Yoichi Mine

Good Practices in Addressing Human Security through National Human Development Reports

In 2012, for the first time, the United Nations General Assembly agreed on a common understanding of the essence of the human security concept. This is a major advance in the mainstreaming of the concept, proof of the increasing recognition it has gained in the international community. The agreement also brings implicitly the need for progress in clarification and consolidation of the relevant alternatives for operationalization of the concept. One of those alternatives is human security reporting, as illustrated especially by the many assessments prepared in the UNDP series of global, regional, national and sub-national Human Development Reports. Each of them offers a window into the intricacies of generating insights through the contextualization of human security principles while engaging different actors into the conversation. An important step in the clarification and consolidation was the work of Jolly and Basu Ray (2006, 2007) who reviewed a large set of UNDP-sponsored studies and concluded that they confirmed the approach’s ability to add value, through situationally-responsive identification and exploration of what are relevant threats. The present study expands the work of Jolly and Basu Ray, based on a systematic and detailed review of National and Regional Human Development Reports (HDRs) on human security. The sample includes sixteen Regional and National Human Development Reports, and one additional report, and the study is informed also by review of some still emergent reports. The research was funded by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and produced under the auspices of UNDP. Given the complexity of human security, the reports are initially reviewed using a set of basic questions on security, so that differences in focus and approach became clear: Whose security? Security of what? Security from what threats? Who are the security providers? What are the means for security? How much security? We then propose a classification of reports, which allows deeper analysis by comparing groups of reports that are similar, We identify four main types:1. Comprehensive mapping reports. These reports try to cover all major threats to all priority values, with reference to all relevant means.2. State-building reports. These reports see state collapse/failure as the greatest threat, indirectly, to human security, and so focus on this centrally important means, building a state.3. ‘Citizen security’ reports. These reports focus on a subset of values which are civil rights concerning the daily lives of ‘citizens’, notably the values of physical safety and freedom from unlawful dispossession.4. Other special-focus reports, centred on an identified lead challenge. These reports focus on some other single threatened value, or type of threat: e.g. food insecurity. For simplicity we call them ‘Challenge-driven’, though the other types of report also respond to challenges. Each group of reports is then reviewed in terms of: (1) Conceptual framework, (2) Approaches to measurement, (3) Policy relevance and (4) Integration with human development analysis. This generates a large number of interesting findings, and the paper will present a summary that updates, extends and deepens the analysis in the comparable summary paper by Jolly/ Basu Ray (2007). Some of the general findings include: Human security analysis is not only of use for addressing the situation of fragile states. Security, in the broader sense ingrained in the human security concept, is a common concern for all societies, although highly relative to the context. The reports reviewed show that the human security approach is flexible enough to respond to differences, while retaining analytical relevance and advocacy power.The first human security report on a country/region can sensibly include in its analysis issues already conventionally recognized as “security” matters, in order to show by comparison of the characteristics/consequences of different issues the value added by broadening the meaning of security beyond those conventional topics.Reporting on human security gains greatly by exploring both the objective and subjective sides of threats (and of the values threatened) and then systematically comparing them. There are powerful qualitative and quantitative methodologies for this, which have been very effectively used in several Reports.The analysis results in a more informed picture of the options for reporting on human security, the ways in which UNDP Country Offices have employed these options, and factors that newcomers should bear in mind when conceiving reports on human security.

Downside Risks and Human Security

The present chapter tries to examine a series of problems concomitant with policy formation and theorization of human security, giving special emphasis to ‘downside risks’ encountered by various levels of communities within and beyond the boundaries of nations. The term ‘downside’ relates to the vicissitude, or turbulent ups and downs, intrinsic to the evolution of human economies and societies, and the term ‘risks’ implies those hazards which occur due to positive action or nonaction of human agency. According to the definition of Niklas Luhmann, Risiko (risk) is associated with future loss as a consequence of human decision, while Gefahr (danger, hazard, peril or threat) is posed externally from the environment (Luhmann 1993: 21–2). Although the dividing lines between risk and danger are always nebulous and these two terms can be used interchangeably in many cases, the former seem to be increasingly permeating the latter in our modern age.

Migration Regimes and the Politics of Insiders/Outsiders: Japan and South Africa as Distant Mirrors

This chapter compares the patterns of migration as well as the trends of immigration policies in Japan and South Africa in the recent past. These two countries are regional powers in East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa respectively with economic might disproportionate to their population sizes. The two countries also must reconcile with their 20th century past in order to play a constructive role as legitimate members of the regional communities. Many Asian nations well remember the wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese, while the oppressive domination of Apartheid South Africa inflicted many wounds upon society both within and beyond the country, some of which are still raw.

