Watch SRSG Zerrougui’s statement: http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/video/

Read the statement: 

Monsieur le Ministre, Mr. President, Excellencies,

I would like to begin by thanking the United Kingdom presidency of the Council and the Luxembourg chairmanship of the Security Council Working Group for holding this important debate on Children and Armed Conflict.

You have before you the 12^th annual report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict. The report reflects developments from January to December 2012, and relevant updates. Although the reporting period has seen marked progress, especially in relation to dialogue with parties to conflict and action plans, disturbing new trends and concerns for children have also arisen.

As new conflicts emerged or deepened in the course of the past 18 months, children continued to pay a heavy toll, perhaps the heaviest. The evolving nature and tactics of armed conflict have created unprecedented threats for children. The absence of clear frontlines and identifiable opponents and the increasing use of terror tactics have made children more vulnerable. I would also like to highlight that, as in previous years, non-State armed groups constitute the vast majority of listed parties. They account for 46 of the 55 perpetrators listed in the annexes. In addition, I would like to highlight that half of the parties listed are so-called ‘persistent perpetrators’, meaning that they have been on the list for five years or more. I welcome the efforts of the Security Council Working Group to devise innovative ways to address this issue and I look forward to the outcome of these discussions.

Excellencies,

In Mali, which was included in the report for the first time, children were recruited by all armed groups active in the North. We also received information that boys and girls were associated with pro-Government militias to perform various tasks, including participating in combat. As the country is transitioning towards stabilization, it is crucial to ensure that no children are integrated in the regular armed forces or forgotten in the reintegration process and that measures to prevent the recruitment of children be put in place. On the other hand, we continue to receive worrying information on children being detained by the Malian security forces for alleged association with armed groups; as well as children hiding in their communities in fear of being arrested for association with armed groups. I call upon the Malian authorities to treat these children in line with international standards. In addition, accountability for all other violations committed in Mali, such as attacks on schools and hospitals, killing and maiming of children and sexual violence, needs to be sought as a matter of priority. The international community has an important role to play to assist the Malian authorities in this crucial endeavor. I also wish to call upon all stakeholders to ensure that in the context of ongoing peace talks in Ouagadougou, the needs and best interest of children are adequately taken into account.

The conflict in the Central African Republic has also had a disproportionate impact on children. In a country where children have been deprived of a normal life for so many years, it is particularly alarming to see that two thirds of the children separated from armed groups in 2012 were re-recruited by the Séléka coalition in the beginning of 2013.

Many children were killed and injured during the clashes in Bangui in April 2013. Children continue to be affected by the ongoing insecurity and the lack of humanitarian access. Over two million children in the Central African Republic lack basic services, and hundreds of thousands lack access to education. These children have suffered from repeated violations for too long, and it is now time to consider what further action, including targeted measures, should be taken against perpetrators to enhance protection and justice for children. I also call upon all relevant stakeholders to ensure that child protection remains central to ongoing discussions around the implementation of the Libreville agreement in the Central African Republic.

It has been two years since the beginning of the conflict in Syria and yet we are no closer to saving the lives of children. As the conflict rages on, it affects me deeply that grave violations against children continue to be committed on such a massive scale.

Since my last briefing to this Council on the children in Syria, scores of them have been killed, injured, maimed, detained, tortured, recruited and forced to witness or to commit atrocities. If not for these children, then for whom will this Council act?

It is my intention to visit Syria and the region in the coming days to assess first-hand the consequences of the conflict on children. I will also reiterate my call to all parties to the conflict to take all possible measures to ensure that children are protected in the course of military operations, and to abide by international law. I look forward to briefing Council members upon my return on my findings.

Excellencies,

As I mentioned earlier, new areas of concern for children have emerged and need to be addressed as a priority, including military use of schools, detention of children for alleged association with armed groups and the impact of drones on children. I encourage Council members and all relevant concerned Governments to carefully consider the recommendations put forward by the Secretary-General in this regard.

