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consultations and campaigns for peace and democracy in Guinea. ECOWAS parliamentariansand civil society organizations engaged in discussions that produced recommendations which inturn influenced the Ouagadougou Joint Declaration that set out the road map for peace and thereturn to constitutional order in Guinea.At the national level, WANEP engaged in a peace-building process with the Parliament ofGhana to help resolve the inter-communal conflict taking place in Bawku (area of the UpperEast Region). The financial support of the Parliament to the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee in theMunicipality and presence of Ghanaian parliamentarians facilitated dialogue between theleaders of the community who, as a result, committed themselves to promoting reconciliationand ending the violence and impunity that has torn their community.60. To conclude, Mr. Bombande emphasized the urgency of prioritizing conflict prevention in the sameway as economic development and integration. He added that West Africa needs to enhance itsown capacities at various levels to provide efficient responses to protracted conflicts rather thanrelegate these responsibilities to external actors. According to him, even when there is a need forexternal support, it cannot replace local and national expertise and leadership. Therefore,parliaments have a duty to provide the framework and the resources for such national capacities (hecited as an example the Ghana Architecture for Peace and the ECOWAS Conflict PreventionFramework).West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA)61. In his introduction, Mr. Baffour Amoa, President of the West African Action Network on Small Arms(WAANSA) - explained WAANSA’s role in conflict prevention in West Africa by:a) Serving as a forum for the exchange of information, experiences and strategies in combating theproliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW);b) Working for the reduction of the causes of the demand and the negative impact of SALW inWest Africa;c) Being a rallying force/point for all those who work in the area of small arms.62. He then detailed WAANSA’s work both at the regional and national levels.At the regional level, WAANSA acts as a strategic partner of the ECOWAS Parliament Peace andSecurity Commission and manages all the funds of the ECOWAS Small Arms Control Programme(ECOSAP). WAANSA contributed to: the drafting of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW; theratification of the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms (WAANSA delegates visited ECOWASmember states and carried out lobbying and campaigning activities); the promotion of an ArmsTrade Treaty; the setting up of Parliamentary Networks on Small Arms and Light Weapons.At the national level, WAANSA’s efforts focus on ensuring the effective implementation of theECOWAS Convention on SALW. WAANSA recently started to work with national parliaments tohelp them set up parliamentary networks on small arms and light weapons in collaboration withthe Parliamentary Forum. WAANSA has successfully achieved this in Burkina Faso and SierraLeone so far.27