27 October 2025 | 12:30 PM–2:00 PM (Geneva) | 7:30–9:00 AM (New York)

Organized by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

Recent geostrategic developments have focused global and national attention on traditional security priorities such as military capabilities, defense strategies, and territorial integrity – a trend reflected in unprecedented increases in defense budgets. Yet, the growing complexity of contemporary threats, from rapid technological change to climate crises and the surge in conflicts worldwide, makes clear that military strength alone cannot sustain lasting stability.

While national defense remains indispensable, preventing crises and addressing the root causes of instability demands a broader, people-centred approach. Human security is not an alternative to hard power but a strategic complement. It equips States to anticipate and manage risks before they escalate, reduce vulnerabilities that can fuel conflict, strengthen social cohesion, and foster societies capable of resilience and renewal.

In a world characterized by uncertainty, integrating human security into national and global strategies is a practical necessity for shaping a future of enduring stability, prosperity and opportunity. This dialogue aims to elevate human security within contemporary security debates by exploring its strategic value as a complement to traditional defense measures, and its important role in prioritizing investments in prevention and resilience as the foundation of long-term stability. It will explore practical ways governments and multilateral actors can take a more balanced approach that safeguards states while enabling societies to thrive, and integrate human security into national regional and global strategies.

Format: Hybrid – at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and online via Livestream

Register here: GCSP Event | Human-Centered Security for a Complex World – A Geneva Security Debate

Opening remarks

• Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Executive Director, GCSP

Panel discussion

• Ambassador Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former President of the United Nations General Assembly
• Mr Markus Deblom, Director, Department for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, Folke Bernadotte Academy
• Ms Heba Aly, Director, UN Charter Reform Coalition, Associate Fellow, GCSP
• Mr Piotr Wolynski, Human Security Staff Officer, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO

Closing remarks

• Ambassador Knut Vollebaek, Chair, Advisory Board on Human Security

Event moderator

• Ms. Anna Brach, Head of Human Security and Planetary Resilience, GCSP

The dialogue builds on growing momentum to recenter human security in global, regional and national strategies to promote sustainable peace and development. This was recently affirmed in the UN Secretary-General’s report The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future, launched in September 2025 at the request of Member States in the Pact for the Future. The report calls for a fundamental shift in how security is understood and pursued, moving beyond a narrow focus on military strength toward a human-centered, multidimensional approach aligned with General Assembly resolution A/RES/66/290 on human security. It calls for a balanced approach that responds to the needs of people and the planet, recognizing that investments in health, education, climate resilience, and inclusive governance are essential for lasting peace and stability.

The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) demonstrates how this vision can be realized in practice. Through targeted, cross-sectoral initiatives, the Fund demonstrates that investments in prevention and resilience, even at modest scale, can strengthen intergovernmental collaboration and help societies manage risks before they turn into crises. From supporting the efforts of the Government of Colombia to integrate human security into national defense and security policies to elaborating a regional framework on climate mobility in the Pacific, operationalizing the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in the Arab region, and piloting urban safety monitoring tools in Mexico and South Africa, the UNTFHS provides a tested model to translate the human security approach into concrete action, bridging policy and practice, ensuring investments address the underlying drivers of insecurity, and demonstrating that sustainable peace and stability depend on empowering individuals and communities as well as governments.