The report also highlights progress that has been made with regard to the protection of children in conflict in the past 18 months. Though we have made progress with a number of non-State armed groups, this year has brought remarkable success with concerned Governments. I very much doubt this would have been possible without the support of the Council. These Governments have accepted the framework that has been put in place by resolutions of this Council and have engaged with the UN on measures to enhance child protection in conflict. One indicator is the growing number of inter-ministerial committees established by Governments concerned to work with the UN on children affected by conflicts.

Another indicator is the development of legislation that criminalizes violations against children, as well as regulations and guidelines. In this regard, I welcome the efforts of the Governments of Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Philippines, who have made notable progress during the reporting period. In the same vein, I would also like to commend those Governments who have ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict since the last report of the Secretary-General in April 2012. These are most welcome steps towards universal ratification as intended by the “Zero under Eighteen” campaign.

Additionally, there has been progress with regard to the engagement of regional organizations on the issue of children and armed conflict during the reporting period. NATO has adopted child protection guidelines, including training materials prepared with the UN for constituent troops and partners.

Cooperation with the African Union is also ongoing, and my Office recently obtained a preliminary agreement to secure child protection expertise within the Peace and Security Department. I also look forward to further strengthening our cooperation in mainstreaming child protection within the African Union and its regional peacekeeping activities, such as in Somalia or in the context of actions against the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Excellencies,

In 2004, the Council unanimously requested all parties listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General to enter into dialogue with the United Nations to prepare and implement action plans as a unique tool to put an end to violations against children. In 2012 alone, four action plans to end the recruitment and use of children were signed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia and South Sudan. In addition, in line with Resolution 1882, an action plan on killing and maiming of children was also signed with the Government of Somalia, and provisions on sexual violence against children were included in the action plan signed with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I would also like to inform the Council that the Government of Chad has redoubled its efforts towards full compliance with the action plan signed in 2011.

It is worth noting that all these action plans were signed with Governments to put an end to violations committed by their armed forces. This allows the UN to support these Governments in identifying, releasing and reintegrating children present in their ranks; but also to support them in building their capacities, enact more adequate legislation and prevent further violations.

Thanks to the Council’s efforts, we have reached a seminal moment in the history of this mandate. I am happy to announce today that all armed forces listed in the annexes for recruitment and use of children have entered into an action plan process: six have already signed an action plan, and the remaining two are in the final stages of negotiation. One of the key objectives of this mandate, the end of recruitment and use of children by armed forces, is finally within reach.

In this regard, my Office, with the support of the Secretary-General, will be launching a campaign that aims at ending children’s association with State armed forces in armed conflict by 2016. The objective of this campaign is to galvanize efforts of concerned Governments, interested Member-states, and the UN system to turn the page on recruitment and use of children by Government armed forces in armed conflict in the next three years. This is an unprecedented initiative, and indeed an ambitious one, which therefore needs our unrestricted attention. UNICEF and the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have already agreed to join the Campaign. In the coming weeks, I will reach out to other UN partners. I count on Council members to also support these efforts.

Before closing, I would also like to stress that this Office has received, and continues to receive, enormous support from its partners since the creation of the mandate. Allow me to commend here the invaluable contribution of our trusted operational partners, including those here today.

From the very beginning the Council requested that child protection expertise be included in peacekeeping missions to mainstream the issue of children and armed conflict. Since then, as Mr. Ladsous mentioned, over a hundred child protection advisors have been deployed to carry on this agenda in peacekeeping contexts. In light of the immense protection concerns affecting children in conflict, the deployment of child protection advisors must not only continue, but also grow. In this regard, I call upon Council members to ensure that provisions for the timely and adequate deployment of child protection advisors are included in all relevant UN peacekeeping, peacebuilding and political missions.

The role of UNICEF cannot be highlighted enough. The organization’s efforts continue to bring life to this agenda in the field. Their work in ensuring that children formerly associated with armed forces and groups are reintegrated and rehabilitated is also critical. I will continue to advocate to ensure that UNICEF, and other partners, are provided with the support necessary to carry out these tasks.

