One of the areas highlighted by the Secretary-General in his report is the connection between health and human security. This issue will further examine this relationship and will highlight possible contributions that the human security approach can provide to current and on-going activities in this area. Special attention will be given to the work of the Pan-American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) which has been leading efforts on this topic, as well as projects funded by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) that have provided greater analysis and application of the relationship between health and human security.
The Relationship between Health and Human Security
Improvements in health are not only dependent on continued commitments to enhance the availability of health-care and to strengthen disease prevention systems, they are also shaped by social, economic and environmental conditions which, if not addressed, can impede progress in this pivotal area. In some regions, poverty, inadequate housing and poor environmental conditions may be the major contributing factors to ill health. Meanwhile, in other regions violent crime and domestic and sexual abuse are the main threats to improvements in health. Moreover, shocks or sudden events such as natural disasters or economic and financial downturns can devastate health-care systems and further deteriorate the health status of the most vulnerable.
Therefore, to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals, as well as to reduce the global burden of diseases, it is crucial to consider health within its broader social, economic and environmental context. While disease-specific approaches are required, they also need to be complemented with comprehensive strategies that take into account the specific cluster of factors that contribute to ill health.