UN Report: People’s Sense of Safety, Security Is Low in Many Countries due to Covid

A new estimate today by the UN stated that people’s sense of safety and security is at a low in almost every country due to the awful pandemic, with six in seven worldwide plagued by feelings of insecurity.

The UN’s analytical, New Threats to Human Security in the Anthropocene, calls for greater solidarity across borders to tackle the disconnect between development and perceived security.

According to the latest report, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said: "Despite global wealth being higher than ever before, the majority of people are feeling apprehensive about the future, and these feelings have likely been exacerbated by the pandemic."

“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 recognize the signs of societies that are under immense stress and redefine what progress actually means.”

Moreover, UNDP advocates a new approach to development that it hopes will help people live free from want, fear, anxiety, and indignity.

“We need a fit-for-purpose development model that is built around the protection and restoration of our 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.

The latest study signaled a radical departure from the idea that people’s security should be assessed by looking only at territorial security, and instead should take into account their basic needs, dignity, and safety, to live secure lives.

Also in this regard, UNDP believes the imperative to act now has never been clearer. For a second consecutive year, the pandemic has driven down global life expectancy at birth, as well as other measures of overall human development.

The study also notes that the climate change issue is also likely to become a leading cause of death worldwide, the authors warn, and could be responsible for 40 million deaths before the end of the century, even with moderate mitigation of emissions.

Furthermore, the recent report examines other threats that have become more prominent in recent years, including those from digital technologies, growing inequalities, conflicts, and the ability of healthcare systems to tackle new challenges like the pandemic.

In conclusion, the report argues that addressing these threats will require policymakers to consider protection, empowerment, and solidarity alongside one another so that human security, planetary considerations, and human development all work together and not despite one another.