security approach at both country and headquarters levels. Moreover, Ms. Mostafavi drew the Board s attention to ongoing activities to promote greater understanding and usage of the human security approach. These included continuing collaboration with the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict as well as other NGOs and Member States; the UN TV 21st Century series which aims to bring the human security approach to a global audience; and a number of academic conferences held by different entities marking the 20 year history of human security since the release of the 1994 UNDP Human Development Report on Human Security. Furthermore, Ms. Mostafavi briefed the Board on the Unit s management of the UNTFHS. She remarked that providing seed money to projects that are co-funded by other donors has contributed to the greater mainstreaming of the human security approach as co-funding from UN Country teams and local and national Governments has resulted in a transition from project-based to longer-term district or national level implementation of the human security approach. 3. Discussion on the implementation of the HSU s Strategic Plan (2014-2017) Goal 1: Mainstream human security in the activities of the United Nations Mr. Yukio Takasu informed the Board that while progress has been made in mainstreaming human security in the activities of some UN Country Teams, nevertheless, a greater focus is now needed in order to promote human security in the activities of UN Headquarter Agencies and Departments. To this end, he highlighted the importance of sustained engagement in the ongoing discussions on the post-2015 development agenda as well as continued outreach on human security with UN entities. Moreover, Mr. Takasu noted that to successfully promote human security in the activities of the United Nations will require commitment from senior management across the United Nations and highlighted that the IAWG on Human Security is a crucial step in this endeavour. 3
Board members agreed that human security s added value to the United Nation s work on the ground has been well established and that greater focus is now needed in order to promote the system-wide application of the human security approach at headquarters. In this regard, Mr. Knut Vollebaek highlighted the crucial role of Member States in promoting human security. He noted that top-down endorsement and support from Member States combined with bottom-up evidence of the added value of the human security approach in the field is essential in encouraging senior management to promote human security across the United Nations system. Mrs. Sadako Ogata added that while it is important to focus on strategic entry points where human security can highlight its added value, integration across the United Nations system must remain a core objective of the human security approach. With this in mind, members of the Board highlighted the centrality of the Unit s advocacy and outreach efforts in mobilizing further support from Member States and the United Nations system and in building partnerships towards greater mainstreaming of the human security approach. In addition, the Board noted that training of United Nations staff is needed in order to foster greater understanding of human security and to strengthen staff s capacity in implementing and mainstreaming the approach across the United Nations system. Lastly, the Board highlighted the importance of engaging with the IAWG on Human Security and agreed that a meeting between the ABHS and the IAWG would be extremely beneficial. 4. Discussion on resource mobilization for the UNTFHS In discussing how best to mobilize resources, the Board underlined the importance of linking the mainstreaming of human security to attracting additional donors and highlighted that these activities should be pursued in tandem. They looked at a proposal submitted by Mr. François Fouinat and recommended that the Fund be utilized to promote cross-cutting priorities of the United Nations system that do not fall under the mandate of specific agencies or programmes to bring the human security approach into the United Nations mainstream; support the One UN initiative; and encourage new partners and donors to join UNTFHS. This proposal would position UNTFHS as a recognized vehicle to promote UN integrated responses. Meanwhile, Mr. Masami Tamura stressed the importance of encouraging other Member States to contribute to the Fund. While reiterating Japan s commitment to 4
human security, Mr. Tamura welcomed the development of a concrete resource mobilization strategy by the HSU to ensure a multi-donor trust fund. Furthermore, Board members highlighted the importance of showcasing and presenting UNTFHS supported projects to provide concrete evidence of the added value of the human security approach in meeting the specific objectives of the prospective Member States. Additionally, Board members underlined the importance of highlighting human security s contribution to ongoing efforts to reform and strengthen the United Nations and to enhance greater integration across the activities of the Organisation so as to more effectively and efficiently tackle cross-cutting threats and challenges. Members agreed that the work of the IAWG on Human Security and the growing effort in mainstreaming the approach across the United Nations system should also be highlighted. At the same time, Mr. Matjaž Kovačič emphasized the importance of participating in high-level international conferences as a way to extend global awareness and usage of the human security approach among potential donors. To this end, the Board welcomed the planned side event on human security at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai from 14-18 March 2015. 5. Review and revise the Guidelines for the UNTFHS as per the HSU s Strategic Plan and its effective implementation Ms. Mostafavi briefed the Board on the proposed revisions to the UNTFHS Guidelines. She noted that the revisions bring the Guidelines in line with the Unit s Strategic Plan to mainstream human security in the activities of the United Nations. To this end, the UNTFHS will provide seed money to co-fund projects that aim to mainstream the human security approach at the national, regional and global level. The Board agreed to the proposed changes and requested the HSU to update the examples of situations to be addressed from the human security perspective as outlined in the Guidelines. 6. Next Steps Ms. Picado thanked the Board for attending the 15th meeting of the ABHS and closed with the following action points: 5
The HSU to continue to backstop the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Human Security on initiatives to mainstream human security in the activities of the United Nations and extend global awareness of the approach as per the goals and objectives of the HSU s Strategic Plan 2014-2017. The HSU to finalize and publish the revised UNTFHS Guidelines. The HSU to continue to backstop the members of the ABHS in their efforts to expand the financial resources of the UNTFHS. The HSU to identify innovative approaches that could contribute to the mainstreaming goal of the Unit s Strategic Plan and to explore opportunities for how best to train United Nations staff on human security and develop a pool of experts in the implementation of the human security approach. 6