In little more than a decade, the AIDS pandemic threatened nearly 50 years of progress in human development. Protracted conflict and complex humanitarian crises have shown that development, health, social, political, and environmental stability go hand-in-hand and seldom respect national boundaries. Security debates now focus on the provision of human security and building human capabilities as a key element in building peace. This specialization area offers an in-depth look at the intersection of 21st century development and health issues from both practical/policy-oriented and theoretical perspectives.