Abstract
On 10 January 2000, the Security Council of the United Nations chose symbolically, to dedicate the first meeting of the new millennium to the issue of AIDS in Africa. For the first time, it has labelled a pandemic as 'threat to international peace and security'. The underlying idea of talking about a 'security crisis' instead of 'health issue' was clear, the struggle against AIDS should become a political priority, because of its disastrous effects at all levels (human, regional, national, and global) . By transforming a 'health issue' into a 'threat', the Security Council offers a relevant example of what Waever calls 'a securitizing move' . In the securitization theory, it is the designation of an 'existential threat to a referent object', that legitimates the use of exceptional measures and 'extraordinary means' to eliminate the so-called threat. In this 'securitizing move', one can see the importance of the 'securitizing actors', they can be state representatives but not only them. But as Waever points out, 'the issue is securitized' only if 'the audience accepts it as such'. Securitization needs negotiation, persuasive discourses, and consent. In short, here are the three steps of securitization (1) designation of an existing threat; (2) measures to eradicate the threat; (3) 'effects on interunit by breaking free rules' .
