Student Network for Human Security (SNHS) Blog

Following the press releases, the president of the GA, H.E. Srgjan Kerim, stressed the coordinative potential of the term, calling for a “new culture of international relations” with the principle of human security as its foundation.

Later, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, keynote speaker, through his speech pointed out the different threats encompassed through human security, already known from time ago, yet unstopped in its account of lives taken, principally of those most vulnerable.

The prince briefly touched the issue of sovereignty, asserting that: “States have not relinquished their sovereignty to cooperate with one another more effectively, and market-driven solutions have proven incapable of addressing the systemic problems that transcend national borders.” The call is, then, for a cooperative engagement on today's perils, and thus called for a coalition of stakeholders in order to act effectively on the war against poverty. The concept used by the keynote speaker to materialize the grounds for an agreement was global commons.

The issues of Myanmar and China recent natural disasters was mentioned by several representatives. This is of special relevance given the reluctance of Myanmar junta to let aid workers to enter the country and deliver humanitarian assistance. An article in the Economist remarks how the R2P principle shows itself as a real necessity to endure this kind of catastrophes, as well as how it would not be the case in Myanmar. However, sovereignty keeps being the thorn in the rose, several times categorically stated, so a near ease in the tensions is not foreseeable in the close future.