ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the meanings and uses of the concept of human security in Canadian foreign policy and in the policies of the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It discusses the diverse meanings and understandings of the concept of human security. The chapter argues that human security has broadened the discourse on security after the ending of the Cold war. It analyses the Canadian government's perspective on human security in relation to the conceptualisation of human security among Canadian government officials and NGOs. Some Canadian government officials and some in the NGO sector understand human security as encompassing the protection of people from both violent and non-violent threats that undermine the dignity as well as the freedoms of the individual. The chapter analyses the threats from which individuals should be protected. The freedom from fear perspective defines human security as the protection of individuals from violent threats such as war, genocide, and terrorism.
