"Security in the 21st Century"
28 June 2010
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Concerns about human security amidst global environmental change was the focus of a roundtable organised by the Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in cooperation with the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM). The roundtable discussion was attended by academicians, ambassadors and researchers. MIMA was represented by Ms. Amy Aai from the Centre for Ocean Law and Policy (OLAP) and Ms. Evelyn Teh from Centre for Coastal and Marine Environment (CMER).
Currently, the emerging schools of thought go beyond merely emphasising the degradation of the natural environment to identifying direct linkages on how it will inevitably affect human survivability. The roundtable provided a platform for experts, researchers, and decision makers to engage in a comprehensive dialogue that discussed the various dimensions of human security and the necessary action plans to mitigate the risk of disasters.
Professor Dr. Hans-Gunter Brauch from the Free University of Berlin, Germany, presented the opening remarks on the threats to human security in the 21st century. He addressed the need to clearly define the context of security as an imperative towards awareness of the different definitions and approaches that are adopted by different nations. The global reconceptualisation of security has been taking place since 1990 due to three reasons - the end of the Cold War, globalisation, and global environmental changes caused by the Earth's transition from the Holocene to the Anthropocene. He stated that it was no longer relevant to focus the issue of security primarily from the military perspective, which is "to narrow" in facing the impending threats of environmental change on human security. The threats today are more human-centred and sectorialised into food, water, health, and soil security.
The second speaker, Professor Dr. Jamalludin Md. Jahi, from the Institute of The Malay World and Civilisation, UKM, gave a geological-timescale presentation on the earth's history for a better perspective on the magnitude of change that the earth is experiencing due to anthropogenic causes. The exponential growth in population continues to exert tremendous pressure on the exploitation of natural resources, exacerbating the effects of global environmental changes today. The interrelationship between the four spheres of the environment (air, soil, water, and biology) and their impacts on one another warrants a national development action plan that focuses on attaining a sustainable environment. The plan should holistically address such issues while incorporating efforts from different segments of the society. However, he noted that environmental ethics in Malaysian society is still at a minimal level - presumably due to the lack of awareness about individual responsibility, and this contributes to the lack of ownership in preserving the environment.
In identifying the pivotal issues related to environmental change, Professor Dr. Ursula Oswald Spring, of the National University of Mexico, gave clear structural points on how human factors such as urbanisation, economic patterns, population growth, cultural and gender identities are linked to the four spheres of the environment mentioned earlier. In her discussion, she presented a concise overview of the priorities that ought to be examined during the formation of action plans that aim to reduce risks to human security. Among the questions she posed included the identification of the type of security being prioritised (military or human security), the values being upheld, sources of threats, the security actors, vulnerable communities, and how to legitimise security actions. She stressed that importance should be placed on integrating all sectors and to give more significant consideration to the interactions between genders towards sustainable human development.
Ground work in addressing the issue of global environmental change is already underway through the "Ideological Structure Analysis" (ISA) project, a collaboration between IKON and the Tecnólogico de Monterrey University in Mexico. Anchored by Professor Dr. Carolina López who is based in IKON as an Associate Research Fellow, this theoretical framework aims to transform conflict into cooperation through a two-pronged analysis: identifying the needs of the community on the ground, and studying the related policy and legislation from its formation to its implementation and, finally, its effectiveness. The focus is on how resource scarcity could trigger conflict - thus the objective of this project is to promote sustainability by working with different society groups in the field through environmental education.
The roundtable concluded by emphasising the importance of the perspective shift in ensuring national security. The indicators governing national security are now based on the continuity of fundamental resources which include environment, food, water, and health security that will ensure the survival and sustainability of a population, instead of military security. In facing global environmental change, fast emerging risks have put human security issues in the driver's seat when identifying the challenges and opportunities in framing the nation's development agenda.
Delegates at the opening of the roundtable discussion. The slideshow presented the panel of speakers for the session.
