Release Date: 2008-02-13
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_143371.html
In a presidential statement that wrapped up a day-long meeting today, the Security Council once again addressed continuing recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and other grave offences against children, including killing and maiming of children, sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access and attacks against schools and hospitals, stressing the need to adopt a broad strategy of conflict prevention, which would address the root causes of armed conflict, in order to enhance the protection of children on a long-term basis.
(PressZoom.com) - In a presidential statement that wrapped up a day-long meeting today, the Security Council once again addressed continuing recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and other grave offences against children, including killing and maiming of children, sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access and attacks against schools and hospitals, stressing the need to adopt a broad strategy of conflict prevention, which would address the root causes of armed conflict, in order to enhance the protection of children on a long-term basis.
Read out by its President, Samuel Lewis Navarro, Vice-President and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, the statement called for full implementation of the Council’s monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict, which should continue to provide timely, objective and reliable information on violations and abuses against children, operating in cooperation with national Governments and relevant United Nations and civil society actors. It also welcomed sustained activity of its Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and invited it to continue adopting conclusions and proposing effective recommendations for the Council’s consideration and implementation, where appropriate.
Strongly emphasizing the need to end impunity for violations and abuses against children in armed conflict, the Council welcomed the fact that several individuals had been brought to justice by national, international and “mixed” courts, but expressed its grave concern over persistent violations of its resolutions that had been identified by the monitoring mechanism, including parties to whom precise and immediate requests had been addressed. In that connection, the Council reaffirmed its intention to make use of all the tools provided in its resolution 1612 (2005).
In order to further strengthen the comprehensive framework of the protection of children in armed conflict, considering the changing nature of armed conflicts and the issues raised in the Secretary-General’s report (document S/2007/757), the Council expressed its readiness to review the relevant provisions of its resolutions on children and armed conflict, building on the provisions of resolution 1612, with a view to further increasing the efficiency of its actions.
Today’s debate was opened by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, who outlined the main areas of concern, saying that 58 offending parties had been listed in the annex to the Secretary-General’s report. In spite of impressive progress, the overall situation of children affected by conflict remained “grave and entirely unacceptable”.
“It is now time that the Security Council move from words toward effective action,” she urged. There were 16 persistent violators who had been on the lists of violators for five consecutive years. The Council had already expressed its intention to take concrete and targeted measures against those parties. It was most important to make good on its promise. Measures could include the imposition of travel restrictions on leaders and their exclusion from any governance structures and amnesty provisions; the imposition of arms embargoes; and restrictions on the flow of financial resources.
“No one who has looked into the eyes of a child soldier can be at peace unless we rid this world of this scourge,” she said, adding, “No one who has held the hand of a young girl who has suffered multiple rapes can ever forget their duty to work for the protection of the vulnerable.”
Opening statements were also made by the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ann M. Veneman, and a representative of a non-governmental organization, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict.
Overall, more than 55 speakers today elaborated on the plight of children affected by armed conflict and weighed in on the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report, in particular, those that related to the need to give equal weight to all categories of grave violations set out in resolution 1612, including gender-based violence, on the list of violations that triggered inclusion in the annexes to the Secretary-General’s report. Speakers also considered other recommendations of the Secretary-General, including that the Council continue to call on parties in armed conflicts to prepare concrete time-bound action plans to halt the recruitment and use of children.
Charles Michel, Minster for Development Cooperation of Belgium, was among the speakers who insisted that the Secretary-General’s recommendations must be rapidly implemented. He also said that the annexed lists of offenders were an important dissuasive instrument, which had given the Council a tool with which to act. The protection of children in armed conflict was not negotiable, and the Council must adopt the necessary sanctions. In the framework of monitoring, sexual violence was now only taken into account if it related to child soldiers. However, he favoured strengthening resolution 1612 and including in the annexes a list of those responsible for sexual crimes.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Slovenia’s representative welcomed the work already carried out by the monitoring and reporting mechanism, and complimented the Council’s Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict for the concrete conclusions it had adopted. The Union encouraged the Council to take appropriate and concrete measures against the parties listed in the annexes, and called on it to take appropriate account of all categories of grave violations. As a first step, the Council could expand the criteria that triggered the listing of a party to include the crime of rape and other grave sexual and gender-based violence against children.
