Concept note

In the precarious recovery from a global pandemic, while the challenges of climate change are at their peak and human rights are systematically under attack everywhere, the war in Ukraine has come to constitute a major blow and an additional setback to the staggering global efforts which, to use the word of the UN Secretary-general, are trying to strengthen global governance for the sake of present and coming generations and secure a world where everyone can thrive in peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. As for the many other armed conflicts that are dotting our world – from the Syrian civil war to the war in Tigray –, the consequences of the war in Ukraine are first of all a catastrophe for those living in the conflict zone. Wars also have broader implications as they further expose our irreversible situation of global interdependence and interconnectedness, and affect the already fragile attempts at guaranteeing human security. Furthermore, current armed conflicts and their escalation are shifting the perception of what are the actual global urgencies, leading world leaders to neglect the human, social and environmental priorities of our era, which appear to be significantly sacrificed to an anachronistic pursuit of the material interests of few powerful nations.

This International conference aims to gather scholars and doctoral students from different disciplinary perspectives, experts and practitioners at all levels of governance to exchange their perspectives and critical views on two main issues. First, how the consequences of the war in Ukraine and of the other ongoing armed conflicts are affecting the enjoyment of human security worldwide. Second, how human security is being conceived and pursued in current international affairs, also in consideration of the ambitious goals set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in the ‘Our Common Agenda’ that the UN Secretary-general presented in late 2021 before the General Assembly.