Peace and Security

This article addresses the topics of peace and security in the context of human development and explores their various meanings and manifestations at the national and international levels. First, it defines the concept of peace, suggesting that peace is not simply the absence of violence (negative peace) but includes the structural conditions that create positive peace in a society. Next, the article examines the concept of security from various perspectives, namely state-focused definitions of security and interactive or human-focused definitions, and then briefly addresses peace and security at a domestic level before moving to the linkages between international development assistance and security. Lastly, the article proposes peacebuilding as a way of linking peace, security, development and human rights in order to create a more peaceful world.