“The tragedy of child soldiers forces us to be determined and uncompromising,” said Bernard Kouchner, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of France. His country would like to see the deterrent aspect of the Council increased. Its members must not shrink from the adoption of strong, targeted measures against non-complying parties. The Council must demand that the action plans drawn up by the belligerents integrated measures to end sexual violence -- and followed through on their implementation. The Working Group should tackle the tragedy of sexual violence against children in armed conflict independently of whether they were child soldiers or not. It should also address impunity.
Agreeing that rape and other acts of sexual violence against children should be added to those violations that triggered inclusion in the annex list, Vittorio Craxi, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy, said that a comprehensive strategy was needed, which was not limited to children’s recruitment. The International Criminal Court should continue its investigations. Italy also endorsed the Union position of adopting legal instruments to ban munitions that caused insufferable harm to civilians, including children.
While fully supporting the efforts to end unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, the United States representative said his delegation did not agree that the Council should have a general policy of referring cases to the International Criminal Court, as not all Member States were parties to the Rome Statute. He also objected to the recommendation on cluster munitions, saying that the Council’s Working Group should focus on the substantial issues already and clearly within its mandate. Discussion of cluster munitions was better left to weapons experts.
Also speaking today were several representatives of the countries that had been named in the annexes to the Secretary-General’s report, including the representative of Myanmar, who reiterated his Government’s long-held policy of zero tolerance towards the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and strongly urged objectivity and fairness in treating all situations that affected children in armed conflict. He was greatly disappointed that Myanmar’s national army, Tatmadaw (Kyi), was still listed in annex I of the report, while the remaining insurgent groups had been given undue favourable treatment.
Noting the specific reference in the Secretary-General’s report to the Philippines, that country’s representative acknowledged that there was, indeed, room for improvement in the documentation of violations of children’s rights, and efforts were under way to strengthen the coordination among the agencies involved. The Philippines had been more than willing to cooperate on the issue before the Council today, and called on the Working Group to be more transparent in its working methods. An open working environment would surely lead to enhanced cooperation and a speedier resolution of the issue.
Additional speakers in the debate were the representatives of Libya, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Kingdom, Burkina Faso, China, Viet Nam, Croatia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Panama, Iceland (on behalf of the Nordic countries), Japan, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Australia, Netherlands, Georgia, Chile, Brazil, Republic of Korea, Uruguay, Argentina, Guatemala, Israel, Canada, Austria, Nepal, Uganda, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Guinea, Iraq, Switzerland, Thailand, Afghanistan, Peru, United Republic of Tanzania, Egypt, Nicaragua, Qatar, Germany, Colombia, Liechtenstein, Bangladesh, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Rwanda, as well as the observer for Palestine.
The meeting was called to order at 10:20 a.m., suspended at 1:15 p.m., reconvened at 3:12 p.m. and adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Presidential Statement
The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2008/6 reads as follows:
“The Security Council takes note with appreciation of the seventh report of the Secretary-General (document S/2007/757) on children and armed conflict, and the positive developments, as well as outstanding challenges, in the implementation of its resolution 1612 (2005) reflected therein.
“The Security Council, reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, reaffirms its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children, its determination to ensure respect for and the implementation of its resolution 1612 (2005), and all of its previous resolutions on children and armed conflict, as well as respect for other international norms and standards for the protection of children affected by armed conflicts.
“The Security Council stresses, in this regard, the need to adopt a broad strategy of conflict prevention, which addresses the root causes of armed conflict in a comprehensive manner in order to enhance the protection of children on a long-term basis, including by promoting sustainable development, poverty eradication, national reconciliation, good governance, democracy, the rule of law and respect for and protection of human rights.
“The Security Council reiterates the primary responsibility of national Governments in providing effective protection and relief to all children affected by armed conflicts, and encourages further cooperation and coordination between Member States, the United Nations system and the international community, in a spirit of partnership.
“The Security Council reiterates the importance of the full, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel and goods, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all children affected by armed conflict, and stresses the importance for all, within the framework of humanitarian assistance, of upholding and respecting the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.
