In Memoriam
The Geneva Declaration Secretariat announces with sadness the untimely death of the Geneva Declaration Coordinator in the Air France crash
Ronald Dreyer was aboard the ill-fated Air France flight AF 447 that disappeared over the South Atlantic in the early hours of Monday 1 June 2009. He was among the 228 passengers and crew travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris aboard the airbus A330-200, when it vanished from the radars at 04h15 central European time.
Ronald received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the Graduate Institute in 1985. Ronald started his career as a delegate with the ICRC, and then served with United Nations missions in El Salvador, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Angola and elsewhere. In 2006, Ronald joined the Geneva Declaration Secretariat as its coordinator, based in Geneva and working with the Swiss Permanent Mission to the UN and the Small Arms Survey.
Ronald will be remembered for his dedication and passion to promoting the issue of "armed violence and development". He was instrumental in mobilising the support of more than 100 countries to this cause. His legacy, but more importantly his warmth and good humour, will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
The Geneva Declaration Secretariat extends its condolences to the family and loved ones of our friend and collaborator. Our thoughts are with them all at this sad and difficult time.
The impacts of armed violence on social and economic development and the lack of development as a cause for armed violence are well known. But international recognition of armed violence as a comprehensive 'policy' and 'programming' area only surfaced comparatively recently.
Recognizing these realities, we, Ministers and representatives from 42 countries, representing all the world's regions, have gathered in Geneva and have resolved to promote sustainable security and a culture of peace by taking action to reduce armed violence and its negative impact on socio-economic and human development.
The Geneva Declaration process includes a range of formal and informal consultations with governments and civil society around the world. These are taking place in Guatemala, Nairobi, Bangkok, Geneva, and elsewhere between 2007 and 2008.
Armed violence has many different causes, manifestations and outcomes. It is context-specific. For this reason, the Geneva Declaration process includes a series of regional agreements beginning first in Latin America and the Caribbean and subsequently in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
Governments and civil society are crucial players in preventing and reducing armed violence. The Geneva Declaration is working with a network of such actors.
Coming Up
- A regional consultation on armed violence and development for the countries of the Near and Middle East is in preparation.
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- New Geneva Declaration Report on Armed Violence in Burundi
- General Assembly Adopts Resolution on Armed Violence and Development
- Global Burden of Armed Violence report
- Key Geneva Declaration documents: A Summary of the Geneva Declaration Process - July 2008 (English, French, German, Spanish)
- The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development was signed on 7 June 2006.
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