Comprehensive Approach to Human Security Research Report

Recent decades have seen the emergence of a wide range of new security threats at the local, national and global level, including threats related to ethnic conflict and civil wars, violent extremism, climate change, illicit trade and organised crime. This plethora of fastchanging and intertwined threats has led to several important shifts in international and national discourses and policy-making regarding interventions in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS). Firstly, the concept of ‘human security’ emerged as a new paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities.  Secondly, it has become widely understood and acknowledged that peace, security, justice and sustainable development are inherently linked and therefore require a holistic approach for their promotion. 

This report aims to enhance the academic basis and underlying assumptions of intervention logic and policy theories on the use and application of a comprehensive approach to human security.

1. The knowledge should help strengthen linkages between academia, policymakers and practitioners, and should feed back into different knowledge domains.

2. The research should particularly contribute towards increasing the capacity of local actors and identify opportunities for capacity-building throughout the process.

3. Ultimately, the research agenda and the related research projects are aimed to contribute towards enhanced peace, stability and sustainable development for the most vulnerable civilians in the fragile and conflict affected target settings.