The Scope and Implications of a Tracing Mechanism for Small Arms ...

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5.3.2 The Bamako Declaration
The “Bamako Declaration on an African Common Position on the Illicit
Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons”
was adopted on 1 December 2000, in preparation for the UN Conference
on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Although this text served as a reference
during the Conference, with respect to traceability it contains only
recommendations to the member States:
• To put in place, where they do not exist, national coordination
Agencies as well as the appropriate institutional infrastructure
responsible notably for monitoring on all aspects of SALW proliferation,
control, circulation, trafficking and reduction (Article 3.A. i);
• At the regional level, to implement, where they do not yet exist,
mechanisms to coordinate and harmonize efforts to address the issues
of proliferation, circulation of and trafficking in small arms and light
weapons (Article 3.B.i);
• To encourage the codification and harmonization of legislation,
especially with respect to marking, registration and controls for imports,
exports and legal trade (Article 3.B.ii).
Furthermore, the African States have:
• Recognized that it was vital to improve the capacity of member States
to identify illicit weapons (Article 2.vi);
• Urged the supplier States of weapons to apply mechanisms aimed at
facilitating the identification of transfers of illicit weapons (Article 4.v);
• Requested the competent international organizations, such as Interpol,
the World Customs Organization, and the UN Regional Centre for
Peace and Disarmament in Africa, to play a more important role in the
struggle against the proliferation, circulation and trafficking of SALW
(Article 5.v).
5.3.3 The Code of Conduct for the Implementation of the ECOWAS
Moratorium
The “Moratorium on the Implementation, Exportation and
Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons in West Africa” was signed
on 31 October 1998 at Abuja by the 16 member States of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and was extended for three