Disarmament Week - October 2026
#DisarmamentWeek #PeaceAndSecurity
This week, the world observes Disarmament Week — a week-long annual observance called for in the Final Document of the UN General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament, and reaffirmed in 1995, calling on governments and NGOs to promote better public understanding of disarmament issues.
Throughout history, disarmament has been pursued to build a safer, more secure world and to protect people from harm. Since the founding of the United Nations, disarmament and arms control have played a critical role in preventing and ending crises and armed conflicts. Heightened tensions are better resolved through serious political dialogue and negotiation — not by more arms.
The concerns remain urgent:
- Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to pose an existential threat to humanity.
- The excessive accumulation and illicit trade in conventional and small arms jeopardizes peace, security and sustainable development, especially in Africa.
- The use of heavy weapons in populated areas seriously endangers civilians.
- New and emerging weapon technologies, including autonomous weapons and cyberwarfare, bring new risks to global security.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminds us: _Disarmament must be brought back to the centre of our common efforts for peace and security._
At WAELE AFRICA Foundation, we know who bears the highest cost of armed conflict — women and girls.
When arms proliferate, women lose husbands and sons, are displaced, face sexual violence as a weapon of war, and carry the burden of rebuilding communities. The spread of small arms in our homes and markets directly fuels gender-based violence, school dropouts and maternal deaths.
That is why disarmament is a women’s issue. It is a development issue.
We join the UN’s call for a new agenda for disarmament to save humanity, save lives and secure our common future, and we reaffirm:
Silence the guns in Africa
Stop illicit arms flows into our communities
Include women in all peace and security negotiations in line with UNSCR 1325
Invest in people, not weapons
A disarmed world is a safer world for women. A safer world for women is a safer world for all.
Happy Disarmament Week!
#SilenceTheGuns #WomenPeaceSecurity #WAELEAFRICA
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