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HUMAN SECURITY NETWORK - HSN
General Information
- The Human Security Network (HSN), set up by Canada and Norway in 1999, is a grouping of nations from all regions with similar views regarding the development of human security at the national and international levels. Presently, the HSN is composed of 12 member states, including Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia and Thailand. In addition, South Africa is an observer nation.
- The HSN has a vision of a world where human beings are able to live in security and dignity. This includes "Freedom from Fear," from threats such as armed conflict and its aftermath, and from dangerous weapons such as anti-personnel landmines and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons; and "Freedom from Want," from threats such as abject poverty and the spread of infectious diseases. Other issues considered urgent priorities by the HSN include human rights education, addressing implementation gaps of international humanitarian and human rights law and the protection of children in armed conflict.
- The goal of the HSN is to support discussions on human security and co-operate to identify concrete areas for collective action according to security policies that focus on the protection and security requirement of the individual and society through promoting freedom from fear and freedom from want.
- The HSN holds annual ministerial meetings, which can be considered the primary activity of the Network. The 1st Ministerial Meeting was held in Lysøen, Norway on 20 May 1999. Following this, the 2nd Ministerial Meeting was held in Lucerne, Switzerland from 11-12 May 2000; the 3rd Ministerial Meeting was held in Petra, Jordan from 11-12 May 2001; the 4th Ministerial Meeting was held in Santiago, Chile from 2-3 July 2002; the 5th Ministerial Meeting was held in Graz, Austria from 8-10 May 2003; the 6th Ministerial Meeting was held in Bamako, Mali from 27-29 May 2004; and the 7th Ministerial Meeting was held in Ottawa, Canada from 18-29 May 2005. During the meeting in Ottawa, Thailand accepted the presidency of the HSN, effective from May 2005 to May 2006, and will host the 8th Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok in May 2006.
Thailand and the HSN
- Thailand is a founding member of the HSN. This is because Thailand considers human security, as defined by the Network, to be an important part of our national socio-economic development agenda. Thailand is an emerging donor country that places human development at the forefront of our national agenda. The 1997 Constitution places particular importance on respect for human rights, and Thailand is able to use the HSN as a platform to promote human rights at all levels.
- In Thailand's view, any discussion of human security should take into account the balance between "Freedom from Fear" and "Freedom from Want." Thailand is still a developing country that urgently needs to address abject poverty and enable its people to live in security and dignity, which includes dealing with infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and the problem of narcotic drugs. In this regard, Thailand has always urged the HSN to place greater importance on "Freedom from Want." This can be seen in Thailand's continued encouragement of HSN member states to address poverty alleviation, human-centred development, and the spread of HIV/AIDS during the 5th and 6th Ministerial Meetings.
- Thailand also places importance on "Freedom from Fear," such as addressing the problem of anti-personnel landmines. Thailand is a State Party to the Mine Ban Convention and hosted the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention in September 2003 in Bangkok.
Activities undertaken by Thailand under the HSN framework
- Thailand supports co-operation under the HSN framework to address the problem of HIV/AIDS, particularly in raising HIV/AIDS awareness and campaigning for the use of condoms. The HSN in turn supported the Thai request that the HSN issue a Joint Statement on HIV/AIDS during the Bangkok Summit 2004: Leadership on HIV/AIDS, which was held on 12 July 2004. Thailand then drafted the HSN Joint Statement on HIV/AIDS using inputs from other HSN member states. The Joint Statement was proactive and showed the political commitment of the HSN member states to address the problem of HIV/AIDS by stressing the human security dimension of HIV/AIDS. In addition, the Joint Statement incorporated the recommendations of the HSN to the 2nd Asia-Pacific Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS (held in Bangkok on 11 July 2004) and the 15th International AIDS Conference (held in Bangkok from 11 - 16 July 2004).
- In the case of poverty alleviation, Thailand has informed the HSN of its initiatives in this area. These include the registration of poor people across the country as part of national policy to eradicate abject poverty within 6 years; enhancing regional socio-economic development through such projects as the Ayewady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS); developing a Human Security Index to measure levels of development in various areas; and addressing the problem of human trafficking.
- As President of the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention, Thailand is fully committed to eradicating the scourge of anti-personnel landmines. In this regard, Thailand has placed particular importance on mobilisation of financial resources and the universalisation of the Convention.
Related websites: www.humansecuritynetwork.org
Social Division
Department of International Organisations
Tel. 0-643-5065-6
August 2005
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