The HS4A campaign was a big hit at CES, the world's largest technology show in Las Vegas. The notion of human security was the official topic for the first time in the event's 55-year history, attracting nearly 115,000 industry professionals and 40,000 overseas participants from 140 countries. 

 

The logo and message of the campaign were prominently displayed throughout the event, including the opening ceremony and the coveted Innovation Awards segment. 

 

The HS4A team performed video interviews with CES Human Security Innovation Award winners and displayed the most recent technological advances aimed at tackling global issues. 

The HS4A campaign and the Consumer Technology Association collaborated for the first time at CES 2023, highlighting the significance of cooperation and innovation in improving the human experience.

 

 

 

 

The Global Campaign on Human Security For All was presented at EarthX 2023, the world's largest environmental expo conducted in Dallas, Texas which took place 19-23 April. 

 

The EarthX is the world’s largest green gathering held annually around Earth Day bringing together environmental organizations, businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, speakers, interactive programming, and subject matter experts.

Founded in 2012, EarthX promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration, and community-driven sustainable solutions. 

 

The world’s largest environmental expo, attracts more than 125,000 attendees, 2000 environmental leaders, 300+ exhibitors, and 300+ speakers annually. 

 

This year, EarthX 2023 highlighted  the critical need to address the full range of environmental challenges impacting the survival, livelihood, and dignity of people.

The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) sponsored the online event 'Quantitative Methods and Tools for Human Security' on June 13, 2023. Renowned scholars investigated the connection between data-driven policy and global stability. 

 

The webinar, which included computational modeling, statistical analysis, data visualization, and machine learning, fostered open discussions, idea sharing, and evidence-based approaches to human security.

Participants learned about how quantitative tools may be utilized to solve issues such as socioeconomic inequality and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The event featured diverse experts, fostering engaging discussions and inspiring evidence-based approaches to human security challenges.

 

Participants explored the power of quantitative methods and tools for a more secure and sustainable world.

On June 8th, HS4A proudly celebrated World Oceans Day and the 10th anniversary of The Garbage Patch State, an initiative led by artist Cristina Finucci. 

 

The Garbage Patch State campaign raises awareness about the staggering volume of waste in our oceans, surpassing the combined size of the United States and the European Union. 

 

As part of our commitment to ocean conservation, HS4A co-organized a special round table discussion, featuring Finucci herself, to explore the profound impact of her work and inspire positive change for a more sustainable future.

Highlighting our active involvement, HS4A Co-chair, Donato Kiniger-Passigli, emphasized the importance of public awareness, stating, “We need to further public awareness, as the campaign Human Security for All does, gathering the concerted efforts of institutions and individuals. Ultimately, it is up to individuals and the universal collective of individuals to make things change so that - to paraphrase the great Persian poet Rumi - one person's action is not a drop in the ocean, but the ocean in a drop.”

HS4A, the campaign promoted by the United Nations Human Security Trust Fund and the World Academy of Art and Science, proudly collaborated with artist Maria Cristina Finucci at the Milan Design Week “Fuori Salone” to present a luminous installation on the theme of water: H2O HELP - a visual demonstration of the epochal change of our ecosystem and a creative way to entrap tons of plastic caps packed into colorful nets. 

 

The Milan Design Week is the biggest annual design event in the world that welcomes more than 370,000 visitors attending exhibitions across the city.

 

 

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and HS4A collaborated to make Human Security the theme of World Amateur Radio Day. This partnership, backed by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the World Academy of Art and Science, intended to emphasize amateur radio's critical role in meeting global needs. 

The event highlighted the contributions of nearly 2 million licensed amateur radio operators from across the world to disaster relief, emergency communication, and technical skill. Amateur radio offers a unique role in tackling people-centred security concerns and building resilient communities by encouraging technical knowledge, practical skills, and creative technology.

The Education for Human Security (E4HS) Conference, held in support of the HS4A Campaign, focused on the efficacy of our educational system in preparing young people for global issues. 

 

Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO (2009-2017), emphasized the significance of education as the foundation of human development and highlighted that universities are not solely meant for preparing young people for the workforce. She stated, "Education is about personal development, citizenship, and our responsibility as citizens."

In line with this, Garry Jacobs, President & CEO of WAAS and Chair and CEO of WUC, called for a system that effectively utilizes education as a conscious catalyst and driver to accelerate global social evolution, stating, "We need a system that effectively utilizes education to create a new future."

 

With over 120 panelists and 27 sessions, the conference served as a platform to share ideas and best practices, potentially leading to the publication of university recommendations, the creation of courses and reading materials, and further progress in incorporating human security concepts into various academic disciplines.

On January 24, about 600 people attended the Ninth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs in New York. The World Council of Churches (WCC) and partners organized the event, which focused on "Securing People's Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability." Among those who spoke were UN officials and specialists on climate change and disarmament. 

 

Discussions focused on religious communities' crucial role in fostering human well-being and sustainable practices. For a peaceful society, the conference underlined the necessity of ethical behaviour and inclusive security measures.

The event provided a forum for meaningful talks and collaboration among faith-based groups, UN partners, and specialists, establishing a common commitment to ensuring people's well-being and the sustainability of the world.

 

WCC central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, who spoke at the symposium, noted that religion reaches not only people’s heads but also their hearts. “That is why religious communities are so important in issues like human wellbeing and planetary sustainability that are highly linked to our attitudes and lifestyles and can only be successfully pushed if political change is connected with a change of heart,” he said. “All together we want to secure people’s wellbeing and planetary sustainability as religious communities.”

The Climate Change and Heritage Forum in Florence, Italy, underlined the need of looking at climate change and biodiversity loss through the lens of human security. Participants agreed on the necessity of protecting our common cultural and landscape legacy in the face of climate change, as well as the importance of sustainable development models that take human security into account. 

 

Former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova emphasized the link between human security and the preservation of our common legacy, underlining the importance of heritage in forming our identities and sense of belonging. 

“Human security is about protecting the people and the planet – it is also about preserving our common heritage of humanity,” said Bokova. “Heritage is about us, people, it’s not about bricks and stones, it’s about who we are and where we come from. It’s about identities and a sense of belonging, it’s about sharing and respect for diversity. It’s about the past as much as about the future.”

 

Climate change, biodiversity loss, cultural heritage, and human security are all interrelated, according to Donato Kiniger Passigli, Executive Co-Chair of the HS4A campaign. He emphasized the significance of a people-centred approach to security, as well as the need to address economic, health, and environmental concerns.