Deputy Director Makino Gives a Presentation on Human Security 2.0 at a Symposium Hosted by UNDP

Between June 8-11, 2021, an online symposium titled “A New Generation of Human Security” was held by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Makino Koji, the deputy director of the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development (JICA Ogata Research Institute), participated as a panelist.

UNDP in partnership with the government of Japan are planning to publish a special report that revisits human security in this new era. The symposium was held as part of the process to develop this special report and discussions took place at the following four sessions: Session 1 “Structural changes to human security threats – The Anthropocene with lurking pandemics and the Digital Age”; Session 2 “Threats to human security: violent conflicts and crime”; Session 3 “Human insecurity as a threat to human development”; and Session 4 “The way forward: new aspirations and new responses during challenging times.”

Session 2, in which Makino participated, started with remarks from Laura Chinchilla, co-chair of the High-Level Advisory Panel for the Special Report on Human Security (and the former President of Costa Rica), followed by keynote speeches from Michael Barnett, professor at George Washington University, and Mary Kaldor, professor emerita at the London School of Economics.

The session then moved on to a panel discussion by five panelists including Makino. The following panelists gave presentations as follows: Toby Ord, senior research fellow in Philosophy at Oxford University, on the risks that threat human security; Joana Monteiro, head of the Center for Applied Research to Public Safety, Getulio Vargas Foundation, on violence by armed groups in Brazil; Andreas Feldmann, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, on how criminal organizations have ruling power in Latin America; and Joaquin Salido Marcos, program management officer, and Manuella Nehme, consultant on conflict and human development, both of the United Nations Regional Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), on human security and human development in Arab states through the activities of ESCWA.

Moreover, Makino brought up the impacts of COVID-19, saying that the pandemic has put human security of vulnerable people at greater risk. He said, although there were fewer conflicts temporarily, now situations are tending to worsen again, due to dissatisfaction among societies. In addition, he pointed out that the freedom of individuals is suppressed as a trade-off for safety under measures to control the pandemic in many countries, creating human rights and dignity-related issues. Finally, Makino shared two new approaches for peacebuilding. The first was enhanced collaboration with the private sector such as issuing human security bonds, providing financial assistance to companies helping refugees gain economic independence, and assisting startups by refugees. The second was further utilization of digital transformation, as with cases in which JICA is using social media, big data and satellite images from conflict areas in the Philippines and Uganda.

During the Q&A session, a comment to appraise JICA’s Human Security 2.0 was made from the audience, along with many questions and comments for Makino.