“Building a World Free from Fear and Free from Want”

In Santiago, Chile, the Human Security Network convened its IV^th Ministerial Meeting on 2^nd and 3^rd of July 2002, to re-affirm the commitment of the participating Governments to promote human security principles and to support efforts aimed at enhancing the safety, dignity and the well-being of people world-wide. The Meeting was attended by Ministers, State Secretaries and Special Envoys from all Network countries: Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, The Netherlands, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and Thailand, along with South Africa, observer of the Network.

The Meeting took place at a time of dramatic change due to the emergence of new threats to the security of individuals, expressed in forms of violence and intolerance that afflict many societies. Among these emerging threats are social exclusion, ethnic and religious conflicts, exploitation of children, spread of pandemic diseases, famine, environmental degradation, and different forms of trans-national crime as the world drug problem, trafficking of human beings and terrorism. The current international context is strongly influenced by the tragic events of September 11^th 2001, which altered the sense of security of individuals all around the globe. The Meeting reiterated the urgency to globally promote an all-encompassing approach to deal with the new menaces to individuals in order to “build a world free from fear and free from want”.

Recalling the Statement of the Human Security Network Concerning the Terrorist Attacks in the United States (New York, November 12, 2001), The Meeting renewed the commitment of the Governments of the Network to support international efforts to eradicate terrorism through better understanding of the sources of global insecurity. In this regard, The Meeting reiterated that the guidelines to fight against terrorism are established in the International Conventions and in the Security Council Resolutions 1368 (2001) and 1373 (2001) and the UNGA Resolution 56/1.

The Meeting noted that, considering the current international situation, it becomes clear that the security of the State -in its traditional meaning- should be regarded as directly linked to the security of the individual.

The Meeting expressed its deep concern about a number of national and regional conflicts and humanitarian crises that persist around the world, which continuously translate in great loss of human life and compromise the viability of social and economic development of many societies in different regions. Consistently, The Meeting reiterated the fundamental importance of promoting the security of individuals and communities in the face of these new threats. The Meeting underlined the importance of education on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law as paramount means to develop respect for diversity, prevent conflicts, and improve human security. At the same time, The Meeting stressed the importance of ensuring the effective functioning of the international system for the protection and promotion of Human Rights, within the United Nations and at regional levels.

The Meeting followed the Agenda proposed by the Government of Chile as Secretary Pro Tempore. The Agenda included a review of issues considered or initiatives previously undertaken by the Human Security Network in earlier Ministerial Meetings convened in Lysøen, Norway (May, 1999), Lucerne, Switzerland (May, 2000) and Petra, Jordan (May, 2001). Also, the Agenda was oriented to an in-depth analysis on three key issues with a host of concrete proposals for concerted action in these fields. The issues were: a Human Security Perspective in Public Security Policies, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Education focused on Human Security, and the link between Human Development and Human Security: a Human Security Index.

These three issues were previously analyzed with civil society and NGOs at a Policy Briefing Session organized with the support of the Policy and Advocacy Platform for the Human Security Network, based at the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University, and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO-Chile). The Meeting noted the valuable conclusions and recommendations of the Policy Briefing Session detailed in the report attached as Annex Nº1, and regarded them as a substantive contribution to the Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network.

The Meeting reaffirmed the earlier mandate of the Network to focus on substantive matters related to human security, undertaking policy initiatives on them, as well as to organize its tasks rooted in flexibility, consensus-based decisions and harmonizing them with the global agenda. Accordingly, The Meeting welcomed the proposal to create an annual Human Security Report, to complement the existing Human Development Report.

The Meeting also considered that public security, in particular focusing on the security of people and communities in great urban centers, is among the highest daily priorities of individuals and constitutes a field where a human security perspective is of great relevance. Improving co-operation and trust between authorities and civil society is a most important element which supports the consolidation of free and democratic environments and strengthens governance, especially when confronting organized transnational crime.

The Meeting welcomed the stock-taking exercise and the analytical co-operation established with NGOs and relevant academic institutions, aimed at emphasizing the profile and visibility of the Network, both at global as well as regional levels. The Meeting also expressed its satisfaction with the organizational initiatives undertaken by the Human Security Network, and recognized the usefulness of a mechanism to ensure concrete follow up on the Network’s priority issues.

The Meeting also acknowledged the initiative to create a support network of Human Security Study centers comprising civil society, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations, in order to provide input for Network countries as well as to support dissemination of human security perspectives at the international, regional and national levels.

With this in view, The Meeting voiced its satisfaction on the beginning in January 2002 of the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption, and encouraged Network countries to work closely to accelerate these negotiations and to promote international approval of an International Convention against Corruption.

The Meeting recognized with satisfaction the considerable progress achieved on a number of Network priorities as listed in Annex Nº2. The Meeting welcomed in particular the progress achieved in the field of controlling the illicit traffic of small arms and the implementation of the Ottawa Convention to ban landmines. The Meeting encouraged all States to sign, ratify and fully implement the Ottawa Convention. The Meeting also supported the offer made by the Thai Government to host the Fifth Meeting of State Parties to the Ottawa Convention in September 2003, in Bangkok.

The Meeting welcomed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which entered into force on July 1^st, 2002, as a further step to end impunity from war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The Meeting also recognized the need to intensify intercultural and intereligious dialogue, to complement political actions to fight terrorism. The Meeting underscored the vital role of NGOs dealing with religious and cultural reconciliation in supporting democratization efforts, human rights education, development cooperation, ecological awareness and human security.

With great concern, The Meeting condemned the sexual exploitation of refugees recently committed in West African refugee camps. In order to prevent such harmful behavior against the dignity of people in need, the Human Security Network called upon humanitarian organizations and other relevant actors to enforce strict regulations on moral ethics and humanitarian principles when hiring and managing field personnel. Appropriate legal actions should be taken against the perpetrators of these crimes.

The Meeting expressed support for the process of the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture as a further means to strengthen the international mechanism to prevent torture.

The Meeting welcomed the entry into force early this year, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and of the Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. The Meeting also welcomed the outcome document of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children entitled “A World Fit for Children”.

The Meeting recognized the importance of global and national mass media incorporating the human security perspective to address the sense of insecurity felt by individuals and communities.

The Meeting welcomed a briefing on the final report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty entitled “The Responsibility to Protect”, and agreed that the Human Security Network would further discuss the recommendations contained in the report.

The Meeting looked forward to the next Ministerial Meeting to take place in Graz, Austria, on May 8-10, 2003, and acknowledged with gratitude the kind offer of the Government of Mali to host the Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network in 2004.

Ministers, State Secretaries and Special Envoys expressed their deep gratitude for the hospitality offered by the Government of Chile by means of the respected Host H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Mrs. María Soledad Alvear, and also expressed their satisfaction with all arrangements done throughout the year by the Secretary Pro Tempore that made possible the celebration of the IV Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network.