Important progress is being made towards achieving the Millennium Developme Goals (MDGs), but societies affected by armed conflict and criminal armed violence are often off track. These countries are usually in the lower ranks of the Human Development Index (HDI) or are experiencing specific risk factors shaping armed violence onset. But armed violence is not only a cause but also a consequence of certain forms of underdevelopment. Risk factors commonly associated with underdevelopment all play an important role in shaping patterns of armed violence.

The MDG review process – starting with the UN’s MDG Review Summit on 20 - 22 September 2010 – offers an opportunity to assess how armed violence prevention and reduction can play a role in achieving specific development goals. In order to advance this process, the Geneva Declaration supports initiatives that seek to generate international momentum to ensure that commitments to armed violence reduction and prevention are included in the High Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs, and reflected in subsequent MDG and developmental strategies through to 2015.