epg1





		WASHINGTON COMMUNIQUE OF THE EMINENT PERSONS GROUP [EPG] ON CURBING ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN ALL ITS ASPECTS May 4th, 2000 The members of the EPG, an independent international commission, meeting in their personal capacity under the co-chairmanship of Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare, the President of Mali, and Mr. Michel Rocard, the former Prime Minister of France, met in Washington, May 2-4, 2000. Recognizing the mounting death toll from excessive accumulations of small arms and light weapons (SALW) as one of the great contemporary humanitarian and arms control challenges while the international trade remains largely unregulated, they sought to advance elements of a comprehensive Plan of Action for the 2001 UN conference on small arms trafficking in all its aspects. Effectively addressing the excessive accumulation of small arms and light weapons and their uncontrolled proliferation by confronting the challenge head on requires a global coalition. The international community suffers from a “culture of violence” and a “security malaise.” Suppliers and victims are worldwide. Rogue and criminal elements and those who stand to profit politically or economically have participated in this carnage of evil. With small arms the weapon of choice and innocent civilians the victims in today’s wars, concrete and realistic steps in curtailing the excessive production of weapons and proliferation of small arms are imperative. Such a clear and present danger to people in countries the world over must be met by urgent, practical and comprehensive action. To this end, and with the UN conference in mind, the Eminent Persons Group, with its global scope and reach, seeks to increase transparency, accountability and common standards in relation to the production and transfer of small arms and light weapons. Given that some small arms are part of the ordering of society under the rule of law and that some can be acquired and exported for legitimate defensive purposes, the EPG is clear that it is not appropriate to seek a ban, such as is sought and achieved in the global campaign to ban landmines. Agreeing with the UN Secretary-General’s assessment that “the task of effective proliferation control is made far harder than it needs to be because of irresponsible behavior on the part of some States and lack of capacity by others, together with the shroud of secrecy that veils much of the arms trade,” the EPG calls for a cooperative regulatory approach to focus on all aspects of small arms transfers, governmental as well as commercial, licit as well as illicit. The EPG calls for these weapons to be brought back into the control of the State and for the State itself being made accountable for its deeds. This essentially means empowering the state at one level, and using all tools available to induce more responsible behavior on its part, at another. The two approaches must be mutually reinforcing. The Eminent Persons Group welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s Millennium Report and strongly supports his visionary leadership on small arms. Highly supportive of the Secretary-General’s call for the control of the proliferation of illicit weapons “as a necessary first step towards the non-proliferation of small arms”, the Eminent Persons Group views its efforts as complementary to and supportive of Mr. Annan’s resolute efforts to make meaningful progress in the near term in bringing small arms and light weapons under effective control. Towards that end, the EPG will continue to assist and advise on how best to ensure that the outcome of the 2001 UN conference is a comprehensive Plan of Action. The EPG seeks to build on the forward momentum of the Secretary-General’s proposals and to further explore their elaboration with UN member States, the UN Secretariat, international organizations, and interested NGOs. The excessive and destabilizing accumulation and uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons constitute a serious threat to international security and to economic and social development. At the same time, lack of security, real or perceived, aggressive ethnic nationalism, and unmet economic needs combined with inadequate government regulation are root causes of proliferation. The devastating impact of uncontrolled small arms proliferation on the international community is increasing while the capacity of many states to address the problem is declining and while some of those able to do so continue to fail to act. Cooperative arms regulation and disarmament must address the interrelated aspects of security and development and this approach should be integrated into national programs as well as into international cooperation efforts. The dual challenge of peace and prosperity necessitates a comprehensive approach to (a) excessive small arms production and proliferation, (b) collective security, and (c) economic-scientific cooperation. Such a triad, however, is in turn predicated on evolving North-South partnerships, rather than unilateral action taken through national export controls alone. In particular, the political and social causes of war and problems of the aftermath of war have to be clearly understood. The EPG’s cooperative regulatory approach aims to promote a small arms control regime (SACR), broad in scope and global in reach. SACR should rest on at least two pillars: On the preventive side, such a regime should consist of (1) a Small Arms Register, (2) strengthened national controls, including import and export regulation, and (3) an international code of conduct. On the reduction side, SACR should consist of weapons collection programs, reconstruction programs and conflict prevention strategies. Universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory, the small arms control regime would comprehend efforts encompassing a variety of dimensions: crime prevention, arms control, firearms regulation, human rights, development, and gun safety. It should, therefore, not be viewed as detracting from or interfering with ongoing, local, national, regional, or international efforts, such as the UN Firearms Protocol. Rather, the control regime can be said to provide a set of complementary common standards around which these efforts can be harnessed. One logical component of a small arms control regime would be a transparency measure, such as the inclusion of small arms and light weapons in the UN Register on Conventional Arms or the creation of a separate UN Register for Small Arms and Light Weapons. As an immediate, practical step towards an official register, one could usefully be set up on a private basis by competent NGOs. The EPG will be starting consultations to this end with charitable foundations and NGOs. National legislation on the manufacture, possession, use, trade, transport and circulation of small arms must be revised and reinforced. National export controls must be set and concrete and practical measures supporting their implementation developed. Governments should be encouraged to exercise unilateral restraint particularly in relation to the transfer of “surplus” weapons. The EPG welcomes the establishment of the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts to produce a study on the “Feasibility of Restricting the Manufacture and Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons to the Manufacturers and Dealers Authorized by States, which will cover the Brokering Activities Particularly Illicit Activities, Relating to Small Arms and Light Weapons, Including Transportation Agents and Financial Transactions.” The EPG looks forward to working with the Expert Group as well as to the expert technical advice that the completed study will provide which can then be brought to bear on this important set of issues. An international code of conduct must promote national and multilateral responsibility, restraint, control and transparency. The code must cover the legal manufacture, transit and transfer of small arms and light weapons. We would hope to build on existing important international efforts such as the European Union as well as the Arias Nobel Laureate Codes of Conduct. Adopted in Washington on the 4th day of May, 2000 by the EPG. Co-chair Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare Co-chair Mr. Michel Rocard Co-chair for the Washington Convocation Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao Celso Amorim Jonathan Dean Mitsuro Donowaki Rolf Ekeus William Eteki Nabil Fahmy Diane Feinstein Thomas Graham Imran Khan Andrey Kozyrev Peggy Mason Robert S. McNamara Sola Ogunbanwo David Owen Mohamed Sahnoun Salim Ahmed Salim Eduard Shevardnadze