Challenges to human security are complex and interwoven, and often include protracted crises of poverty, conflict and natural disasters. They impact the lives and livelihoods of individuals and communities in real time. They span across national borders and test the legitimacy of governance structures. They reverse progress and undercut prospects for sustainable development, peace and stability. It is in this uncertain domain that the study of human security continues to evolve, equating security with people rather than territories, and with development rather than arms.

The Ford Institute for Human Security was founded in 2003 as one of the first academic centers in the world devoted to human security. The research focus of the Institute has continuously grown in its effort to keep pace with new emerging threats. In its foundational years, the Institute’s research focused on forced enslaved labor and human trafficking. It later incorporated work on humanitarian interventions, the protection of civilians in conflict zones, and the causes and prevention of mass atrocities. Its current focus is further aligned with the United Nation’s resolution 66/290, which widens the span of human security research to address “widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of people” and includes specific examination of gendered inequalities, water and food insecurity, and forced migration.