Chapter 6Summary by the Chairman‘Unique’, ‘historic’, ‘visionary’ and ‘path-breaking’ were among the terms used by participants to describe the concept of the West African Moratorium on Small Arms, an initiative unanimously regarded as an important and concrete first step in confronting one of the world’s major humanitarian issues: the immense suffering, particularly of civilian populations, caused by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. But while it was widely recognised that effective implementation of this Moratorium could both create a powerful precedent in dealing with licit and illicit arms trade as well as serve as a model for other regions of the world, it was also generally accepted that greater financial support and considerable further work are required to ensure its successful implementation. Several additional problems will need to be addressed in order to guarantee a positive outcome for this implementation. Illicit transfers are a large and growing contributor to arms proliferation and the scourge of small arms violence can take hold and spread despite the existence of formal cease fires and peace agreements. To this end, today’s Consultation represented a constructive exchange of opinions by the main stakeholders on how to ensure the effective implementation of the Moratorium while seeking solutions to the larger concurrent problems of better controlling the illicit trade in arms, and dismantling the culture of violence that undermines post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation. There was general recognition that the changes in the parameters of international relations that have occurred over the last decade, the end of the Cold War most notably, have made international policy action, like the West African Moratorium, more achievable on the one hand, and more necessary, on the other hand. The breakdown of the bipolar system has at the same time allowed arms flows to expand exponentially. Violent opposition groups, often supplied with arms via illicit transfers, pose more and more a threat to the security of States who are losing their monopoly on the use of force. This threat has heightened the urgency of the issue among governments and inter-governmental organisations. Furthermore, the high cost to development of conflict and insecurity is now generally recognised in both developing and donor countries alike. Security is a necessary condition for stability and economic development and achieving this security requires not only a substantial reduction in the availability of weapons, but an eradication of the reflex of resorting to violence to settle disputes. It is in response to the latter that the promotion of the culture of peace was included as an integral component of the Moratorium programme. The uniqueness of the West African Moratorium lies in its design as an initiative by and for the West African region. As an endogenous regional initiative developing out of Mali’s experience in resolving its own internal conflict, it has stirred great interest and increasing support outside the region. During the conference, existing financial pledges were recalled, important new pledges of assistance were announced and potential assistance was identified by representatives of participating countries and organisations. Technical assistance was also specified, promised and pledged in several areas including legal assistance, expert help, including training and education. Several participants stressed the importance of moving forward quickly with programmes envisioned by the PCASED to deal with the immense problem in controlling the vast borders, the exit and entry points, and the transit areas where both licit and illicit transfers may take place. Control measures must be designed, customs police trained and military forces re-trained to facilitate their co-operation within the regional and even international context. The tremendous potential for co-operation between suppliers and recipients was widely discussed. The Wassenaar Arrangement, for its part, has agreed to move ahead with promoting co-operation and will take up this issue at its forthcoming meeting. Representatives of Wassenaar Member countries present promised to actively participate in the discussions on this topic within their organisation, as did others from the EU and other relevant fora, to ensure future assistance for the implementation of the Moratorium. It was also noted in the discussions that export and import control measures are an area where countries can co-operate not only in ensuring compliance, but also in facilitating the transfer of expertise in administration and legal structures. The importance of the role of civil society in making the Moratorium work was also widely cited by the participants. Civil society organisations can be of great assistance in both the promotion of the culture of peace and in keeping pressure on all the actors involved to follow through on their commitments, be they the West-African governments, the weapons supplier or financial donor countries, or intergovernmental organisations, such as the UN and the OAU. The international land mine ban is an excellent example of how like-minded governments and non-governmental organisations can move mountains if they work together. Other important issues related to the issue of small arms violence were raised during the discussions. The problem of effectively abolishing the use of child-soldiers as well as their rehabilitation was mentioned as one very important inter-linked issue as was the potential of controlling the access to ammunition as an approach to reducing violence. The greater role for international humanitarian law was also cited as an important possible instrument for raising the awareness of the consequences of arms availability. In conclusion, it was generally agreed that while affirmation of the vision of the Moratorium is certainly appreciated and pledges of support are moving forward, these are not enough. Urgent action is needed to get the implementation mechanisms of Moratorium fully functioning. These mechanisms, PCASED, the individual National Commissions for implementation in the ECOWAS countries and the ECOWAS Secretariat itself must be funded and set up rapidly. The West African Moratorium stands out as the only concrete intergovernmental humanitarian treaty of its kind promising tangible results within a specified period, three years in this case. Many participants confidently echoed the shared belief that failure is not an option. The clock is ticking, however, and we are well into the first year of the Moratorium. The ECOWAS countries must have increased resources to carry out the PCASED activities through their National Commissions and the ECOWAS Secretariat, the main facilitators of implementation. __________________ |
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Contents / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Annexes |