“The Security Council calls for the full implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict, as called for in paragraph 3 of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) in all situations of armed conflict listed in the annexes to of the Secretary-General’s report S/2007/757.
“In this regard, the Security Council reiterates that the mechanism should continue to collect and provide timely, objective, accurate and reliable information on violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict and to operate with the participation of and in cooperation with national Governments and relevant United Nations and civil society actors, including at the country level.
“The Security Council commends the work carried out by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, including her field activities in situations of armed conflicts.
“The Security Council also commends the work carried out by UNICEF and the child protection advisers of peacekeeping operations and political missions in cooperation with other relevant United Nations entities.
“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 (document S/2007/428), and invites it to continue adopting conclusions and proposing effective recommendations for consideration and, where appropriate, implementation by the Council including through mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations and political missions.
“The Security Council will continue to consider including or enhancing the presence of child protection advisers in the mandates of all relevant United Nations peacekeeping operations and political missions.
“The Security Council strongly emphasizes the need to end impunity for violations and abuses perpetrated against children in armed conflict, and in this regard, welcomes the fact that several individuals who are alleged to have committed such crimes have been brought to justice by national, international and “mixed” criminal courts and tribunals.
“The Security Council acknowledges 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, and in 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.
“Nonetheless, the Security Council strongly condemns 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.
“The Security Council is concerned with the widespread and systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, in particular girls, in situations of armed conflict, and calls on all parties to armed conflicts to take special measures to protect girls and boys from sexual and gender-based violence, particularly rape, in situations of armed conflict.
“The Security Council expresses its concern that civilians, particularly children, continue to account for the vast majority of victims of acts of violence committed by parties to armed conflicts, including killing and maiming as a result of deliberate targeting, indiscriminate and excessive use of force in violation of applicable international law. The Council condemns these acts and demands that those parties immediately put an end to such practices.
“The Security Council is gravely concerned by the persistent disregard of its resolutions on children and armed conflict by parties to armed conflict identified in the reports of the monitoring and reporting mechanism, including parties to whom precise, immediate and unequivocal requests have been addressed. Recalling the statement S/PRST/2006/48 made by its President on 28 November 2006, the Security Council reaffirms its intention to make use of all the tools provided in its resolution 1612 (2005).
“The Security Council reiterates its call on parties to armed conflict listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s report S/2007/757 that have not already done so to prepare and implement, without further delay, concrete time-bound action plans to halt recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law, and to address all violations and abuses against children in close cooperation with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, as well as with UNICEF and the United Nations country taskforces on monitoring and reporting.
“The Security Council expresses concern over the casualties inflicted on children in armed conflict by the indiscriminate use of landmines and cluster munitions, and in this regard, calls upon all parties to armed conflicts to desist from such practice.
“In order to further strengthen the comprehensive framework of the protection of children in armed conflict, considering the changing nature of armed conflicts and the issues raised by the Secretary-General in his report, the Security Council expresses its readiness 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 increasing the efficiency of its actions.
“The Security Council recognizes that a stronger focus is required on the reintegration and rehabilitation of children associated with armed forces and armed groups, and in this regard invites all parties concerned, including Member States, regional organizations, the Secretariat and other relevant United Nations entities, including UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, WHO, UNDP, UNHCR, OHCHR, ILO and UNESCO, international financial institutions, including the World Bank, as well as civil society, to enhance their exchange of information about programmes and best practices, bearing in mind the relevant provisions of international law, Security Council resolutions on children and armed conflict, as well as the “Paris Principles to protect children from unlawful recruitment by armed forces or groups”, and ensure that adequate resources and funding are available to support national strategies or action plans in the area of child protection and welfare, and community-based programmes, with a view to ensure 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 requests the Secretary-General to submit his next report by May 2009 on the implementation of its resolutions on children and armed conflict.”
Background
The Council had before it the report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict (document S/2007/757), which covers progress in the implementation of resolution 1612 (2005) on that topic, from October 2006 to August 2007, and includes information on compliance in ending grave violations, such as the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as well as cross-cutting issues that have arisen due to the changing nature of conflicts.
According to the report, the use of child soldiers continues in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Uganda. On the positive side, no new cases of child recruitment have been recorded during that period in Côte d’Ivoire. The parties to the conflict there have not only ceased recruitment, but have taken measures to identify and release children associated with them for rehabilitation.
