o African Common Stand on the Review Process of the United Nations' Action Programme on Small arms and light weapons, January 2006; o Convention on Small arms and light weapons, Ammunitions and other Related Materials, 14 June, 2006; o Framework of Conflict Prevention, 18 January, 2008. 6.3. Approach towards setting up Democratic Governance of the Security Sector within the ECOWAS Region On the basis of Mali's modest experience, we would be tempted to suggest that more forums be created to promote exchanges, consultation, collaboration and cooperation drives, in the area of democratic governance of the security sector. In particular, it would be advisable that West African political and military leaders be made to understand that security has lost the status of« no go area», but it has, instead, become an open sector, relatively speaking. As such, it should be considered as a national concern. In this vein, each ECOWAS Member State would be requested to: · Organise a democratic debate on the issue, according to formula deemed the most appropriate(conventions, national forum, national dialogues, national conferences, colloquuii, symposiums, round tables, etc.). The purpose of such an organisational structure or body would be to: Seek ways and means of Integrating the security sector in the democratic and global developmental process of the country by means of reform; Set up a broad-based coalition of civil society organisations to support such a reform both at the design and implementation stages; Obtain the largest possible support and active participation of the governmental authorities, general public administration, political class, private sector, civil society, local authorities, communities and partners in development. Each State could act on the basis of a coherent, interactive and 92