|
The methodology for assessing the humanitarian implications of sanctions presented in this handbook is based on the concept of human security.10 In contrast to other types of security, human security is a peoplefocused concept, which captures the status of the safety of the individual from critical threats to wellbeing. It provides a construct for assessing possible threats to, protection of, and needs for the survival and development of people.
Moreover, since the concept of human security is predicated on the safety of individuals and groups, it is well suited to the purposes of assessing the humanitarian implications of sanctions, as these assessments ultimately seek to improve human health, wellbeing and safety by minimizing potential unintended impacts.
Human security recognizes a “vital core” of human activities and capabilities of highest importance to be protected. Since it is focused on threats to actual living conditions, human security can be assessed by measuring key aspects of people’s conditions of life. This focus on multiple measurable dimensions of people’s lives and their safety, and consideration of threats to these facets of a person’s security distinguishes human security from other concepts, principles and frameworks used for defining the status of living conditions.
The conceptual framework used here operationalizes human security by establishing two clusters of humanitarian and socioeconomic conditions, each of which contains four subject areas. These are referred to as the “4 + 4” human security subject areas. Each subject area contains a number of indicators, or variables, that are useful for measuring conditions of life. For example, the “health” subject area contains indicators such as child mortality, malnutrition rates, and immunization rates.
The core cluster of four subject areas comprises groups of indicators of conditions related to immediate survival and development of humans. The subject areas in this cluster are: 1. Health; 2. Food and nutrition; 3. Water and sanitation; and 4. Education.11 Together, these four pillars represent the “vital core” of human security.
The indicators and groupings proposed here correspond to established “minimum standards” for humanitarian assistance developed under the Sphere Project, and relate closely to fundamental human rights as codified in the relevant covenants and declarations, including the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights and the Convention of the Rights of the Child.12 These elements provide substance to address the question, “What are the current conditions of people’s lives?”. Most of these data will be at the level of the individual person while the statistical measures used to describe these conditions are generally expressed as rates in a population.
The second cluster deals with the systems and social context in which people strive to secure the core human needs. The subject areas of this cluster are: 1. Governance, 2. Economic status, 3. The physical environment, and 4. Demography. These structures frame the environment in which outcomes that characterize the vital core are influenced. Most of these data will be at the level of groups of persons or communities.
These two clusters of subject areas—the “core” and “systemic” clusters—provide a template covering most of the necessary conditions for assessing humanitarian status.
| 
