DYB2011-Part-II-web

United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2011: Part II
78
The General Assembly welcomed the activities undertaken by GIS and
encouraged it to facilitate the effective matching of needs and resources in
accordance with the outcome of the fourth Biennial Meeting of States. 18
Armed violence and development
In 2006, the Government of Switzerland together with the United
Nations Development Programme launched a high-level initiative that
resulted in the adoption of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and
Development. 19 The Geneva Declaration, which is now endorsed by over
100 States, recognized armed violence as both a cause and consequence of
underdevelopment. It was designed to support States to achieve measurable
reductions in the global burden of armed violence in conflict and non-conflict
settings by 2015.
The General Assembly, by its resolution 63/23 of 17 November 2008,
introduced the link between armed violence and development in the United
Nations agenda in 2008. Subsequently, the Secretary-General’s report to
the General Assembly20 acknowledged that armed violence undermined
development and constituted an impediment to the achievement of the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The Second Ministerial Review Conference on the Geneva Declaration,
hosted by the Government of Switzerland and the United Nations Development
Programme, was held in Geneva from 31 October to 1 November. The 96
States that attended the Conference adopted an outcome document (for the
text, see appendix VI), which established a concrete vision and set clear
priorities for the implementation of the Geneva Declaration by 2015. The
Conference also focused on sharing the wealth of experience that participants
have gathered in tackling the scourge of armed violence and assessed progress
in the implementation of the Geneva Declaration commitments.
At regional seminars held in Nairobi in February; in Kathmandu in
March; in Abuja, Nigeria, in June; and in Zagreb in September, participants
18 A/CONF.192/BMS/2010/3, operative paragraph 29 (h), (i) and (j): “In order to
identify, prioritize and communicate needs and match them with resources, States are
encouraged to build on existing mechanisms … and to consider other ways in which
needs and resources can be matched effectively and assistance and cooperation can
be more effectively coordinated, including by exploring opportunities for increasing
dialogue between States; In this regard, States encouraged further efforts by the Office
for Disarmament Affairs … to assist States, upon request, in preparing project outlines
identifying country-specific needs; In order to better identify donors for these proposals
and to increase the visibility of available assistance, States encouraged intensified efforts
among all States, international and regional organizations and civil society …”. Also see
resolution 65/67 of 8 December 2010, operative paragraph 5.
19 Available from http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/GD-Declaration-091020-
EN.pdf (accessed 2 June 2012).
20 A/64/228.