As part of the Geneva Peace Forum 2026, UNIDIR brings together experts from West Africa, Western Europe, Ukraine and the Caribbean to showcase practical evidence of how small arms control and violence prevention can effectively converge and help bridge policy and grassroots reality.
In the currently fragmented and complex security environment, securitized approaches to armed violence and arms control, focused on curtailing illicit weapons supply, risk falling short of preventing violence durably. The choice to pursue sustainable peace requires moving towards preventive responses that also tackle the underlying drivers of demand for weapons and of engagement in armed violence. In the Pact for the Future, States recognized the need for such a shift.
Integrating small arms control within multisectoral and preventive public health approaches, armed violence reduction strategies and community engagement initiatives can offer more sustainable pathways to peace. Doing so helps combine and coordinate law enforcement interventions and arms control with community safety, reintegration and other efforts to tackle the drivers of violence. It also fosters inclusive engagement with young people, social services and digital platforms, with a view to addressing radicalization.
Through interactive dialogue between practitioners and policymakers, the panel promotes cross-regional learning, demonstrating that choosing peace is not merely a high-level commitment but also an operational necessity.
Agenda
11:00 – 11:05 | Opening remarks
- Dr Adam Bonaa, Executive Secretary, National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ghana
- Dagmar Schmidt Tartagli, Deputy Head, Peace and Human Rights Division, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland
11:05 – 11:50 | Panel discussion
Speakers
- Viktoriia Voronina, Executive Director, Center for Security Studies “CENSS”, Ukraine
- Nils Duquet, Director, Flemish Peace Institute
- Dr Nicolas Florquin, Head of Data and Analytics, Small Arms Survey
- Nakmak Douti, Senior Expert, Security Sector Governance, Togo
- Callixtus Joseph, Assistant Director, Policy, Strategy and Innovation, CARICOM IMPACS
- Anselme Nahmtante Yabouri, Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa
Moderator
- Ursign Hofmann, Senior Researcher, UNIDIR
11:50 – 12:25 | Q and A
12:25 – 12:30 | Closing remarks
- Katrien De Pauw, General Representative of the Delegation of Flanders, Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva
When and where
Wednesday, 14 October 2026 | 11:00–12:30 CEST | In person (Plenary B, CICG, Rue de Varembé 17, 1211 Geneva) and online
Check your local time here.
Participants
The event is open to anyone.
RSVP
For online or in-person participation, please register through the Geneva Peace Forum 2026 registration page.
In partnership with