Monsieur le Ministre, Mr. President, Excellencies,

I began my statement today by stressing that notable progress has been achieved. However, we must not be complacent. Time has come to reflect on what works. Dialogue with non-State parties, engagement with concerned Governments, focus on capacity building and the strong commitment of the Council have yielded significant results for children.

Allow me to conclude with an appeal. This agenda has advanced because the Council took a firm stand eight years ago with Resolution 1612 and expressed its willingness to take all necessary measures to ensure that children will be protected, in all contexts, from the consequences of war. Children in armed conflict need to know that the Council listens and that all victims will receive the necessary protection. Perpetrators also need to receive the strongest signal from the Council that their crimes will not go unpunished and that impunity will end. I call upon this Council to continue to unite in this endeavour.

Thank you.

Download the Report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council
(A/67/845–S/2013/245) issued on 15 May 2013.
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• New Listings
• List of Persistent Perpetrators
• De-Listed Parties

Ms. Zerrougui travelled to Chad from 12 to 14 May at the invitation of the Government. During her trip, she met President Idriss Déby Itno who renewed his commitment to work towards an army free of child soldiers.

“I am encouraged by the President’s commitment and looking forward to seeing real progress before the end of the year,” said the Special Representative.

The Chadian National Army has been listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General Report since 2009 and has signed an action plan with the United Nations in 2011. The plan is setting a timetable for the release and reintegration of child soldiers as well as measures preventing future recruitments.

Since the signing of the action plan in 2011, Chad has not recruited children as a matter of policy but reliable mechanisms to prevent the recruitment of minors, investigate and prosecute violations against children still need to be put in place throughout the country.

While in N’djemena, Ms. Zerrougui also met with Government officials as well as United Nations partners and civil society.

During her visit she presided a workshop on the implementation of the action plan, which brought together representatives of the Government and the United Nations in an effort to agree on a road map detailing a set of short and medium term measures required to fully implement the action plan.

Chad agreed to provide full access and to begin a screening process of the national army in collaboration with the United Nations.

“This is a crucial step that requires the collaboration of the Government and all partners on the ground. Effective screening is the best way to fully verify that Chad is honoring its commitment to end the use of child soldiers,” said Leila Zerrougui.

The road map also stresses the importance of providing support for former child soldiers, including programmes to help children go back to their families and resume a normal life.

Finally, in the longer term, a free and national birth registration system needs to be further developed to facilitate age verifications and prevent the enlistment of children in the army.

“Chad has an important opportunity to bring its national laws, policies and institutions in full compliance with international standards. We must continue to do all we can to support the country by providing expertise, capacity and by sustaining UNICEF’s efforts on the ground,” concluded the Special Representative.

For additional information, contact:

Stephanie Tremblay
Communications Officer
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Office: +1 212 963 8285
Mobile: +1 917 288 5791
tremblay@un.org

Website: childrenandarmedconflict.un.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/childreninwar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/childrenandarmedconflict/

The purpose of the workshop was to review and discuss the recently updated core redeployment training and the specialized training materials prepared by DPKO and partners for use in training of peacekeepers prior to their deployment to peacekeeping operations.

Training of peacekeepers on child rights and child protection is required by Security Council resolutions on children and armed conflict. This training ensures that peacekeepers share an awareness of the concerns that affect children in conflict, and the actions that may need to be taken to address those concerns. It enables them to become credible advocates for children, enhancing the overall value of each peacekeeper’s contribution to the mission. The Training modules prepared by DPKO and partners also stress on the professional obligations of peacekeepers to protect children, and their accountability to meet these obligations.

During the three day validation workshop member states had the opportunity to review the content of the training including exercises, role plays and scenarios and made valuable recommendations for improving the content and messaging to the military peacekeeping audience. The military peacekeepers from field missions in Cote D’Ivoire, MONUSCO, UNAMID and UNMISS shared their practical experiences in responding to child protection issues in the field. Based on the presentations, the participants recommended that DPKO collect and integrate good examples of child protection interventions by peacekeepers in peacekeeping operations into the training modules.

