"Promoting Dialogue and a Culture of Peace: Taking Action to End Gun Proliferation and Violence!" This theme for the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence (GWoA) reflects FOSDA's commitment to tackle the issue of small arms control in Ghana and the sub-region by collaborating with civil society organizations and government agencies.
Small arms and light weapons (SALW) have the potential to disrupt peace, cause war, and divide our societies. Criminals and other unauthorized users have acquired access to SALW, putting our people's safety and security at risk and undermining our progress. Our monitoring of violent incidents reveals that gun violence is the second most common.
According to IANSA, The United Nations defined a "Culture of Peace" as a "set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups, and nations."
This year, FOSDA aims to influence the general public's values and attitudes by increasing awareness and sensitizing everyone about the obligation of states to adopt rigorous controls on the transfer and use of SALW, as well as taking specific steps to regulate the SALW trade. We also seek to gain public and political support for practical SALW management efforts.
The theme and our goal, in particular, highlight FOSDA's collaboration with ECOWAS for the sensitization workshop on the model guide for the implementation of the ECOWAS convention on SALW and the Arms Trade Treaty in Ghana to harmonize CSO efforts toward small arms control in West Africa, which took place the week before the GWoA.
We urge all to join us this week to take action, encourage dialogue and cultivate a culture of peace, all against gun violence and promoting security.
