On  28 October 2009, the 2009-10 Sauvé Scholars had the pleasure of meeting Senator Roméo Dallaire at a special event highlighting Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership and Action to Prevent Mass Atrocities, a report on genocide prevention involving Senator Dallaire through his role as a Senior Fellow of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. 

Lieutenant General (retired) Dallaire is recognized worldwide for his role as Force Commander of the United Nations’ peacekeeping force for Rwanda, and for trying to stop the 1994 genocide that saw hundreds of thousands of Rwandans killed.

Senator Dallaire encouraged the Sauvé Scholars to engage with individuals and organizations working towards a better world. “Get engaged in a leadership role,” he said. “And reach out to a troubled world.” 

The Will To Intervene (W2I) report challenges governments to play an active role in the prevention of future genocides. “We have a responsibility to lead,” said the Canadian Senator. “We have an obligation to exercise our moral human responsibility to protect everyone.”