Speaking at the end of the workshop, Lt Colonel Darleen Young an instructor at the Australian Defence Force Peace Ops Training Centre welcomed the development of the training module. “Local communities have high expectations of the military. It is important that they understand the specific needs of children and how to respond to them. The diverse representation at the workshop and the constructive and enthusiastic collaboration between the military and the child protection specialists has illustrated that child protection is a collaborative effort”.

The next step in the training project will be the regional piloting of the training materials in Latin America, Asia and Africa later this year.

Devastating effects on civilians, especially children

Tens of thousands of civilians are killed and injured every year by explosive weapons such as mortars, rockets, artillery shells, air-dropped bombs, improvised explosive devices used both by armed forces and groups.

These weapons are a particular threat to civilians in the context of contemporary warfare, where hostilities are taking place in densely populated areas such as urban centers, blurring the lines between civilians and combatants.

“What makes these weapons a concern is their indiscriminate nature where they have a devastating wide-area effect in populated areas, on civilians and infrastructure,” Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, OCHA Chief of the Policy Development and Studies Branch said.

Children are disproportionately affected by explosive weapons and often suffer from complex injuries and long-term psychological trauma as a result of explosive attacks.

How to limit the impact

In a joint effort to promote greater understanding and to respond to the issue, the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict in collaboration with UNICEF, OCHA and the mission of Norway organized a panel discussion on “The Impact of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas” in New York.

During the discussions, civilian and military protection experts shared their experience in addressing the issue and put forward policy recommendations to reduce and prevent human suffering caused by explosive weapons.

“We need more information, better data collection, and we need to analyze the impact more clearly of the use of explosive weapons on children,” the Permanent Representative of Norway, H.E. Mr. Pedersen said.

State and non-State actors should refrain from the use of explosive weapons that have wide-area effects in populated areas and ensure that operations are conducted in compliance with international humanitarian law principles of proportionality, distinction and precaution.

Connected via VTC from Nairobi, Deputy Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Major General Karanja informed the audience that military training and stricter rules of engagement of his troops, among other measures, have mitigated civilian casualties.

“We are becoming increasingly aware of the heavy toll explosive weapons and the engagement of the United Nations as a whole is required to protect civilians, and particularly children, from their effects,” Naomi Miyashita, Programme Officer of the Office for Children and Armed Conflict said.

All United Nations staff members have a role to play in addressing the negative impact of explosive weapons through advocacy and monitoring activities as well as through programme response to victims and survivors.

For more information, please read the advocacy paper: The Impact of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.

“The events in the Al-Yarmouk camp in Damascus on Sunday, which resulted in the killing and injuring of Palestinian children, is just one example of the horrors that children continue to face each and every day in Syria,” the Special Representative said.

During her discussions with Government authorities, Ms. Zerrougui raised strong concerns regarding the on-going fighting and its impact on children, especially the use of heavy weapons and the bombardment of populated areas. She also advocated for the proactive protection of schools, and the prevention of their military use by Syrian Government forces and the opposition in the conflict.

“As a first effort to address child rights violations, I welcome the commitment made by Syrian authorities to allow the United Nations to begin independent verification of alleged violations against children in the ongoing conflict,” Ms. Zerrougui said. “This will allow for better monitoring and reporting of grave violations committed against children so we can take action directly with perpetrators to stop these violations. This is what the Security Council has mandated me and the United Nations to do on behalf of war-affected children.”

In April 2012, the Syrian Government Forces were for the first time added to the Secretary-General’s “list of shame” for the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals. The United Nations has also received reports of the Syrian armed opposition using children as spies, porters and for other purposes in their operations.

Although the current security situation did not allow the Special Representative to personally meet the armed opposition, Ms. Zerrougui contacted two armed opposition commanders to raise allegations of association of children with the opposition, and to deplore terror tactics by certain units which have taken the lives of innocent civilians, including children, over the past months. “Our eyes will stay on the opposition to see whether they are serious in the commitment made to protect girls and boys,” Ms. Zerrougui stressed.

During her visit, the Special Representative also met with internally displaced and refugee children in Damascus, the Al-Yarmouk camp and Homs who are in desperate need of protection as well as food, medicine and shelter in the winter months to come.

