The fight to the illegal trade of light and small-calibre weapons cannot be won by political willingness only, but by promoting "a culture of peace and life" and by asking, in doing so, for the "involvement and cooperation of civil society". This was said yesterday by the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, mgr. Celestino Migliore, in speaking in New York to the Preparatory Committee of the UN Conference for the assessment of the progress made in the development of the action plan for the prevention, fight and eradication of the illegal trade of light and small-calibre weapons in all its forms.Mgr. Migliore stressed the humanitarian aspect of the matter. "Drastically reducing the demand for light weapons he said requires not just political willingness but a more attentive research into the dynamic processes that generate conflicts, crimes and violence. This forces us to act responsibly to promote a real culture of peace and life among all members of society. So, to tackle the subject of demand, we urgently need suitable international regulations and plans, as well as educational and learning activities which should also involve civil society". According to the delegate of the Holy See, the prevention of and fight against the proliferation and trafficking of light weapons calls for "the involvement and cooperation of civil society".
