The nature of war has changed dramatically in recent decades. Great power competition, terrorism, intrastate conflicts, cyber threats and climate change constitute real risks. They often have a direct impact on individuals and communities in ways that undermine prospects for peace, stability and sustainable development. The military is only one actor among others in today's crises. As a result, there has been a shift in thinking about approaches to security. One of the outcomes of this shift is the concept of Human Security, a multi-sectoral approach that puts people and their security needs at the center of the equation.
In order to support further development and practical application of Human Security, Eurocorps, as a force for the European Union and NATO, has hosted the second Human Security Seminar at its Headquarters in Strasbourg, following last year’s successful event.
For two days in October 2024, members and experts from Eurocorps, the European Union, NATO, academia and NGOs discussed strategies and procedures for the practical application of Human Security from a NATO, EU and civil society perspective.
Both NATO and the EU are aware of the need to mitigate the potential negative effects of their military operations on local populations. Therefore, the seminar focused on two major aspects of Human Security: the development of NATO’s Military Contribution to Human Security (MC2HS) and the European Union’s role in responding to crises.
The gap between theory and practice
The first day of the seminar focused on NATO’s military contribution to Human Security (HS). Speakers from NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Finnish Defense Forces International Center (FINCENT), the Multinational Corps Northeast, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), PAX for Peace Civilians in Conflict and GLOBSEC presented different perspectives on HS and highlighted the relevance and challenges in the implementation of HS policies and concepts.
The second day was divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on the European Union’s approaches to Human Security and its role as a crisis responder. Speakers from the University of Bristol, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) reflected on the evolution and current state of Human Security as an EU concept. In the second part, three working groups addressed the question of how Human Security can be operationalized and practically applied in the military at the tactical level.
The war in Ukraine and Gaza clearly demonstrates that Human Security is a mission-critical factor. Although NATO clearly defines Human Security and translates it into operational and strategic guidelines and policies, there is a significant lack of practical approaches and tools for implementing HS at the tactical level.
The seminar participants supported the idea of a permanent forum where the practical implementation of HS at the tactical level could be further developed, together with military and civilian Human Security practitioners.
