When talking about Human Security!

Hodge-Podge

Source: BBC news

It is about one month and half since Tohoku University has been holding series of seminars, workshops and symposiums- which I mention below- around main titles of environment and human security. And I think, they were a good way and opportunity to introduce, compare and discuss… and so on. Therefore, as a human security student, with consideration to that kind of application and objectives I was excited and expected to attend to them. I made myself ready to catch and note the main ideas- even opposite- of the lectures, especially, for my study. So, I listened to the whole speeches from the first until the end with my whole mind, heart and body. However, unfortunately, they did not satisfy me or, in the other words, I was a little disappointed (and, according to some of my classmates, I was not the only one)

In general, there were some lectures with lacks of concepts, or using sets of concepts in one single article, and at the same time there was not concentration on any of those concepts. Sometimes you could see some mess or absence of essay-writing methodology.
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As I said above, the main title was environment and human security, but, the most of the lecturers, even didn’t make clear their position about one of these questions rising from their topic such as what, when, how where, and why human security or environment approach made differences in their field, or even if it was not important. So from this point of view, I found out that they could be divided into the two kinds.

First, those who were not quiet sure about what human security is in their point of views. And, second, those who addressed human security concept commensurately with top- down or down to top, in an absolutist way. Also, there was a recurrent focus on individual as mean as Neo-liberalism approach instead of human security, which focus on people as they are and want to be. However, some of the lecturers were high operators or diplomats of UN (UNDP, UNHCR…) who were supposed to work in real world so have some experience in their field matters, but unfortunately their reports, did not grasp their target point of view. Anyway, human security is a new and widely use concept, and it is the first step to look for more appropriate seminars and innovative looks to tackle the issue. Therefore, we should be familiar with different and various point of view on human security concept for now and the future.

Lectures held:

“Human Security and Refugees: how the human security approach made differences in refugee relief works?”( lecturer: Mr. Robert M. Robinson)

Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) &Center for Advanced Inter-Departmental Studies in Science and Technology (CAST)"International Workshop on Environmental and HealthRisk for Sustainability in Developing Countries"

Date: November 27th, Monday, 2006Place: Aoba Memorial Hall, Tohoku University, Sendai,

Japan Chair: Dr. So Ka (Tohoku University, Japan)09:00-09:10 Opening address by Prof.

Tatsuo Omura (Tohoku University, Japan)09:10-10:10 Keynote speech by Prof. Joan Jofre (University of Barcelona, Spain)“Development of indicator for viral infectious risk evaluation from a view point of safe waterutilization in developing countries”

10:10-10:30 Introduction of IR3S by Dr. Kensuke Fukushi (University of Tokyo,
Japan)“Creating strategies for global sustainability”Session 1: Water and Wastewater Management for Sustainability in Developing CountriesChair: Dr. So

Kazama (Tohoku University, Japan)10:50-11:25 Dr. Thorsten Wagener (Pennsylvania State University, USA)“Floods and environmental risk – A distributed real-time semiarid flash-flood forecasting modelutilizing radar data” 11:25-12:00 Dr.

Madan Tandukar (Tohoku University, Japan)“Sustainable wastewater treatment system for developing countries”

Session 2: Environmental and Health Risk for

Sustainability in Central AsiaChair: Prof. Yoshihiro Kimura (Tohoku University, Japan)13:30-14:05 Prof. Nazar Khakimov (Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan)“State regulation peculiarities of the economy of wild life management and ecology in the Republic ofUzbekistan”

14:05-14:40 Dr. Makhamatjon Kasimov (Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan)“Agriculture and environmental issues in Ferghana valley”

Session 3: Environmental and Health Risk for Sustainability in South and Southeast Asia

Chair: Dr. Toru Watanabe (Tohoku University, Japan)

15:00-15:35 Dr. Krittiya Lertpocasombut (Thammasat University, Thailand)“Why diarrhea still being found in developed areas? A preliminary observation in Khon Kaen municipality, Thailand”
15:35-16:10 Prof. Pushpa Trivedi (Indian Institute of Technology, India)“Agricultural policy in India and its impact on environment, food and health security: With special reference to Maharashtra”
16:10-16:45 Dr. Devanathan Parthasarathy (Indian Institute of Technology, India)“Poverty and human insecurity in Mumbai: Social and environmental risks”
16:45-16:55 Closing address by Prof. Yoshihiro Kimura (Tohoku University, Japan)

PANEL
“Human Security and Poverty Reduction
With focus on Reproductive Health and Gender”
Ms. KIYOKO IKEGAMI, Representative
UNFPA (United Nation Population Fund) Office in Japan
“Food Security and Human Security”
Ms. MIHOKO TAMAMURA, Representative
WFP (World Food Programme ) Office in Japan
SATURDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2006
From 14 h 00 to 17 h 30
PLACE: GONRYO ALUMNI HALL (Large meeting room; Phone: 022-227-2721)
Language: English Admission: Free www.un.org.pk/unfpa
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Here, I think I must make an exception from the lectures, because I think, the one below which was represented by Mr. Shigeki Komatsubara, really grasped the concept and tackled the core idea about human security in his field of study.

Human Development and Human Security in Africa: case study on a human security project
Date: 15 November 2006
Lecturer: Shigeki Komatsubara
Country Programme Adviser
Southern and Eastern Africa Group I
Regional Bureau for Africa
United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) New York HQs http://www.undp.org/