Failed and Fragile States eDiscussion
Failed and Fragile Cities: Human Security in Urban Spaces
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Canada’s commitment to human security

Contemporary security challenges have changed fundamentally from those of the past. The decline in wars between states may have made states more secure, but a growing number of transnational threats, coupled with dozens of civil wars, have made people more insecure.

View eDiscussion open from September 26 to December 2, 2005

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Such wars, which have proven remarkably resistant to permanent resolution, are characterized by the pre-eminence of small arms and the participation of irregular forces operating outside accepted humanitarian norms, making them at once more decentralized, less disciplined and more brutal. In these conflicts, civilian casualties and displacement are not merely unintended by-products of the fighting, but are often deliberate war aims of combatants. The lines between war and crime are blurring, and transnational phenomena, including terrorism, international crime and trafficking in small arms, drugs, women and children increase the risk to all of us.

On peace operations in Haiti
“Operating in an urban environment, ideally you need the kind of very specialized capacities that the mission [MINUSTAH] doesn’t really have.”
- Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno

Canada’s commitment to human security responds to these new global realities. Human security encompasses a spectrum of approaches to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, to protect civilians where conflicts do exist, and to increase the capacity of states to ensure security for their populations. Putting people at the centre of security policy enhances national and international security, and promotes human development and well-being. Human security is strengthened where open, tolerant and responsive states work to ensure the safety of their populations within their borders. At the same time, human security reinforces the state by strengthening its legitimacy and stability. States, however, do not always guarantee human security. Where states are externally aggressive, internally repressive or too weak to govern effectively, people’s security is undermined.

The urban dimension

Experience is showing us that different environments within states, such as urban versus rural, pose distinct human security challenges. Whether we are dealing with drug trafficking, child soldiers, conducting peace operations, or delivering humanitarian aid, urban environments pose unique challenges. In fact, many of the challenges associated with failed and fragile states can be traced to major urban centres. For example, stabilization efforts in cities are complicated by high population densities, the difficulty of locating combatants, the high risk of civilian casualties, damage to critical infrastructure and the potential for the spread of disease.

On small arms
“Economic disparities between and within countries are creating conditions in which weapons are considered the only solution to secure a livelihood. The demand in small arms is in this way directly and indirectly encouraged, especially in urban communities.”
- IANSA Women’s statement to the UN Conference on Small Arms

While urban growth itself is not the culprit, urbanization has placed cities at the forefront of human security. For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in cities. According to the UN, urban areas worldwide are gaining 67 million people a year, or 1.3 million every week. By 2030, about five billion people are expected to live in cities – 60% of the projected global population at that time of 8.3 billion. Almost all population growth in the next 50 years will be in the developing world, and most of that will be in cities, particularly those with populations between 100,000-500,000, which are also the least likely to have adequate services. Almost 1 billion people live in slums and this figure may double within 30 years unless steps are taken.

The rapidly growing population of cities, particularly in the developing world, poses scores of challenges for individual security. As growing concentrations of political, economic, religious, class and ethnic power, cities have the potential to become tumbling dominos of conflict and state failure, or building blocks of conflict prevention and peace. Cities can be zones of fear for millions, or sites of opportunities to extend human security to equal numbers of people.

Discussion questions

How do urban and rural areas differ in the human security challenges they present?

Do urban areas require new ways of thinking about human security?

If yes, how can existing mechanisms for conflict prevention, stability operations and peacebuilding be adapted to address the particular issues associated with failed and fragile cities?