A/RES/53/77 Page 29 Also expressing its appreciation for the report of the Secretary-General of 13 April 1998 on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa,8 and in this context takes note of the ongoing consideration by the Security Council of the issue of illicit arms flows to and in Africa, Welcoming the initiatives by States members of the Economic Community of West African States to conclude their agreement on a moratorium on the importing, exporting and manufacture of light weapons, Welcoming also the entry into force of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials,51 Welcoming further the decision on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons taken by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its sixty-eighth ordinary session, held at Ouagadougou from 4 to 7 June 1998,9 Welcoming the adoption of the European Union programme for preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms and the initiatives undertaken in its implementation, Stressing the importance of ongoing efforts to elaborate an international convention against transnational organized crime, including a protocol to combat the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition, in the framework of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Welcoming the announcement of the Secretary-General on 14 August 1998 designating the Department for Disarmament Affairs as the focal point to coordinate all action on small arms within the United Nations system, Underlining the importance of increased cooperation and coordination both among the relevant intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations, and within the Secretariat, in particular with regard to the activities of the Centre for International Crime Prevention, the Department for Disarmament Affairs and the mechanism for Coordinating Action on Small Arms in ongoing initiatives related to illicit trafficking in small arms, Recognizing the human suffering caused by illicit trafficking in small arms and that Governments bear the responsibility to intensify their efforts by developing an understanding of the issues and practical ways of addressing the problem, Bearing in mind the interface between violence, criminality, drug trafficking, terrorism and illicit trafficking in small arms, 1. Requests the Secretary-General to hold broad-based consultations, within available financial resources and with any other assistance provided by Member States in a position to do so, taking into 51 A/53/78, annex. /...