Kish Island, April 18, IRNA – The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iran Gary Lewis warns that serious environment issues are turning to a real security threat requiring global measures to remove the menace from the lives of human beings.




Delivering his speech during a TEDxKish session on Saturday, the UNDP Tehran-office director explained that besides nuclear, military and terrorism threats, there is also the 'human security' threat.

'Human security is something which I believe policymakers should focus on if we are to make our societies more governable, accountable, and sustainable,' he told participants.

Despite the ideas being floated about 20 years ago and popularized by the UN Development Program, Lewis added, 'human security doesn’t get nearly enough traction today, especially given the real threats we face on this planet.'

According to the UN envoy, 'The essential point about human security is that it shifts focus away from the traditional preoccupation of 'national security' – which is the state – and places it on people – on individuals.'

Suggesting that citizens should be at the centre of security concerns, he continued, '…states will become stronger – strong internally – if they ensure the human security of their citizens by doing some of the obvious things.'

In addition to feeling secure in culture, food and water, job, health and education, information and ideas, Lewis said people need to feel secure in environment.

'We need to breathe clean air. Drink clean water. We need to be safe from the elements. We need to be able to take care of our families and sustain our livelihoods. Above all, 'security' must be about making us safe from harm. Human security.'

His speech which centered around the UN motto 'Make things better – one life, live it', continued by the suggestion that securing the environment should be added to the main missions for human beings.

'The plain fact is this. Planet earth does not need us. We need Planet Earth… It is not a luxury item on the national agenda. It is a security issue. Pure and simple… A human security issue.'

'And what is ultimately under threat is our human civilization,' he warned.

Lewis introduced to TEDxKish participants 'human security' as the tipping point of his career life which initially focused on drug trafficking and abuse and human trafficking as main threats.

With the passage of 20 years since 1987 when he joined UN, however, he said he started to develop a new sense of global human security threat – the environment which includes water shortage, air pollution, deforestation, desertification, destruction of marine ecosystems, and wholescale loss of plants and animals.

The UNDP director in Iran traced the sources of environment threat in human mismanagement, unsustainbble and inequitable consumption, and the resulting climate change.

'We need to fix what we have broken. To do this, we need to change how we think about security. The way we talk about it. We need to focus on human security. And within this, we need to prioritize environmental security,' he urged.

'If you accept the point that real security should be about people and not just about states, then this second job – doing something about it – becomes a lot easier.'

'…And we all have a role to play. Governments. International organizations like the UN. NGOs. You and me,' Lewis said.

The UN coordinator in Iran added, 'When I was younger, I thought I understood what 'security' was about. But I was not focusing on human security.'

'As human beings have now become both the masters of the planet, and the terror of our ecosystem. The environment is not really a green issue. It is a human security issue.'

'It is about the human security of our civilization. And – as a civilization – it is now up to us to mount a great heroic quest to save that civilization. So let’s mount this great heroic quest…,' he concluded.


By IRNA