Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: Security, Human Rights, Sustainable Development — Many Concepts for One Goal

Definitions of security differ, but they agree that security is one of the most important foundations of human life, as a basic necessity for every human effort and activity: it is man's companion and the twin of his life, the thing in whose shade alone human beings can live. There is no security without stability, and no civilization without security. The divisions of security differ: geographically, such as national, regional or international security; or by subject, such as public security, which includes “economic security, political security, military security, criminal security, social security, tourism security, food security, water security, energy security, sports security and so on”, or private security, which includes “the security of individuals, the security of facilities, the security of vehicles and means of transport, the security of documents and information, the security of means of communication, industrial security, occupational safety and health, the environment, civil protection and so on”; or psychologically, such as emotional security, which consists of satisfying the individual and the group morally with a feeling of security, tranquility and safety, or procedural security, which relies on the procedures and measures taken to achieve security for the individual and society and to repel all the various threats to which they are exposed. Security is achieved only in a state in which the individual mind and the collective sense are free of any feeling of threat to safety and stability. Consequently, the safety meant here is the provision of housing, work, food, education, medical care and protection, freedom of belief, movement and expression and of practicing religious rites, equality, the right to development, clean water, the environment and the climate, etc. Looking at the concept of human rights and fundamental freedoms, it becomes clear that they are the rights that aim to guarantee and protect the meaning of humanity in the various political, economic, social and cultural fields, and that they are the very natural rights that are born with man and are inseparable from him. This means that security and human rights and freedoms are a concept for one goal, achieved in a balanced manner within the framework of the public interest of society. As for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and their axes, which are: ending poverty and hunger, health and medical care, quality education, equality, clean energy, work and economic growth, industry and innovation, sustainable cities and communities, consumption and production, climate action and the preservation of resources and life below water, life on land and the environment, peace, justice and strong institutions, and other axes — they are themselves the elements of safety and human security, and they are also among the human rights and freedoms that can only be achieved through a strong economy and a stronger army and police, under democratic rule and the rule of law, and strong institutions not only at the military and security level but in the independent authorities, industrial, productive and service institutions, education, health, workers' rights and so on, and in building the human capital of the future; they also include all the measures that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The concepts of security, human rights and sustainable development are inseparable elements: any imbalance in one of them is reflected negatively on the other elements, and the stability and development of any one of them is reflected positively on the other two. Security, stability, effective governance, human rights, sustainable peace and collective action at the national and international levels to confront terrorism and track its sources of funding, and to combat corruption and bribery in all their forms and manifestations, are basic axes for achieving the desired development. Consequently, the global or UN attempts to confuse concepts and invent new terms, dyed with humanitarian attributes, to create a spirit of suspicion and hostility between security and human rights are nothing but misguided and muddled attempts that influence many people. Security, peace, justice and national awareness are basic pillars for guaranteeing human rights and fundamental freedoms, and they are also a guarantee for achieving sustainable development; all of them are concepts for one goal, whose axis is the human being, his security, his rights and his well-being.