Daniele Manieri – The Human Security Profile of May 2019

This is a post from The Human Security Angle: the newsletter of the Master’s degree programme in Human Security at Aarhus University.

Daniele, why did you decide to study Human Security at Aarhus University?
After completing my bachelor’s degree in International Cooperation and Development Policies, I was looking for a program where I could further my knowledge. Human Security at Aarhus University offered that opportunity. It links key technical work skills, such as research methods and project proposals, with crosscutting subjects like Conflict Dynamics and Mediation, Tropical Ecosystems, and Agroecology and Food Security. In addition, the chance to do fieldwork allows students to utilize the skills and knowledge learned to gain an invaluable experience.

Daniele Manieri.

Where did you do your work placement, and what did you learn?
I conducted my fieldwork in Palestine working for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). My research aimed at understanding how “resilience” translates into practice by listening to those – local community members, activists, humanitarian and development practitioners – who experience the daily emergency of the military occupation. One of the results suggested that referring to an “emergency context” means to operate in a complex system that is highly interconnected. This means that a broad multisectorial approach is needed. Resilience often becomes a tool that allows navigating these complex systems by referring to key elements capable of fostering the next point of balance. It is a continuous effort that feeds on information, knowledge, and networking. Thus, it needs to be addressed with a suitable approach, and Human Security is one of the most comprehensive methods to use.

2 Fieldwork Bedouin Community Zamba
Fieldwork visit at Al Za’Ayem village, Zamba Community. The “Zamba” are a Bedouin Semi-nomadic Community living on the outskirt of East Jerusalem with huge restrictions on access to basic services and at constant risk of forced displacement because the area where they used to live is classified “Israeli Military Zone” (Area C).
Fieldwork picture: Jerusalem Wailing Wall and Dome of the Rock separation and contradiction in the heart of Jerusalem Old City.

What are you doing at the moment?
After graduating, I started working with the Finnish non-governmental organization, Finn Church Aid, as humanitarian program assistant for the Education in Emergencies program in Uganda. Now, I am in Sudan, working for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) as a Country Coordinator of an EU funded project (Bridging the Gap – II) on promoting Equal Rights and Services for Persons with Disability through equal access to employment.

Gedaref (Sudan) Project “Bridging the Gap II” Workshop for women with disabilities on creation and management of a women’s cooperative for agricultural products and micro business support.

What have you taken with you from your human security studies?
My studies helped to understand the importance of a multidimensional approach. In practice, intervention works in a complex system. No intervention works on a sealed environment, despite being usually confined and focused on specific features with outputs and indicators to fulfil. Considering a multisectorial approach enables projects to create further synergies and better respond to mutating conditions.

If you want to learn more about the Human Security programme, then please like us on Facebook.