LGen Roméo Dallaire (Ret)

Commander of UN Forces in Rwanda

LGen The Hon. Roméo Dallaire (Ret) is a true hero and an outspoken leader for the 21st century.

A decorated Lieutenant General, Dallaire served 35 years with the Canadian Armed Forces. His best-selling book, Shake Hands With the Devil, is a stirring account of his experience as the Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda, which exposes the failures of the international community to stop the worst genocide in the 20th century. The book was released as a full-length feature film Shake Hands With the Devil – The Journey of Roméo Dallaire and won the Emmy Award for Best Documentary in 2007.

Dallaire's story shares the most extreme results of being given responsibility without authority. He was limited by immovable parameters, overseen by an organization that didn't fully support the mission, and put into situations that forced him to question ethics every step of the way.

Dallaire's presentations discuss leadership and conflict resolution, illustrated with stories of his own experiences. He inspires listeners to address the ethical and moral issues in conflicts and insists that governments put humanity above political and economic interests.


Client Testimonials

"Through all your trials and sorrows, you have come to exemplify the greatest ideals to which we can aspire. You move us to come together and express our common humanity...you have made us all more human, more feeling, more emotionally attached to people and situations half a world away. We know one thing - you will not quit - and this in itself is a reason for all of us to remain hopeful, to keep looking for reasons for optimism."

Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson