News
UN Secretary-General encourages Member States to consider convening a General-Assembly session on the impact of armed violence on development
In a recent meeting focusing on his five-point action plan to rid the world of nuclear weapons on 8 December 2009 in New York, UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban-Ki Moon encouraged Member States to consider convening a session of the General Assembly to examine the impact of armed violence on development at next September’s summit meeting on the set of anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals.
UN Secretary-General's report on 'Promoting Development through the Reduction and Prevention of Armed Violence' (A/64/228) presented to the UN General Assembly on 16 November 2009
The UN Secretary-General sought the views of UN Member States and wrote a report on the interrelation between armed violence and development. The report, entitled 'Promoting Development through the Reduction and Prevention of Armed Violence' (A/64/228), was published on 5 August 2009 and presented to the UN General Assembly on 16 November 2009.
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.
Best Practice Seminar in Cartagena
An Armed Violence and Development Seminar took place in Cartagena between 20 and 23 April 2009. The aim of the seminar was to understand the different forms of armed violence and their multiple causes and contexts and to share and develop strategies to prevent and reduce armed violence in order to promote sustainable development.