Embracing Human Security: New Directions of Japan’s ODA for the 21st Century

In today’s world, communities and individuals are exposed to old and new threats such as civil wars, terrorism, natural disasters, infectious diseases, economic downturns, climate change and famines. Human security is an idea and an approach developed to address the pressing needs and moral imperatives arising from those insecurities faced by all humankind. The idea urges to secure fundamental freedoms for everyone, i.e., freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom to live in dignity, by combining top-down protection and bottom-up empowerment. While the importance of such an idea has been increasingly discussed since its emergence in the mid-1990s, the ways to operationalize it in practice remain a contested matter. In particular, the practice of Japan’s ODA has received less attention despite Japan being the only government fully committed to the promotion of human security, with ODA as its major tool since 2003. Aiming to inform practice in coming decades, this paper explores the ways how to operationalize the idea, by following the recent history of Japan’s ODA activities related to human security. After briefly recounting the connection between Japan’s ODA and the idea of human security at the policy level, we trace the evolution of its practice, mainly focusing on bilateral contributions by JICA, in the four emblematic areas linked to human security: natural disasters, climate change, infectious diseases and violent conflict. Our examination reveals that Japan’s ODA practice has, in general, been evolving in a way that resonates with the idea of human security. In order to consolidate this trend and to further operationalize human security, however, there still remains much to be done. We have identified three significant directions that can be taken to further operationalize human security: emphasizing prevention, realizing seamless assistance, and caring for the most vulnerable.

Changing Demographic of Labor Force and Productivity: A Case of Japan

For the period of 1978-2003, this paper examines the relationship between changing productivity and demographic characteristics of Japans labor force. The results of this study reveal four important and interesting characteristics of the Japanese labor force. First, there is a negative relationship between productivity growth and turnover rates. Second, the participation rate of younger workers in the labor force has declined; this has resulted in a decline in the percentage of younger workers (15-34 years old). Third, the gender distribution of the labor force has not changed in any significant way. Fourth, the unemployment rate has increased by more than four times. These labor force changes have contributed to fluctuations in productivity growth.

Conclusion: Ownership and Collaboration for Human Security in East Asia

This last chapter provides cross-country analysis and draws lessons from each of the case study chapters according to the three research questions: sovereignty, coordination and empowerment. In addition to theoretical and conceptual insights, a set of implications for human security practitioners will be formulated. The themes include the feature of East Asian regionalism, issue-based collaboration in early warning, the dos and don’ts of cross border action, an Asian approach to sovereignty and state building, the role of trust in horizontal collaboration, the nexus of development and human security, and the significance of local knowledge and institutions.

Human Security in East Asia: Beyond Crises

In this globalized world, we face multiple threats to human security, a powerful supplement to national security. The introduction to this book provides both a history and a definition of human security. Enhanced connectivity in East Asia not only gives rise to serious threats but also provides the means for ensuring people’s security and opportunities for mutual learning. After explaining the three research questions that are aimed at evaluating the practice of human security—sovereignty, coordination and empowerment—the introductory chapter goes on to provide summaries of the following chapters.

Conclusion: Everyday Encounters in Afro-Asian Relations

This concluding chapter gives a concise summary of the findings of the book. It is emphasized that the approach of the book is rooted in history and features ‘lived experiences’ of Asians and Africans. Along the themes such as transnationalism, social capital and aloof coexistence, the chapter highlights major discoveries and arguments presented in the individual chapters, giving an emphasis on the aspect of people’s agency. Finally, the chapter discusses the relevance of this research project in the contexts of broader Afro-Asian studies and points to a unique aspect of intergroup relationships developing across the two world regions.

The Age of Migration in Afro-Asia: Towards a ‘Multicultural South’?

This chapter explains the motivation of the collaborative research project, gives summaries of all chapters and presents the theoretical framework of the book. As economic interaction between Africa and Asia intensifies, people’s mobility has accelerated across these regions. Empirical research on emerging migrant spaces is therefore much needed, and this book tries to elucidate the dynamics of interregional migration by combining a wide variety of academic disciplines. The editors present three main arguments. First, migrant communities in host societies can be interpreted as ethnic ‘exclaves’ of transnational networks of migrants. Second, in Afro-Asian societal contexts, relationships between communities can often be described as ‘aloof coexistence’ rather than integration and assimilation. Third, migrants make use of ‘bridging’ as well as ‘bonding’ social capital for daily survival, giving rise to pockets of active inter-group communication.

Africa-Japan Relations in the Post-Cold War Era

Chapter 12 underscores that, while this book engages Japan as a non-traditional player, the term “traditional” in the case of Japan can be taken to imply relatively long periods of time—thereby recalling that Africa-Japan relations date back to the pre-Second World War period. Though Japan’s trade with Africa had been largely with apartheid South Africa, which estranged Tokyo from the rest of the continent, the creation of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in 1993 marked an era of development cooperation and one that seeks to promote “self-help” and an African continent that is not entirely aid-dependent. Nevertheless, Japan’s double standards have been evident through parochial interests concerning Africa’s mineral wealth.