Mission Statement

The purpose of the Human Security Centre (HSC) is to address, and to formulate solutions to, current and emerging threats to human security. The HSC aims to promote and help create an international society in which individuals and communities everywhere are able to live free from fear, free from want and free from indignity.

To achieve this, the HSC promotes the concept of human security as a tool to facilitate better understanding of the complexity and interrelatedness of threats and as a central pillar of foreign policy in the twenty-first century. Building on the human security discourse, it advances people-centred, multi-sectoral, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented solutions, working across many sectors to integrate the agendas of peace and security, development and human rights.

While the HSC recognises that individuals and communities may face threats that cut across multiple human security domains, it focuses at present on threats pertaining to conflicts, mass atrocity crimes and human rights violations.

The HSC believes:

That the values of freedom and democracy have universal validity.
That a robust foreign policy attentive to international concerns is preferable to isolationism.
That cooperation between countries that share our values and common vision of human security is vital to maximise the ability to defend civilians from harm and other challenges to their lives and livelihoods.
That the practice, promotion, toleration, relativisation or denial of genocide, terrorism or otherwise the intentional killing of civilians should be vigorously challenged.
That the international community must be willing and prepared to protect the lives of innocent people with all necessary means, including force as the last resort.

The HSC aims:

To educate the public about the concept of human security and the various threats to human security around the world.
To contribute to the collective knowledge and advance the understanding of the concept of human security.
To encourage governments to adopt the human security approach as the basis for foreign, defence, security and international development policies.
To exhort governments to take pro-active steps in confronting global and regional human security challenges through appropriate international frameworks.
To equip policy-makers and key stakeholders with the research, analysis and advisory support necessary to devise informed, evidence-based policies that tackle human insecurities.
To explore ways in which governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations can work with individuals and communities to address the critical and pervasive challenges that threaten their survival, livelihood and dignity.
To engage with key stakeholders and the general public in strengthening the political will to act upon human security issues.