Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 5936th Meeting, 17 July 2008, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Children and Armed Conflict"]

S/PRST/2008/28View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item 187 Children and armed conflict, published in 2008.

What subjects does this mandate have?

15 subjects

Child Abuse Child Soldiers Child Welfare Children in Armed Conflicts Coordination Within UN System Disarmament Education Human Rights Monitoring Information Exchange Military Demobilization Peacekeeping Operations Reporting Procedures Rights of the Child Sexual Offences Social Integration

What’s in this document?

12 paragraphs

At the 5936th meeting of the Security Council, held on 17 July 2008, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Children and armed conflict”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reiterates its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children and its determination to ensure respect for and implementation of its resolution 1612 (2005) and all its previous resolutions on children and armed conflict, and the Statements of its President on 24 July 2006 (S/PRST/2006/33), 28 November 2006 (S/PRST/2006/48), and 12 February 2008 (S/PRST/2008/6), which provide a comprehensive framework for addressing the protection of children affected by armed conflict, as well as the provisions on children contained in other resolutions, including resolutions 1325 (2000), 1674 (2006) and 1820 (2008).

“The Security Council reiterates its strong and equal condemnation of the continuing recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of applicable international law, killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access to children and attacks against schools and hospitals by parties to armed conflict, while acknowledging that the implementation of its resolution 1612 (2005) has already generated progress, resulting in the release and reintegration of children in their families and communities, through, inter alia, a more systematic dialogue between the United Nations country task forces and parties to the armed conflict on the implementation of time-bound action plans.

“The Security Council reaffirms the need for States Parties to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, for armed groups distinct from the State to refrain from recruiting or using children in hostilities, and urges states that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or acceding to those instruments.

“The Security Council welcomes the ongoing implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict, in particular the efforts that have made possible the implementation of the mechanism in all situations listed in the annexes to the latest Secretary-General’s report (S/2007/757), and invites the Secretary-General, where applicable, to bring the mechanism to its full efficiency, in accordance with resolution 1612 (2005).

“The Security Council welcomes the sustained activity of its Working Group on children and armed conflict, as outlined inter alia in the latest report by its Chair (S/2008/455, annex), and as the monitoring and reporting mechanism is being implemented in a growing number of situations of armed conflict, requests the Secretary General to provide additional administrative support in order for the Working Group to continue to fully carry out its mandate in an effective manner.

“The Security Council invites its Working Group on children and armed conflict to continue adopting conclusions providing clear guidance to the parties to armed conflict and relevant international actors on the concrete steps that need to be taken in order to respect their obligations under international law, in particular Security Council resolutions on children and armed conflict, and proposing effective recommendations based on timely, objective, accurate and reliable information, to the Council with a view to promoting the protection of children affected by armed conflict, including through appropriate mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations and political missions. The Security Council welcomes the efforts by its Working Group to improve its working methods and encourages it to continue to do so with a view to further improving its transparency and efficiency.

“The Security Council commends the work carried out by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, and underlines the importance of her country visits in facilitating better coordination among United Nations partners at the field level, promoting collaboration between the United Nations and governments, enhancing dialogue with parties to conflicts in implementing applicable international law, including their obligations under Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), and thereby securing concrete child protection commitments.

“The Security Council also commends the work carried out by UNICEF, as well as other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, within their respective mandates, the child protection advisers of peacekeeping operations and political missions in cooperation with national Governments and relevant civil society actors, in enhancing the activities of the United Nations Country Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting and promoting child protection at the field level, including through implementation of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and following-up on the relevant conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on children and armed conflict.

“The Security Council recognizes the important role of education in armed conflict areas as a means to achieve the goal of halting and preventing recruitment and re-recruitment of children and calls upon all parties concerned to continue to ensure that all children associated with armed forces and groups, as well as issues related to children, are systematically included in every disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process with a particular emphasis on education.

“The Security Council reiterates the need for stronger focus by all parties concerned, including Governments and the donor community, on the long-term effects of armed conflict on children and the impediments to their full rehabilitation and reintegration into their families and communities, through, inter alia, addressing the need for providing appropriate health care, enhancing their exchange of information about programmes and best practices, and ensuring the availability of adequate resources, funding and technical assistance to support national strategies or action plans in the area of child protection and welfare, and community-based programmes, bearing in mind the ‘Paris principles to protect children from unlawful recruitment by armed forces or groups’, with a view to ensuring the long-term sustainability and success of their programmatic response to the release, rehabilitation and reintegration of all children associated with armed forces and armed groups.

“The Security Council looks forward to the next report of the Secretary General on children and armed conflict, and reiterates its readiness to continue to review the relevant provisions of its resolutions on children and armed conflict, building on the provisions of resolution 1612 (2005), with a view to further enhancing the comprehensive framework of the protection of children in armed conflict.”

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