Activity "Have the Courage to Say No to Guns"

20.09.2024

On September 20, we organized the activity titled: “Have the Courage to Say No to Guns!”, within the project “Assisting National Authorities of the Republic of Albania to decrease the risk of weapon proliferation and misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)”, which is being implemented by the OSCE Presence in Albania with financial support from the European Union, Germany and France.

This activity was specifically created to inform participants about the serious risks associated with the misuse of small arms and light weapons. In addition to raising awareness, we want to inspire action. Together with students from Tirana high schools, we explored not only the severe consequences of firearms misuse - violence, loss of life and disruption of social harmony - but also proactive strategies for promoting peace and security within our schools, families and communities.

The Deputy Minister of Interior, Mr. Besfort Lamallari; Ms. Silda Anagnosti, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Darko Angelov, Head of the Security Cooperation Department, OSCE Presence in Albania, Ms. Zamira Gjini, Director General of Development for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ministry of Education and Sports, Chief Commissioner Roland Alushani, specialist in the Community Policing sector, Directorate of Public Order; Mr. Arjan Dyrmishi, Director of the Center for Democracy and Governance Studies, expert in the field of security, participated in the event and honoured us with their speeches.

COD - Center For Openness And Dialogue

The activity was greeted by singer Gerald Xhari - Big Basta, who has created the song "Leji Armët" (Abandon guns) for this campaign: https://youtu.be/u2EbK6dJUeE?si=VMly2AK1Kn4GnZ4p. A buckram wall was filled by the participating students with messages of peace, against violence and misuse of light and firearms.