Human Security in South Asia

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Human Security in South Asia
Presented by George C Varughese Development
Alternatives, New Delhi
at the Regional Media Workshop on Sustainable
Development A viable Goal Bangkok, 27th October
2008
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South Asian Priorities for Action

• Eliminating Poverty and Creating Human Security
• Conserving the Natural Resource Endowments
• Securing the Economic Base

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Eliminating Poverty Creating Human Security

• Managing Population Growth and its Impacts
• Direct
• Awareness and incentives
• Indirect
• Income generating opportunities, livelihood
  security, Infrastructure and facilities
  upgradation
• Creating Human Security
• Focus on
• Food, Income, Water, Energy, Health and
  Security from Natural Disasters

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Conserving the Natural Resource Endowments

• Arresting Industrial Pollution
• Promoting Corporate Citizenship
• Addressing Special Needs of Small Medium
  Enterprises
• Strengthening Regulatory Mechanisms
• Managing Urbanisation
• Controlling Migration
• Addressing Urban Poverty and Slums
• Upgrading Urban Infrastructure and Management
  Systems
• Promoting Sustainable Consumption Patterns
• Conserving Biodiversity
• Assessing Endowments
• Protecting Fragile Habitats
• Reviving Traditional Knowledge
• Facilitating Local Value Addition
• Building Bargaining Capacity

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Securing the Economic Base

• Promoting Technology Cooperation
• Building a Sub-regional Trading Block
• Depending on Minimal External Assistance

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Three Priorities for Human Security

• Food Security
• Water Security
• Energy Security

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Food Security scenario

• 430 million poor people
• (nearly 30 of South Asia and 47 of the world)
• 315 million people have insufficient food
• (22 of South Asia)
• While hungry is reducing absolute numbers
  increasing
• Slow progress in recent past
• Half our children malnourished
• Conflicts and disasters aggravate poverty and
  hunger

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Food Security - challenges

• Enhancing Agricultural Production Productivity
• Managing land use and availability of arable land
• Arresting degradation of land
• Checking the conversion of arable land for other
  uses
• Improving irrigation systems and practices
• Increasing the area under irrigation
• Promoting efficient irrigation practices
• Improving farming practices and cropping patterns
• intensive vs organic farming
• new technologies, methods and techniques
• cropping patterns (legumes)
• Rationalising the role of subsidies

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Food Security - challenges

• Other Supporting Measures
• Improving Accessibility to available food
• Role of the PDS and private sector
• Improving rural infrastructure (cold storage,
  transportation)
• Ensuring nutritional value of food consumed
• proteins pulses, dairy products, fish, eggs
• focus on children food for education
• Agriculture livelihood for the masses
• (absorbs 60 labour contributing to 23 GDP)
• recognise that land does not have the carrying
  capacity skill and capacity building of
  youth for non-farm activities
• Disaster Preparedness and Management

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Water Security scenario

• Most countries beginning to experience moderate
  to severe water scarcity due to
• high population growth coupled with
• growth of irrigation, industrialisation
  urbanisation
• Scarcity likely to increase
• (3,485 to 2,511 cum/yr/capita between 1985 to
  2005)
• Excessive dependence and depletion of ground
  water
• Pollution of surface and ground water increasing
  rapidly
• Impressive efforts in providing safe drinking
  water, but sanitation still lagging
• Trans-boundary water wars a reality

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Water Security - challenges

• Effective policies and implementation mechanisms
  for
• trans-boundary basin management
• ground water use
• water as a right and yet priced
• Technologies and incentives for
• Promoting efficient irrigation practices
• Pollution prevention
• Participatory approaches for
• (enterprise / community based)
• drinking water and sanitation
• farmer managed irrigation systems

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Energy Security scenario

• Demand far exceeds supply in most countries
• high population growth coupled with
• growth of industrialisation and urbanisation
• Gap will significantly increase
• (per capita requirements expected to double to
  600 kg. oil equivalent by 2020)
• Excessive dependence on
• Coal (46) highly polluting (carbon and
  climate)
• Petroleum (34) polluting, foreign exchange
  drain
• Inadequate investments in renewables
• Gross inefficiencies in energy transmission,
  distribution and use
• No country can address issue alone opportunity
  for regional cooperation

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Energy Security challenges

• Investments in development of energy resources
• conventional sources, especially hydro power
• significant growth of renewable sources
• Promoting energy efficiency and conservation
• energy efficient technologies in industry,
  agriculture and households
• reduction of transmission and distribution
  losses
• addressing subsidies to agriculture and other
  users
• Fostering Regional Cooperation

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Thank You