The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, endorsed by more than 110 countries, commits signatories to supporting initiatives intended to measure the human, social, and economic costs of armed violence, to assess risks and vulnerabilities, to evaluate the effectiveness of armed violence reduction programmes, and to disseminate knowledge of best practices. The Declaration calls upon its members to achieve measurable reductions in the global burden of armed violence and tangible improvements in human security by 2015 and beyond.

The Secretariat of the Geneva Declaration is currently hosted at the Small Arms Survey, an independent Geneva-based research institution located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. The Survey is the main partner in the research activities conducted in the Geneva Declaration (GD) process. The Secretariat provides support to the signatory countries and develops the activities of the GD process in collaboration with a Core Group of 15 countries and partner organizations, including the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Global Alliance on Armed Violence (GAAV). GAAV is a coalition of non-governmental and other actors working to prevent and reduce armed violence worldwide through cooperation and collaboration, from the community level to global institutions and decision-makers.

The Global Burden of Armed Violence receives funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Further information about the Geneva Declaration, its activities, and its publications is available at www.genevadeclaration.org.

This report is based on research, conducted by the Small Arms Survey for the Geneva Declaration Secretariat, and does not necessarily indicate endorsement by any state.