BAMAKO COMMUNIQUE OF THE EMINENT PERSONS GROUP (Small Arms) December 19th, 2000 The members of the EPG, an independent international commission, meeting in their personal capacities under the co-chairmanship of HE Mr Alpha Oumar Konare, the President of the Republic of Mali, and HE Mr Michel Rocard, the former Prime Minister of France, met in Bamako, December 18-19. The meeting was a follow-up to the Washington convocation, which had been held May 2-4, with the objective of advancing elements of a comprehensive Plan of Action for the 2001 UN conference on small arms trafficking in all its aspects. The objectives of the Bamako Convocation were (first) to underscore the significance of President Konare´s leadership to both, regional and global small arms control efforts and, within this context (secondly) programmatically, on the basis of the Consultative Document, which has been before the UN General Assembly for comment from member States, to advance a cooperative regulatory approach to small arms control, and (thirdly) operationally, on the basis of the EPG Consultative Framework to advance the building of a Coalition in support of an effective international Action Program to curtail small arms proliferation and combat illicit trafficking as well as to discern the potential strength of such a Coalition. Toward that end, members of EPG welcome the Group’s cooperative working relationship with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, OAU Secretary-General Salim Salim, and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Benita Ferrero Waldner. Members of the EPG affirmed their commitment to: 1. Advancing President Konare’s central role within global small arms control efforts. 2. Supporting Secretary-General Annan´s call for a global small arms nonproliferation regime and the call for States to be held accountable for small arms transfer. 3. Advocating the eradication of illicit small arms proliferation and trafficking by,  inter alia, curtailing the potential for diversion from the licit trade. 4. Calling for enhanced transparency and accountability in small arms transfer, harmonization and strengthening of national legislation on export and import and an international code of conduct. 5. Calling for the indelible marking of small arms, identifying country of origin, manufacturer and year of production. 6. Calling on the international community to make available the funds necessary and to establish the procedures for collection and destruction. 7. Building a Coalition of States, representing suppliers and recipients alike, in support of a goal-oriented Plan of Action for the 2001 Conference. Members of EPG are delighted to note that the UN Secretary-General supports EPG´s efforts to build such a Coalition and that he believes the Group can play an important role towards that end. 8. Throughout the two-day convocation, members of EPG expressed a sense of urgency with respect to alleviating the humanitarian toll of small arms violence on children and other vulnerable groups. Within this context, members call on UN member States to support the preparatory process for the 2001 Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the Child. There must be early agreement on barring children from being exploited as child combatants. EPG welcomes and strongly supports the efforts of HE Mr Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, and Madame Graca Machel in alleviating the suffering of innocent children. Continued