Najam Discusses Human Security Issues at Islamabad Security Dialogue
From April 1-2, 2022, Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, took part in the Islamabad Security Dialogue.
The Islamabad Security Dialogue is a platform for critical thinking and robust intellectual discourse on some of the most pressing global challenges and opportunities confronting the world at large hosted by the Government of Pakistan. Opened by Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, the two-day event brought together over 40 international speakers and national security advisors, including Pardee School alumni and Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf.
In his remarks, Najam discussed the importance of putting citizens at the center of national security considerations. He noted that while the world should be delighted by the emerging emphasis on human security, it is important to remember that not all issues of human development are issues of human security. The key, Najam argues, is to focus on issues that are existential to nations and focus maximum effort on resolving those; he that the COVID-19 pandemic was one such issue that caught the attention of the world but pointed to climate change as the definitive existential human security crisis of our time.
For more on the Islamabad Security Dialogue, visit the conference’s website.
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who also served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He is the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and was the former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Dean Najam on his faculty profile.