Why this campaign now

The world is changing in unprecedented ways.

Recent crises from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change and natural disasters, new and old conflicts on several continents, misinformation and violent extremism have devastated our lives and economies – undermining our security and respecting no borders.

Today’s threats travel the globe quickly and affect us personally, setting off a chain of events that can endanger our health, our safety and our ability to meet our basic needs.

In this context, our current approaches fall short.

A peaceful and prosperous world must be about people; their survival, livelihood and dignity and their aspiration to live free from fear and want.

It is time to unite behind a shared vision of Human Security for All.

Our goal

The World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS) was founded as a transnational organization by eminent intellectuals and diplomats in 1960 with the mission to harness the power of knowledge to foster human welfare for all humanity. Its founders included Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Bertrand Russell and the founding directors of three UN agencies — FAO, UNESCO and WHO. WAAS is dedicated to addressing global social challenges through the application of all forms of knowledge, including science, the arts and technology.

Human Security for All (HS4A) was launched by WAAS in June 2022 to promote the human security approach developed by UNDP in their 1994 Human Development Report. In October 2022 WAAS joined in partnership with the UN Human Security Trust Fund (UNTFHS) for an 18-month global campaign to disseminate information regarding the Human Security approach with financial support from UNTFHS. Since April 2024 WAAS has continued the HS4A campaign independently, in collaboration with a growing range of partners. 

Our aim is to:

• Promote human security among networks of people who play key roles in adopting new ideas and translating them into action – policymakers, youth leaders, private sector innovators and financiers as well as educators, scientists, artists and more.
• Generate widespread awareness of the urgent need to advance human security and its application in response to today’s interlinked crises in communities across the globe.
• Create a global constituency for human security that helps drive support for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• Call for concrete action to achieve human security for all by actively promoting solutions and amplifying stories of success.