Abstract

Human Security is a concept which has been in existence for approximately three decades in the international discourse. Even though the concept is relatively unknown in Sri Lanka, it is a concept from which citizens in countries such as Sri Lanka can benefit immensely from. Laying emphasis on the human when encountering or seeking to find solutions to problems can be beneficial in solving them. Thus, the objective of this paper is to examine the concept of human security in the Sri Lankan context and identify areas in which it can be applied to, in order to overcome challenges faced by the island-nation. In conclusion, the paper states that as Sri Lanka is no longer directly threatened by traditional security threats, it is futile for the country to implement state-centric policies. Sri Lanka is however, being increasingly challenged by various non-traditional security threats such as cyber, environment – inclusive of climate change – and health, to name a few. Therefore, it is imperative for Sri Lanka to focus on implementing policies which address non-traditional security threats, with the ‘human’ at the core of its policy formulation.

Key words – Human Security, Policies, Sri Lanka

Read the entire article on the INSSSL website.