LocationsThe human side of security: Protecting people in the world's toughest crises
September 30, 2026
Security institutions are most effective when people trust them. Human rights standards are fundamental to making this possible.
In times of crisis, security forces are among the first responders. Police officers, military personnel or border guards are deployed to restore order, prevent violence and protect communities and the State. Their presence should inspire confidence, offering reassurance that uniformed professionals are working to safeguard lives and support recovery. Yet, experience across many contexts has shown that security responses can have the opposite effect when they are not grounded in human rights. Rather than building trust, they can fuel fear and deepen the very crisis they intend to resolve.
Illegitimate or excessive use of force, arbitrary detention, exclusionary policing and weak oversight erode confidence in security institutions.
And more recently, advanced technologies–while enabling faster and more precise security responses–create new risks. Amid conflict and fragility, the consequences can be more severe.
An essential question arises: how can international assistance strengthen security without contributing to abuse?
Human rights as a tool for prevention
Security institutions are most effective when people trust them. Communities are more likely to cooperate with police, engage with justice systems and support stabilization efforts when they believe institutions act fairly, proportionately and respect the rule of law.
Human rights standards are fundamental to making this possible. They are not separate from security effectiveness; they are integral to it.
Human rights are often viewed as a tool for responding to violations after they occur. Yet their essential value lies in prevention. This is where human rights due diligence plays a critical role.
At its core, the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) recognizes that UN support to security actors must be informed by continuous risk assessment, mitigation, monitoring and accountability. It helps ensure that support does not unintentionally contribute to violations of international human rights or humanitarian law. In practice, HRDDP encourages security engagement that is adaptive, context-sensitive and grounded in ongoing monitoring.
Informed decisions, strong oversight and accountability
Human rights due diligence requires practitioners to ask critical questions: What are the risks? What mitigation measures are in place? Do we have the right capacities to support this work? Should support to security actors be adjusted or even suspended?
This preventive approach is important, especially in settings affected by conflict and political transition. Effective application of human rights due diligence requires a nuanced and context-sensitive analysis, grounded in a thorough understanding of the local political economy and conflict dynamics. In settings where the lines between state security actors, paramilitary forces, community-based groups and organized criminal groups are blurred, the risk of complicity in human rights violations is particularly high. Human rights due diligence helps anticipate these risks before harm occurs, ensuring that assistance contributes to protection, trust and stability rather than inadvertently reinforcing grievances and insecurity.
"As technology transforms security threats and operations, human rights due diligence helps ensure that innovation enhances security while protecting rights, public trust and preventing new forms of harm."
In the Central African Republic, human rights due diligence was applied when UNDP provided salary support for police and gendarmerie to enable redeployment after the crisis. This involved a full personnel review to eliminate ghost workers and verify legitimate postings, ensuring integrity of support while preventing misuse and reinforcing accountability.
In Ukraine, human rights due diligence has informed UNDP’s support to law enforcement institutions, including assistance aimed at maintaining access to essential police services and strengthening transparent, accountable and community-oriented policing. In the context of equipment and technical support to security actors during the war, due diligence measures have helped identify and mitigate human rights risks associated with such assistance. These have included monitoring and reporting arrangements, verification of the transfer and use of equipment, and integration of human rights considerations into capacity development and engagement with supported institutions.
As technology transforms security threats and operations, human rights due diligence helps ensure that innovation enhances security while protecting rights, public trust and preventing new forms of harm. This is critically important as more security actors adopt drones, biometric databases and AI-enabled systems. How do we ensure that a drone supplied for border monitoring is not misused for unlawful targeting? Or that GPS tracking tools intended to improve operations do not compromise civilian privacy?
In Haiti, for example, human rights due diligence informed concrete mitigation measures for the use of drones in anti‑gang operations, including monitoring and reporting protocols and strengthened safeguards for personal data, ensuring operational effectiveness while protecting privacy and preventing misuse. This is essential as predictive policing, if poorly designed or applied, can embed bias, exclusion and discrimination into AI systems–undermining human rights and ultimately weakening the preventive value of policing.
By promoting informed decision-making and better oversight, due diligence makes security assistance stronger and context specific. It serves as a foundation for sustainable security partnerships grounded in accountability and public trust.
Security that protects people
Independent oversight and human rights due diligence underscore that human rights are essential for security that is more legitimate, accountable and preventive.
As global challenges become increasingly complex, there is growing recognition that effective security is inherently linked to protecting rights and dignity. By integrating due diligence, strengthening oversight and taking a people-centred approach to security, UNDP and partners deliver security interventions that stabilize, protect and do no harm.
Because ultimately, security that is grounded in human rights paves the way to sustainable peace.
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