The Secretary-General points to the close link between child recruitment and internal displacement, noting that the lack of security around refugee and internally displaced person camps, and the “convenient concentration of vulnerable children”, make these camps “prime recruiting grounds”. He also warns that armed groups are moving across borders to recruit children from refugee camps, especially along the Sudan-Chad border. Both Sudanese and Chadian armed groups are recruiting children from Sudanese refugee camps in eastern Chad, while Chadian refugee children are being recruited by Sudanese rebel groups in Darfur.
Among other cross-cutting issues, the report discusses targeting of children during armed conflicts for sexual and gender-based violence, including rape. Some 60 per cent of sexual and gender-based violence cases recorded in Kisangani, in the northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, involved victims between the ages of 11 and 17. In the Great Lakes region, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, the High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated appalling levels of sexual and gender-based violence. “It is imperative that perpetrators of acts of rape and other sexual violence, which leave a long-term, devastating impact on the victims, are prosecuted in accordance with the gravity of such crimes,” the Secretary-General writes.
Increasingly, children are also allegedly being detained for association with armed groups in violation of international standards, such as in Burundi, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Israel and the Philippines. While some children have been released, owing to United Nations advocacy efforts, many remain in detention. Another concern is the escalation of systematic and deliberate attacks on schoolchildren, teachers and school buildings in certain conflict situations, including Afghanistan and Iraq, which warrants increased attention and action by the global community, the Secretary-General states.
The Secretary-General urges the Security Council to consider a range of measures, including bans on military aid and travel restrictions on leaders, targeting parties to armed conflict who continue to systematically commit grave violations against children. The report recommends that the Council consider giving equal care to children affected by conflict in all situations of concern and attach equal weight to all categories of grave violations, including recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming, grave sexual violence, abductions, attacks against schools or hospitals and denial of humanitarian access to children. The Council is also encouraged to continue to call upon parties in situations of armed conflict to prepare concrete time-bound action plans to halt the recruitment and use of children and other violations, and to expand the call for action plans for all situations of concern. Adequate funding should be made available by donors to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of all children who have been associated with armed forces or armed groups.
The Secretary-General also recommends national action to bring to justice individuals responsible for grave violations against children and encourages the Council to refer violations against children in armed conflict to the International Criminal Court. In this regard, he points to “important precedents” set to end impunity for crimes against children. The Court has issued arrest warrants for five senior members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), including its leader, Joseph Kony, who faces charges on 33 counts, including the forcible enlistment and use of children in hostilities. The sentencing by the Special Court for Sierra Leone of three men and the conviction of a fourth for the recruitment and use of child soldiers sends an important message that such crimes against children “will not be tolerated and that those who engage in the practice will be brought to justice”.
Briefings
RADHIKA COOMARASWAMY, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, introduced the Secretary-General’s seventh annual report on the issue, which concerned 18 situations, recording systematically the grave violations of: killing or maiming of children; recruiting or using child soldiers; attacks against schools or hospitals; rape and other grave sexual violence against children; the abduction of children; and the denial of humanitarian access to children. Fifty-eight offending parties were listed, drawn from 13 situation of concern. All 58 parties were responsible for the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Expressing her satisfaction that the report had been the result of a United Nations system-wide collaborative effort, she stressed that the hallmark of the monitoring and reporting exercise had been a constructive dialogue with the Member States.
She said that, in the past year, much had been accomplished. The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict had met six times, with positive results. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, former Mai-Mai Commander Kyungu Mutanga had been brought to trial. Thomas Lubanga, from the same country, was also facing charges of recruiting child soldiers, and others were also being brought to trial. Increasingly, parties were implementing key commitments regarding protection of children. Among other gains, Côte d’Ivoire had seen a delisting of parties from the annexes, which was a first. Progress had also been made in the Central African Republic, Myanmar, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Chad. Colombia’s Government had accepted to implement the monitoring and reporting mechanism pursuant to Council resolution 1612 (2005).
