The MDG review process is an opportunity to revisit the relationship between armed violence prevention and reduction and achieving MDGs. In order to support this process, the United Nations Secretary-General has recommended that clear goals, targets and indicators be created to measure and monitor armed violence.

On 14 and 15 December 2009, UNDP – in collaboration with the Geneva Declaration Secretariat – has hosted an expert workshop on indicators of armed violence. The workshop brought together leading experts in the fields of public health, social policy, economics and criminology in order to review a preliminary set of indicators of armed violence. In order to guide critical reflection on meausing armed violence, the workshop aimed at developing a methodologically robust system to track armed violence around the world and to link armed violence metrics to the goals, targets and indicators elaborated as part of the MDGs.

One goal of the workshop was to review a preliminary set of goals, targets and indicators on armed violence and reach consensus on the steps required to produce a rigorous and feasible set of goals, targets and indicators that can be used over time. Another is to reflect on the needs, challenges and opportunities for developing a methodologically robust system to track armed violence world-wide, and to link armed violence metrics to the goals, targets and indicators elaborated as part of the MDGs.

Based on the results of the expert workshop, the Geneva Declaration sets out a preliminary framework framework offers a means of comparing and of goals, targets and indicators to track armed violence. The framework offers a means of comparing and measuring patterns and trends in armed violence in tandem with and complementary to the MDG process up to 2015 and beyond.