The Ghana Action Network on Small Arms (GHAANSA) on Sunday called on ECOWAS member-states to show commitment to peace by ratifying the sub-regional Convention 2006 on the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). "There is no surer way of demonstrating our commitment to the tenets of the Convention and the respect for human rights, and the rule of law, than ratifying it,” Mrs. Afi Yakubu, GHAANSA Coordinator told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra. She noted that one, out of the 15 member-states had so far fully fulfilled requirement for ratification of the Convention, hence the concern of the civil society organizations and actors. Mrs. Yakubu said the sub-region is on the path to a better and surer future, stressing, "it is obvious that we have embarked on a steady course, which if we continue to chart with even greater determination and commitment without wavering would lead to a peaceful democratic, development and integration." “But the uncontrolled proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in a sub-region considered volatile and suffering from political instability and violent conflict serve as a major obstacle to peace, economic development, and jeopardize efforts to rebuild war-torn societies,” she said. She explained that; the promulgation of ECOWAS Convention on SALW were additional efforts at sub-regional level to prevent and combat the excessive and destabilizing effects of the accumulation of small arms and light weapons within sub-region. The Convention seeks to mandate countries within the region; to continue the efforts for the control of small arms and light weapon; consolidate the gains of the Declaration of the Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of small arms and its Code of Conduct. Mrs. Yakubu, who is also the Executive Director of Foundation for Security Development in Africa (FOSDA) also revealed that sub-regional heads were mandated to build institutional and operational capacities of the ECOWAS Executive Secretariat. These were all efforts to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, their ammunitions and other related materials; and to promote the exchange of information and cooperation among the Member States, She said. Explaining the essence for the ratification of the convention, Mrs. Yakubu said it was the only weapon for the control of SALW in the sub-region as it mandated member states to control the manufacture of small arms and light weapons within their national territories. Each member state “shall regulate the activities of local small arms and light weapons manufacturers and shall undertake to adopt strategies and policies to the reduction and/or limitation of the manufacture of small arms and light weapons so as to control the local manufacture as well as their marketing in ECOWAS region. Mrs. Yakubu, who lead a team of civil society activists to SALW conference in Abuja, Nigeria noted that, sub-regional civil society groupings affirmed their determination to hold ECOWAS Head of States responsible for the implementation of Article 58 of the revised ECOWAS Treaty relating to Regional Security. The Article mandated Member States to work to safeguard and consolidate relations conducive to the maintenance of peace, stability and security within the region and to establish and strengthen appropriate mechanisms for the timely prevention and resolution of conflicts. She said within the sub-regional context, a comprehensive and credible ECOWAS Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security was established in December 1999. It was to provide the framework for early warning, backed by structures to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts. Mrs. Yakubu called on politicians, civil society activists, and the media to join forces with GHAANSA and other civil society groupings to ensure that the government ratifies the Convention. Source: GNA