As Bangladesh continues its remarkable development journey, one question deserves greater attention: are we planning for economic growth alone, or for the security and wellbeing of our people? In a time when climate shocks, public health risks, and social inequalities are deepening, it is no longer enough to measure progress by GDP. True development means ensuring that every person lives free from fear, want, and indignity — the essence of human security.

From Human Development to Human Security

The idea of human security is not new. The 1994 UNDP Human Development Report first introduced it, highlighting that people’s safety and dignity must be protected across seven dimensions — economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security. Over time, two more have emerged: energy and information security. Together, these reflect a simple truth: development gains are sustainable only when people’s basic securities are ensured.

Bangladesh, in fact, has long dealt with many of these dimensions, though often separately. Food security, for example, has shaped planning since the devastating floods of 1954 and 1955, which led to a master plan on flood control and irrigation. Later, after the catastrophic cyclone of 1991 claimed 140,000 lives, the government focused on life security through cyclone shelters — an initiative that considered the safety of women, marginalized groups, and even livestock. These are all elements of human security, though the term itself was not used.

A Legacy of Sectoral Planning

Over the decades, Bangladesh has developed ambitious plans — the National Water Management Plan (2001), the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2009), and the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (2018). Each touched on human security issues such as food, health, environmental, and community safety. However, these efforts were mostly sectoral, addressing one or two dimensions at a time.

For example, the Delta Plan aims to ensure long-term water and food security, while the Climate Change Strategy addresses disaster resilience and health protection. Yet, without integrating these under a holistic human security framework, we risk fragmented planning where gains in one area may undermine another — such as economic expansion at the cost of environmental degradation.

Why a Human Security Lens Now

Today’s challenges are more complex than ever before. Climate-induced displacement, rising food and fuel prices, digital inequality, and urban insecurity are reshaping the risks ordinary Bangladeshis face. Traditional economic planning cannot capture these cross-cutting threats.

A human security approach offers a unifying lens to connect the dots. It focuses on people’s vulnerabilities — not just economic needs — and seeks coordinated action across ministries and sectors. This means planning that ensures jobs are secure and safe, food is affordable and nutritious, communities are prosperous and resilient.

For instance, a human security-based plan would link livelihood protection with climate adaptation — promoting nature-based jobs that restore ecosystems while supporting incomes. It would also integrate gender equality and social inclusion so that women, youth, and marginalized groups are not left behind in disaster recovery or resource allocation.

The Institutional Readiness Is There

Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to adopt such an approach. The Planning Commission already coordinates multi-sectoral planning — from the Delta Plan to the Five-Year Plans and Annual Development Programmes. The institutional machinery exists; what is needed is a shift in perspective: from economic sectors to human dimensions.

Adopting a human security framework does not mean reinventing the wheel. It means aligning existing policies — on climate change, food, water, energy, and digital governance — under a single, people-centered vision. It also means investing more in preventive measures: strengthening health systems, ensuring safe migration pathways, and building community resilience before crises strike.

Towards a Human Security-Based Future

Several steps can make this transformation real:

1. Integrate human security indicators into national planning, monitoring not only growth but also safety, dignity, and inclusion.

2. Build inter-ministerial coordination around human security priorities, bridging gaps between economic, social, and environmental agencies.

3. Empower local governments and communities to identify and address their own insecurities — whether related to water, livelihoods, or safety.

4. Mobilize partnerships with UN agencies, civil society, and private sector actors to finance integrated solutions that strengthen resilience at all levels.

By doing so, Bangladesh can demonstrate that planning for people’s security is not an alternative to economic growth — it is the foundation of sustainable growth itself.

A Call to Rethink Development

As Bangladesh prepares for its next national planning cycle, this is the moment to rethink what “security” truly means. Beyond borders and budgets, it is about protecting people’s lives and dignity from the shocks — natural, economic, or social — that threaten to undo decades of progress.

A human security-based planning approach would make Bangladesh’s development not only more inclusive and resilient but also more humane. Because in the end, development is meaningful only when it keeps every person safe, healthy, and hopeful about the future.