Pandemic and Human Security: An Analysis with Special Reference to the Role of the United Nations

Pandemic is the last phase of influenza viruses’ circulation which may have various impacts that threaten the maintenance of international peace and security. In its Resolution 2532, the UN Security Council described the COVID-19 pandemic as a likely threat to international peace and security. It is generally accepted that there are two approaches to security: national and human security. Both of these approaches have their own tools for managing a pandemic crisis. In the first part of this paper, the definition and various impacts of a pandemic will be discussed. The second part will address the securitization of health. In the third part, the paper will discuss how national and human security approaches would manage health crises including a pandemic. The paper recommends that to manage the pandemic crisis as a global threat, the human-security approach would be much more effective due to its co-operation-oriented nature.