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As combined new factors could further complicate the food supply and health security for regional countries, new perspective on human security should be prioritized on securitizing health security in the region. In recent years, food production and supply has been affected by unpredictable climate change and unaccountable manmade factors in the region. With increased pressure from food security issues, personal health and human security is badly affected. It poses a threat to human security and becomes a concern of all states. In the new era, the pressing reality for all countries is that there is no exception for anyone before a pandemic. Threats to human security become not only a national security issue but also a transnational challenge.
Key Words: human security, food security, health security, climate change, food supply
INTRODUCTION
The recent multi-faceted crises in terms of energy, food, climate change, as well as the economic & financial crises, to health security have caused new concerns in the Asia Pacific region. As combined new factors could further complicate food supply and health security for regional countries, new perspective on human security should be prioritized on securitizing health security in the region. In recent years, food production and supply has been affected by unpredictable climate change and unaccountable man-made factors in the region. As a result, increased pressure from food security issues impacts on personal health and becomes a matter of human security concern of all states in the region.
The outburst of the new influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico in April 2009 has not only raised enormous anxiety in terms of health security in the region, but has also directly threatened human security of individual states. Especially, after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to phase 6 on 11 June 2009,1 the new influenza A (H1N1) virus threatening the well-being of human society has become a new focal point for global health security. It also raised great concern in terms of the overall development of human security in the Asia Pacific region, as frequent trans-Pacific communication help quickly transmit the H1N1 virus from North America to Asia and elsewhere. For commuters and travellers, their livelihoods are under immediate threat. Regional communities are also vulnerable to wide spread...