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Human Security

A new concept is being elaborated in the international community at the beginning of the 21st century, that of “human security.” In part this concept is a response to changing economic and political conditions often associated with “globalization.” These conditions have generated deepening disparities in wealth in many parts of the world; the economic and social dislocation of whole populations; the eruption of violence and terror in the name of ethnic, nationalistic, and religious identities and differences; and the trafficking of people (especially women and children), commodities (e.g., drugs and arms), and ideas and information across political and cultural borders.

Despite three decades of activism connected to the international women’s movement, and the growing research and testimonials identifying the ways the forces of globalization differentially impact women and men, little attention has been given to the gendered dimensions of human security or to encompassing components that build on women’s knowledge and experiences.

Symposium: Women, Human Security & Globalization

Rockefeller Humanities Grant: Facing Global Capital, Finding Human Security: A Gendered Critique

Related Conference Summaries:

Women Leading on Security: Barriers and Opportunities (2005 Annual Conference)

Why a Human Security Framework? Issues, Questions, and Next Steps
(2003 Annual Conference)

Domestic and Global Implications of a Human Security Framework (2003 Annual Conference)

Facing Global and National Crises: Women Define Human Security (The 2002 Annual Conference focused on human security.)

Summaries available in PDF format:
-Plenary Summaries
-The New Nuclear Danger and the US Military Industrial Complex: A Conversation with Helen Caldicott
-At the Cutting Edge: A Gender Lens on Human Rights and Social Justice