In spite of the impressive progress, it was with regret that she reported that the overall situation of children affected by conflict remained “grave and entirely unacceptable”. The protection of children was an issue that necessitated the concerted efforts of all Member States. It was important to note that in certain situations, the inability of the United Nations monitoring and reporting regime to engage in dialogue with non-State actors had impeded progress on securing the release and rehabilitation of children associated with such groups. She urged the Council to call on relevant Member States to facilitate such dialogue.
Drawing attention to several urgent challenges requiring close examination, she said there were changing characteristics of conflict, with “grey zones” that blurred lines between armed conflict and criminal violence. Terrorism and counter-terrorism measures posed their own special problems. The use of suicide bombing was entirely unacceptable. Children had been used as suicide bombers, and many had been killed by such bombings. Counter-terrorism strategies sometimes saw the killing and maiming of children as collateral damage. Systematic and deliberate attacks on schoolchildren, teachers and school buildings had escalated. In Afghanistan, such attacks were targeted against girls’ schools. In regional conflicts, cross-border recruitment of children from internally displaced persons and refugee camps was surging.
Continuing, she said that the detention of children for alleged association with armed groups, in violation of international standards, was worrisome. The use of indiscriminate weapons, such as cluster munitions, had a severe impact on children. Sexual and gender-based violence, including rape against children, was a devastating consequence of conflict in many parts of the world. Like the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence was always a deliberate, targeted and direct consequence of criminal intent.
The recruitment and use of child soldiers had been the main concern of the Council and the gateway to the annexed lists of the annual reports, she said. However, there were five other grave violations and child victims of those grave violations and abuses deserved the attention and protection of the international community and the annexed list of parties should include all grave violations. The inclusion of grave sexual violence would represent an important step forward in the monitoring process.
“It is now time that the Security Council move from words toward effective action,” she urged. There were 16 persistent violators who had been on the annexed lists for five consecutive years. The Council had already expressed its intention to take concrete and targeted measures against those parties. It was most important that it make good on its promise, in order to ensure the credibility of that exercise. Measures could include the imposition of travel restrictions on leaders and their exclusion from any governance structures and amnesty provisions; the imposition of arms embargoes; and restrictions on the flow of financial resources.
The Security Council was playing a historical role when it dealt with the children and armed conflict theme. “No one who has looked into the eyes of a child soldier can be at peace unless we rid this world of this scourge,” she said, adding, “No one who has held the hand of a young girl who has suffered multiple rapes can ever forget their duty to work for the protection of the vulnerable.”
ANN M. VENEMAN, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said it was fitting that the Council was meeting on the sixth anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. States that had not done so should be urged to sign, ratify and fully implement that instrument. Children continued to suffer from the horrors of war, often coping with trauma, violence, and the loss of family, homes and community. Many had been killed or maimed, even long after conflict had ended. They were all too often victims of indiscriminate weapons, such as cluster munitions, and must be protected from their effects. Children also suffered from the resurgence of preventable diseases. Conflict and post-conflict countries had some of the highest rates of under-5 mortality, and conflict and strife often broke down public health services and contributed to food insecurity, displacement and continued instability. Misuse, occupation or attacks against schools were some of the worst violations against children in situations of armed conflict.
She said that UNICEF had a long history of advocating for and assisting in the release and reintegration of children used by armed forces and groups. It knew from experience that it was possible to reintegrate those children, especially when they were provided with assistance and skills to become productive members of society. Yet reintegration was a difficult and long-term process requiring patience and long-term commitment. For several years, UNICEF country offices had worked with States and non-State actors, which had recruited and used children, in order to bring an end to that abhorrent practice. The Secretary-General’s report referenced UNICEF’s engagement in the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and the Sudan. The 2007 Paris Commitments had helped reinforce international consensus on the unlawful recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. They had also reiterated measures States could take to protect and help reintegrate children involved in hostilities. States should be urged to endorse those Commitments.
There must be greater focus and attention to the issue of sexual violence against children, and abuse, rapes and sexual violence of all kinds must be halted, she urged. UNICEF welcomed the efforts of the Security Council’s Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. In a relatively short time, the monitoring and reporting mechanism had produced positive results by focusing on grave violations in the six categories of abductions, recruitment, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, killing and maiming of children, and denial of humanitarian access. More should be done to better monitor, prevent and respond to those violations. The best interest of the child should be the guiding principle of the monitoring and reporting mechanism, above all other considerations.
