Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – People’s sense of safety and security is at a low in almost every country, with six in seven worldwide plagued by feelings of insecurity, according to new data and analysis by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) published on Tuesday.
Even citizens living in countries that enjoy some of the highest levels of good health, wealth, and education outcomes, are reporting even greater anxiety than a decade ago.
“Despite global wealth being higher than ever before, a majority of people are feeling apprehensive about the future and these feelings have likely been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Achim Steiner, the UNDP Administrator.
“In our quest for unbridled economic growth, we continue to destroy our natural world while inequalities are widening, both within and between countries. It is time to ignaled the signs of societies that are under immense stress and redefine what progress actually means.”
The report, New Threats to Human Security in the Anthropocene, calls for greater solidarity across borders to tackle the disconnect between development and perceived security.
Sustainability for all
UNDP also advocates a new approach to development that it hopes will help people to live free from want, fear, anxiety, and indignity.
“We need a fit-for-purpose development model that is built around the protection and restoration our of planet with new sustainable opportunities for all,” said Mr. Steiner.
UNDP first introduced the concept of human security in its landmark Human Development Report, issued in 1994.
