Human Security in Practice: East Asian Experiences

Since its introduction in the Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1994, the concept of Human Security has received growing attention, and in 2012 a common understanding of the concept was reached at the UN General Assembly. However, the operationalization of the concept remains a contested matter. In particular, there are few researches that conduct comparative analysis on practical problem-solving efforts in the face of serious threats to human security in multiple countries. Against this backdrop, JICA-RI has launched a new research project on human security in East Asia to document existing good practices and promote further operationalization of the concept. The first phase of the project was to inquire into various stakeholders' understanding of the concept of human security as well as their perceptions of serious threats in each country and the region.