6 June 2001

On behalf of the Rockefeller Foundation, I am pleased to welcome you to the inaugural meeting of the Commission on Human Security. At the request of the commission Planning Group, our Foundation is providing the financing and logistical support for this gathering.

Why is the Rockefeller Foundation helping to launch the commission? Rockefeller is a global foundation with the mission of enriching the lives and advancing the livelihood of the world's poor and excluded. In pursuit of our mission, we joined with others in recognizing the importance of "human security" among vulnerable people in our rapidly globalizing world. Last summer, an informal Planning Group (consisting of committed public and private sector actors*) was established to plan an independent, global initiative to promote actions for advancing human security. Securing the leadership of Madame Ogata and Professor Sen joined by ten outstanding commissioners and specifying the commission's mandate were achieved through a wide-ranging consultative process -- including the United Nations, governments, and private groups. Based upon the pledges of the Japanese Government and others of commission independence and financing, we were pleased to provide planning and start-up funding.

The Foundation recognizes that the commissioners themselves will want to make decisions with regard to at least three critical aspects of their work.

ACTION -- The goal of the commission is to make a meaningful difference in the human security of ordinary people, especially the world's disadvantaged, through the promotion of action -- on-the-ground activities, policy improvements, and resource mobilization. We strongly endorse the commission's action -- orientation; we are less concerned with simply "another report".

KNOWLEDGE -- For credibility, clarity, and mobilization of key constituencies, we believe that the commission must be knowledge-based, achieving clarity with regard to definitions, concepts, and priorities for human security. This will not necessarily require pure academic research, but it will require broad consultations and respect for diversity of viewpoints. For these reasons, we commend for your background information the "annotated bibliography on human security" by Sara Edson of the Common Security Forum (available on the side table).

STRATEGY -- The success of any venture depends upon sound strategies. You have, we are sure, many questions about the commission, and you will want be in a position to explain clearly many questions you will soon encounter as a commissioner. We offer no answers, but we have tried to identify some key questions by reviewing strategic challenges encountered by ten previous global commissions. To the extent feasible, resolution of these strategic issues at the first meeting would give the commission a head-start on work priorities. For your background information, therefore, a brief note on strategic challenges by Professor Sanjeev Khagram is available on the side table.

With the launch of the commission, the Rockefeller Foundation will have fulfilled its commitment to support an independent global effort that has enormous potential to make a difference in the daily lives of many people around the world. We recognize the importance of the commission's independence, and we will remain fully supportive of its activities in achieving its mission.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

Lincoln C. Chen
Executive Vice-President for Strategy

Planning Group Members

Tadashi Yamamoto, Japan Center for International Exchange
Keizo Takemi, Member, Upper House, Japan Parliament
Yukio Takasu, Director-General, Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lincoln Chen, Rockefeller Foundation
Peter Geithner, Rockefeller Foundation
Barry Gaberman, Ford Foundation