The Week for Disarmament is celebrated between 24th – 30th October. The week marks the founding of the United Nations. The date was proposed in the final document of the general assembly special session on disarmament in 1978. States were called upon to highlight the danger of the arms race, propagate against it and sensitize people on the urgency for disarmament.
Government spends a lot of money on military personnel, technology and hardware. The cost of lives lost in conflicts is immeasurable. If this effort were directed towards developing human potential and conserving the environment, most human problems that cause insecurity could be solved.
Kenya is surrounded by countries that are at war. Guns find their way into the country and are used to commit crimes. The week for disarmament is an effort to encourage people to choose the path leading to peace, development and self- discipline instead of anarchy and violence.
Suggested activities
- Report to the police anybody in possession of illegal firearms and criminals operating in your locality.
- Visit the museum and see various weapon used by various communities at different times. Watch a film on war and conflicts.
- Hold a meeting at your local area to discuss safety and peace. Develop strategies to create awareness on need for peace and safety.
- Draw some peace artifacts used by your community.
- Invite elders and discus how the indigenous people addressed issues of safety and peace in the past.
- Write an essay or summary notes on how you celebrated the disarmament week. Publicize your success on this blog.
For further Information, contact:
Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government (http://www.mirp.go.ke)
National Museums of Kenya (http://www.museums.or.ke)
Community Peace Museums Heritage Foundation (http://www.cpmhf.org)
Local Police Station