“The situation I witnessed in Syria is dire for children. The immediate end to the violence and an inclusive peace is the only viable option, if we are to preserve the future generation of Syria’s children.”

# # #

For further information, please contact:

Muriel Gschwend
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict
Tel: +1 347 749 52 76
e-mail: gschwend@un.org

Website: childrenandarmedconflict.un.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/childreninwar
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/childrenandarmedconflict/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/childreninwar

In Yemen to take stock of the situation of conflict-affected children, Ms. Zerrougui met with the President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Mohammed Saleh Basindwa, as well as the Military Affairs Committee for Security and Stability established by the GCC Initiative, Gen. Ali Mohsen, commander of the First Armoured Division, child victims, the Child Parliament and civil society members. Ms. Zerrougui also travelled to Sa’ada governorate, where she met with the leader of the Al Houthi armed group, Abdul Malik Badraldeen Al Houthi.

“I am heartened by the pledge from President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and others in Government to end the recruitment and use of children by Government forces. The re-structuring of the security forces envisioned during the transition period offers a unique opportunity to end grave violations against children and to professionalise the security force,” said Ms. Zerrougui. “The President’s public instruction to all security forces not to recruit children under 18 is a very positive first step,” she added.

Four parties in Yemen are listed in the Secretary-General’s ‘list of shame’ for recruitment and use of children: the Yemeni armed forces; Ali Mohsen’s First Armoured Division; pro-Government tribal militia and the Al Houthi armed group.

The Government’s commitment paves the way for the development of an action plan to address prevention, separation, and the reintegration of children, in line with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005).

In Sa’ada today, Ms. Zerrougui also held a positive meeting with Abdul Malik Badraldeen Al Houthi, who also pledged to work towards the reintegration of children.

While in Sana’a, Ms. Zerrougui met with child victims of conflict, including Ismael and Ali (names changed), boys associated to the First Armoured Division and the police. ‘The cases of Ismael and Ali underscore the need for urgent action by the Government,’ Ms. Zerrougui stated. ‘Children must go to school, not military camps; I urge the Government to act quickly with the United Nations’ support in separating children from the security forces, and ensuring that they are reintegrated back into civilian life’.

For his part, the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Ismael Ouldcheikhahmed stated the UN system’s readiness to work closely with the Government and other partners in implementing these commitments. An important component will be to reintegrate children and facilitate their access to education and livelihoods support. ‘Implementing existing national laws and providing access to basic services will be critical to ending children’s involvement in hostilities’, Mr. Geert Cappelaere, ‘Yemen’s future is in its children. Let’s invest in it together,’ he added.

Ms. Zerrougui also met children maimed by mines. ‘I am horrified by the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas in Yemen, which has increased dramatically this year — by five times – and have a disproportionate impact on children’. Ms. Zerrougui met with 17 year old Mohammed (name changed), who lost his left foot and suffered injuries to his arm and stomach when he stepped on a mine while playing in the street. ‘Mohammed’s life has been changed forever. He feels stigmatized at school because of his amputation, and his health is deteriorating, she noted. ‘The use of mines, improvised explosive devices, and the presence of explosive remnants of war pose a serious threat to children’s wellbeing,’ she added.

The Security Council’s resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011) on Children and Armed Conflict establish measures to end grave violations against children, through the creation of a monitoring and reporting mechanism, and the development of Action Plans to end violations by parties who have been listed in the Secretary-General’s report for the commission of such violations.

Webcast: SRSG Zerrougui Addresses the Security Council
(Statement begins at 14:00)

SC President, Peter Wittig (Germany) and SRSG Leila Zerrougui – Security Council Media Stakeout

Coverage by UN News

The action plan responds to the UN Security Council’s call in Resolution 1882 (2009) for concrete and time-bound action plans to halt and prevent the killing and maiming of children by parties listed in the Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict. The action plan commits the Somali National Armed Forces, allied militia and military groups under its control to ending the killing and maiming of children in contravention of international law. The TFG has been listed by the Secretary-General for recruitment and use of children since 2007 and for killing and maiming of children since 2010.

See also visit http://www.unpos.unmissions.org/