Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire

Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire transitioned from a distinguished military career, notably as Force Commander of UNAMIR during the Rwandan genocide, to an influential advocate for human rights, ethical leadership, and mental health awareness. After being appointed Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in late 1993, Lt.

His experiences led him to publish the critically acclaimed ‘Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda’ in 2003, which earned the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004. From 2005 to 2014, Dallaire served as a Canadian Senator from Quebec, advocating for human rights, ethical leadership, and the prevention of child soldiers. During this tenure, he founded the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, dedicated to eradicating the use of child soldiers globally. In 2010, he carried the Olympic Flag at the Vancouver Winter Games.

He published ‘They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers’, expanding his international work. Dallaire also publicly shared his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, becoming a prominent advocate for veterans’ mental health. Lt. Gen.

Dallaire has continued to share profound insights through his writings, including ‘Waiting for First Light: My Ongoing Battle with PTSD’ and ‘The Peace: A Warrior’s Journey’. As a distinguished military leader, author, and former Senator, Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire remains an influential global figure, championing human rights, ethical leadership, and mental health awareness through public speaking and ongoing initiatives.