are fought with small arms and light weapons. They are the weapons of choice in civil wars, organized crime, gang warfare and terrorist attacks. They are easy to use, to carry, and to conceal. Illicit flows of small arms and light weapons undermine security and the rule of law, undermine economic and social development, and are often a factor behind the forced displacement of civilians and massive human rights violations. Youth have a critical role to play in getting the public at large to participate in developing new strategies to reduce the threats to international peace and security posed by these weapons. The disarmament agenda cannot be ignored. The future of humanity depends upon it. Youth have shown time and again that they are the drivers of change. We are counting on you to make your voices heard on this critical issue. To give you some important tools, we have prepared this book, Action for Disarmament: 10 Things You Can Do, which is filled with ideas and resources to help you make the public aware of why disarmament is important. I look forward to working with you to make our planet safer for us, and for generations to come!
—Ahmad Alhendawi, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
FOREWORD
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