The international community faces several challenges when working on security and development issues. Security is a prerequisite for State-building and for the implementation of a broader concept of human security. This underlines that security of individuals from war, poverty, illiteracy and environmental disasters is essential to increase their life chances and choices, with a view to creating a larger freedom. The security of States therefore hinges upon the well-being of their citizens.

Security from violence is necessary for human survival and the stability of States. In the aftermath of war, it is also needed for peacebuilding, which is a euphemistic term for the United Nations involvement in building a new State from scratch and reconstructing-economically, socially and politically—a war-torn society. Countries as different and distant as Guatemala, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan have shown that peacebuilding includes establishing law and order, carrying out demobilization and disarmament, organizing humanitarian activities, holding elections and setting up viable government, which can frame and implement the policies that will lead to social and economic betterment of citizens. Collapsed States have tended to be authoritarian, so the larger freedom of people implies that security and development are most likely to be achieved within a democratic system of government, based on the rule of law and the protection of human rights.

Conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies are two sides of the same coin. These can include not only the reform of the armed and police forces, but also the building of accountable and democratic government. However, such fundamentals are more easily envisioned than achieved. For example, peacebuilding in Afghanistan since 2001 has included confronting the negative sides of globalization, including international trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings, corruption and terrorism, one or more of which may simultaneously reflect the emergence and perpetuation of a "war economy", even after a truce has been declared.

In the long run, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) could reduce conflicts on issues and over vital resources like land, water and diamonds; indeed, the goals are a linchpin to international security. In addition, protection of human rights is equally important for both developing and rich donor countries. In the 1980s, humanitarian aid accounted for 3 per cent of the more than 10 per cent of official development assistance (ODA), and by the early years of the twenty-first century it amounted to 10 per cent. However, emergency humanitarian aid is not enough; assistance has to be sustained over the years to build security and advance development.

International donors are ready to aid post-conflict reconstruction, but their multiplicity, all too often, means there is no agreed strategy or coordination of strategy for economic recovery. Moreover, donors plan for short-term projects. As every country is unique, donors need to know more about the specific political, social and cultural contexts, which may present opportunities or obstacles to democratic development and that may be relevant in assessing the impact of assistance to particular countries.

To address security and development issues of countries, donors have to assist in building the capacity of new governance systems and strengthening civil society, to help them from falling-or relapsing-into armed conflict or State failure. They require support to meet the needs of the people by dealing with issues, such as insecurity, endemic corruption, and a lack of capacity and basic social services, and to achieve the MDGs. The commitment of donors must be long term, sustained and coordinated, both within and between the different departments and agencies of donor governments. This requires identifying a common goal, employing the full range of policy and funding instruments, such as diplomacy, trade, finance, investment, defence and development cooperation. Development agencies should promote a government-wide support for development priorities. Such mixed approaches require the formulation of comprehensive and context-specific strategies and the building of additional capacity, including new institutional mechanisms.

The involvement of local actors, from officials to civil society, is important to help partner countries lead the way to their own vision of addressing security and conflict issues, so that support for security-related programmes is not misinterpreted as an attempt to shape local security institutions and objectives in accordance with the priorities of donors. This involves facilitating local strategies and harnessing the vision and capacity of civil society. Improved coherence, as well as the involvement of the United Nations and regional organizations, can also help to address these concerns. Donors also need to be clear about the meaning of "development" and what can and should be considered ODA, to ensure the efficient use of development aid. The collection of accurate information and statistics could help achieve this end.

The establishment of strong and accountable institutions of governance is an uphill climb, but they are essential for accomplishing a range of tasks, including the implementation of emergency humanitarian and longer-term development aid and training of security forces in law and order grounded in human rights. The UN Peacebuilding Commission, established in 2005, will try to link security with development by steering countries from conflict and guiding them on the path to economic recovery and stability.

The safeguarding of human rights is an essential component of security, not least because human rights abuses spark so many conflicts; indeed, ethnic conflict is triggered by violations of the rights of minorities. Generally, the failure of Governments to implement the 1966 International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has also contributed to the outbreak of many conflicts. Lasting peace agreements have been those that outlined the methods and created the institutions through which human rights could be safeguarded. For individuals and States, the larger freedom is synonymous with larger security.