The armed forces and nuclear weapons are ineffective in reducing human insecurity, it said, adding that the root causes of conflicts should be addressed.

Stronger governance institutions and judicial system can advance human security by ensuring access to public goods, the report said.

The 'Human Development in South Asia Report 2005: Human Security in South Asia' prepared by Pakistan-based Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre was launched by Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK) in association with Manusher Jonno in the city.

"Bangladeshi people need to be sensitised to the idea of human security. We are only a stop-gap government, but we will try our best," said Adviser Geeti Ara Safiya Chowdhury at the report launching ceremony.

She also called for a greater focus on social, political and economic dimensions of security rather than on military security.

If South Asia is to return to its past glory, its women and children would have to be given the same priority and their insecurity have to be eliminated, she added.

The adviser also called for an end to abuse of women and children through misinterpretation of religion.

ASK Executive Director and former adviser Sultana Kamal said the report found that weak governance is at the core of human insecurity in South Asia, which especially applies for Bangladesh.

Weak governance institutions fail to provide the security net for the most vulnerable people and increases human insecurity, she said.

"In Bangladesh, governance has to be improved to pave the way for strengthening human security," she added.

Former adviser CM Shafi Sami said, "Democracy is far more superior to other ways to resolve conflict."

The country is perched on a 'dangerous precipice', he said, adding that the government, political parties and civil society members should discuss ways of getting out of the present situation in governance that undermine human security.

He also lamented the lack of funding for social, political and economic programmes.

Manusher Jonno Executive Director Shaheen Anam urged the government and the policymakers to pay greater attention to the report and take account of significant concerns during decision-making process.

"I urge the policymakers to make political commitment and take brave decisions," she said.

The report said human security, in addition to military security, entails protection from social, political, economic and natural disasters.

It said military expenditures in South Asia have increased by 50 percent between 1995 and 2004, but conflicts in the region are resulting from deep-seated feelings of injustice and disempowerment.

It also found that economic policies in the region have made people more vulnerable to international financial market shocks.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) has increased since the 1990s that means more people are now contracting the virus each year in South Asia, it added.

The report said that 40 percent of developing world's food-insecure people live in South Asia, while 40 percent of South Asia's population lives below the poverty line and 300 million people are chronically malnourished.