8. We call upon ECOWAS Member States to support the development and adoption of a Protocol on the Right to Nationality to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. 9. We call upon ECOWAS Member States to set up a Committee at the ECOWAS level to develop common standards to guide the national legislative reforms and monitor the progress of implementation of the standards. 10. We invite ECOWAS to revise its 1982 Protocol on Citizenship so as to incorporate the right to a nationality; to define ECOWAS’ role in ensuring access to citizenship; to guarantee others rights enshrined in Community law, including the right to non-discrimination, democratic participation and due process of law; and finally to provide a common understanding of the rights of nationals of West African states as ECOWAS citizens. 11. We are aware that certain borders inherited from colonization remain contentious. People living at the borders are affected by this situation and are often not clearly recognized as nationals of neighboring countries, and thus do not have access to the administrative services of the concerned States. It is recommended that a tripartite commission be established, consisting of representatives from ECOWAS and the concerned States, whose mission is to determine the identity and nationality of the affected populations. At the State level, it is recommended that an agency responsible for border management be established to handle both delineation-related issues and nationality issues of persons residing in contentious areas. 12. It is necessary that any territorial dispute brought before the International Court of Justice or any other judicial or arbitral body lead to a settlement on the nationality of the concerned persons. It is recommended that States systematically raise this issue before the judicial or arbitral body in charge of resolving territorial disputes, or, as an alternative, reach an agreement once the decision of this given instance is made. It is also recommended that ECOWAS ensure compliance with this rule. 13. In the event of State succession, it is important that States grant the population residing in the affected territories the right to choose nationality. If this right is not exercised within a set timeframe, we recommend that the concerned individuals are recognized automatically as holding the nationality of the country on whose territory they have established their residence if they would otherwise be stateless. We recommend that ECOWAS enshrine this rule in Community law. 4