Musician playing an "escopetarra," a guitar made from an AK-47
A performance by Almaparlantes, a musical group from Colombia. The musician (left) is playing an "escopetarra," a guitar made from an AK-47. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Events

Announcement of the winners of the #75WordsForDisarmament youth challenge

A special event to announce the winning entries of the #75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge is being planned to take place on Monday 26 October. Launched on International Youth Day 2020 to mark the 1st anniversary of the #Youth4Disarmament initiative, the “UN #75 Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge” invited young people around the world to express what disarmament means to them and their communities in 75 words. The challenge provided an opportunity for young people between the ages of 13 to 29 to think about disarmament not as an abstract concept but as a practical means to help prevent armed conflict and promote peace and security.

Submissions were welcomed in the following three age groups: 13-18 years (middle and high school), 19-24 years (college and graduate school) and 25-29 years (early career professionals). The five winners from each group will be invited to read their entries in self-recorded videos that will be featured on and widely disseminated and shared through the Office for Disarmament Affairs’ websites including the new dedicated digital platform for youth engagement and social media during the Disarmament Week.

Virtual book launch of “Navigating Disarmament Education: The Peace Boat Model, Civil Society and Disarmament 2020”

“Navigating Disarmament Education: The Peace Boat Model, Civil Society and Disarmament 2020” will be launched virtually during Disarmament Week, exploring the various challenges and possibilities of disarmament education.

With 37 years of experience in coordinating people-to-people exchange via voyages on a passenger ship, Peace Boat has implemented various disarmament education programmes over the past decades. As a steering group member organization of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Peace Boat has been particularly active in engaging hibakusha -- atomic-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Together with hibakusha, Peace Boat has worked with youth from all backgrounds to think about why disarmament is important and how it works.