Human Security in Pakistan 1.4 Operationalization of Human Security Human security can a used as a tool for policy and programming by the use of the following five principles , which apply to both processes and outcomes. Efforts must be made for simultaneous application of the five principles. These principles include: • People-centered: The individual/community is at the center of the analysis. His/ her role as both actors(agents) and subjects(beneficiaries) of policies, programs, and projects should be recognized, as well as the broad range of insecurities that threaten the survival, livelihood, and dignity of individuals. Furthermore, the human security approach recognizes that such variables as gender, age, socio-economic status, geography, ethnicity, culture, and religion impact the way that individuals and groups feel human security in their lives and develop capabilities to mitigate threats and develop resilience. Therefore, in practical terms, people-centered policies and programming for human security are based on an analysis of needs (as current and recurring deficits of the community or individuals), vulnerabilities (as structural issues/weaknesses that expose one to future risks and future challenges to security), as well as capacities (which include what exist that could prevent vulnerabilities if properly used/ developed). At the community level, these, for example, include traditional practices, coping mechanisms, human and social capital, environmental resources, knowledge, and assets. These capacities and resources provide a foundation for empowerment strategies. • Interconnected: Because threats to human security are mutually reinforcing and interlined in a domino effect both across sectors and across regions, their linkages should be understood in order to avoid negative harms while promoting multiplying effects of positive interventions. • Comprehensive: Human security components, such as economic, food, environmental, health, personal, community, and political security, are mutually reinforcing both through positive and negative externalities. Because threats are interconnected, human insecurities cannot be tackled in isolation via fragmented stand-alone responses. Instead, the human security approach recognizes the need for comprehensive/holistic approaches and integrated strategies that stress the need for cooperative and multi-sectoral responses. • Context-specific: Although the human security framework is universal, in that it is relevant to people everywhere, insecurities vary considerably across different settings and at different times. Local situations also need to be contextualized within the larger context to be sustainable. 6