Related website
- MAEC webpage on the conference (in French) with overview, programme and practical information
- Communiqué Officiel (27.10.2014)
- "Clôture à Rabat des travaux de la Conférence régionale autour de la Déclaration de Genève" (29.10.2014)
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Regional Review Conference on the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development
Rabat, Morocco | 28-29 October 2014
Ending armed violence for peace and development
The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development proposes the adoption of national and international strategies to address security and development in an integrated way. These strategies are based on measurable targets and on national armed violence monitoring systems. To this end, it aims to establish an institutional link between relevant aspects of security and development. Similarly, it encourages cooperation between different actors such as states, their respective ministries, the people represented through civil society organizations (CSOs) and, finally, international organizations (OI), regional organizations (ROs) and academic institutes.
In full awareness of the impact of armed violence on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the Kingdom of Morocco, as a member of the Core Group of the Geneva Declaration, hosted in Rabat on 28 and 29 October 2014, in collaboration with the Swiss government, the Regional Conference of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development in the MENA region.
Background
The Regional Conference of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development in the MENA region was part of a series of conferences on the implementation of the Declaration. Since the launch of the Geneva Declaration in 2006, two ministerial review conferences have taken place in Geneva, in 2008 and 2011. In 2014 the Core Group of the GD has recommended the organization of five regional conferences (Guatemala, Switzerland, the Philippines, Morocco and Kenya), to ensure greater ownership of the subject in the different regions.
In this context, the Regional Conference in Rabat was part of the follow-up of previous conferences, focusing on issues affecting the MENA region. It aimed to lay the groundwork for a regional dynamic to reduce armed violence and to promote development given the political changes in the MENA region.
The Rabat Conference offered, in particular, the opportunity for states in the region to accede to the Geneva Declaration (the rate among MENA states being very low) and to share experiences with integrated programmes in the fight against armed violence.
