Statement by H.E. Mr. Tsuneo Nishida
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Japan
On Human Security
At the General Assembly Plenary Meeting
June 4 2012,
New York

Mr. President,

          First of all, I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for his initiative in organizing this formal debate on Human Security at the General Assembly plenary meeting. Allow me to also express my Government’s deep gratitude to the Secretary-General for his report (A/66/763).

        Since the adoption of the first resolution on Human Security in 2010, Member States have engaged in further elaborating the notion of Human Security and forming a common understanding on it.

        The informal debate, which the President of the General Assembly hosted in April 2011, contributed to our consultations on the notion of Human Security. Following up this debate, the Special Advisor to the Secretary–General on Human Security invited all Member States to provide their views through written submissions and informal consultations. This open and transparent process, as well as the contributions from Member States, resulted in an excellent report from the Secretary-General which presents a useful basis for today’s debate.

Mr President,

          I would like to draw your particular attention to the following points addressed in the Secretary-General’s report:

          First, the report provides us with a clear and comprehensive picture of Human Security by illustrating the course of discussions on it, its cores values and its scope. As a result, the report presents a common understanding on Human Security based on the views expressed by Member States. My delegation believes that this common understanding is an excellent basis for further promoting Human Security in the activities of the United Nations, Member States, and regional and international organizations.

      Second, the report indicates that governments retain the primary role for ensuring the survival, livelihood and dignity of their populations. In this regard, it is the view of my delegation that Human Security is a tool for assisting Governments in identifying widespread and cross-cutting threats to the prosperity of their people and the stability of their sovereignty, by emphasizing the inter-linkages among the three pillars of the United Nations System, namely, peace and security, development, and human rights.

          Third my delegation takes note with great interest that the report articulates that “Human Security does not entail the threat or the use of force and is implemented with full respect for the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”  My delegation would like to stress that potential misinterpretation or misuse of Human Security should be avoided in its application. Furthermore, the report makes a clear distinction and describes the differences between Human Security and the responsibility to protect (R2P) in line with the separate provisions in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Resolution.

Mr. President,

          The notion of Human Security is already being applied to policies and measures carried out both at national and regional levels. Indeed, major regional and sub-regional organizations across the globe, including the African Union, ECOWAS, ASEAN, APEC and OAS have adopted this concept. Various UN agencies, including UNDP and UNESCO, have not only incorporated Human Security in their own strategies but also actively disseminate the concept throughout the countries and regions where they work. Japan believes that the General Assembly should encourage these initiatives to further mainstream and operationalize the concept at various levels, and in particular, throughout the activities of the United Nations.

        Additionally, the critical role of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security cannot be underscored enough for its contribution to produce tangible results on the ground through the operational activities of UN agencies. Since its establishment in 1999, more than two hundred projects have been implemented in seventy countries of all regions in close cooperation with implementing agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA.

        Japan hopes that the Trust Fund’s activities will be further enhanced through contributions from as many Member States as possible. To this end, the Government of Japan would like to announce a new contribution of 10 million US dollar to this Fund. My delegation would like to invite other Member States to make voluntary contributions to the Fund as well.

Mr. President,

          In order to take further steps based on this report, Japan, together with other like-minded countries would like to propose a new resolution to agree on a common understanding and to further promote Human Security. Member States are invited to participate in a forthcoming informal consultation on this resolution, which will be co-facilitated by Japan and Jordan, the chair of the Human Security Network. My delegation would like to conduct the consultation in a constructive and transparent manner and would like to adopt a resolution with the understanding and support of Member States.

          Finally, my Government expresses its sincere appreciation to all the Delegations participating in this meeting for their engagement in and valuable contribution to the debate on Human Security based on the report of the Secretary-General.

        I strongly hope that today’s meeting marks a step forward in our shared efforts for further promoting Human Security in order to address eminent global issues in the activities of the United Nations.

Thank You.