In conclusion, she said that young voices had been heard in a compilation of stories and recommendations from conflict zones entitled “Will You Listen”, which was launched last October as a supplement to the 10-year Graca Machel Strategic Review, and submitted to the General Assembly. Many of those children spoke of the important role they played in providing change, and of the need to act swiftly. As a young woman from Colombia said, “We are the future, and people should be aware of that. Right now, we are inheriting a very unstable world.” Ms. Veneman appealed to Council members to keep those words in mind “as we move forward with a shared sense of urgency in helping to build a better and safer world for our children”.
JO BECKER, representative of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, welcomed such achievements as the monitoring and reporting mechanism, the development of action plans to end the use of child soldiers, and efforts by the Council’s Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. “However, we are not here to celebrate,” she said. In many ways, children in armed conflict today were no better off than their peers had been years ago. Impunity for those who brutally attacked them was still the norm. Today, it was as important as ever that all the Council Members stayed focused on the purpose of their work and redouble their efforts to make real change for children.
She urged the Council to take several critical steps without delay, including strengthening the monitoring and reporting mechanism and expanding its scope; taking consistent action against perpetrators who repeatedly violated children’s rights; demanding accountability by imposing targeted measures, when warranted; and utilizing the full range of actions from the Working Group’s “toolkit”.
A recent Watchlist field-based study had found that the Council’s monitoring and reporting mechanism had made impressive strides in the quest to collect accurate, timely and objective information, she continued. It had also identified obstacles and challenges, including: the need for greater collaboration with other existing networks; stronger support for the participation of civil society groups; better efforts to protect the safety of survivors and others who provided information; and more effective responses to violations.
She explained that the Watchlist provided practical recommendations to the United Nations and partners. As recommended by the Secretary-General, she urged the Council to give equal consideration to all six grave violations against children, as any of them could trigger the application of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and the listing of a party in the annexes to the Secretary-General’s reports. As a next step, she encouraged the Council to add rape and other forms of gender-based violence as an additional trigger.
Between 2002 and 2008, 14 parties to armed conflict had been named in all five of the Secretary-General’s reports on children and armed conflict, she said. Those persistent violators included the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), also in Colombia, the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda and the Government forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar. Those violators should be subjected to the Council’s strongest action. So far, the Council had initiated targeted measures against just one individual, imposing a travel ban and asset freeze on a former commander in Côte d’Ivoire.
She stressed that the Council could not expect to achieve accountability based on empty threats. To ensure its own credibility, it must be prepared to exercise its powers to impose targeted measures, when warranted. That entailed systematically referring information to relevant sanctions committees, and in some cases, applying measures through country-specific or thematic resolutions by the full Security Council. The Working Group’s toolkit provided a valuable array of actions to encourage parties to armed conflict to comply with their international obligations.
Statements
CHARLES MICHEL, Minister for Development Cooperation of Belgium, said that 300,000 children had been torn away from their families. They faced a cruel dilemma: kill or be killed, and they had to commit the worst atrocities, sometimes against their own family. That scourge could not be accepted. During his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he had personally witnessed the distress children affected by armed conflict had to endure. Children who had only known war and the safety of their “Kalashnikov” were not a lost cause for peace and development; they were an essential part of it. The problem of children and armed conflict was not just a question of humanitarian assistance and human rights and development, but also one of peace and security. The Secretary-General’s recommendations made must be rapidly implemented, as too many children had already seen their fate sealed.
He said that the annexed lists were an important dissuasive instrument, which had given the Council a tool with which to act. The protection of children in armed conflict was not negotiable, and the Council must adopt the necessary sanctions. Combating impunity was an indispensable prelude to reconciliation and lasting peace. Sexual violence was another scourge. In the framework of monitoring, that violence was only taken into account if it related to child soldiers. However, his Government would favour strengthening resolution 1612 (2005) and including in the annexes a list of those responsible for sexual crimes. The Council must encourage other United Nations bodies to strengthen their political pressure to put an end to the abuses. The Member States must turn commitment into concrete action. Belgium would continue to plead in favour of a binding instrument to tighten controls on small arms and light weapons. Armed conflicts were still victimizing children. “Let us give them hope,” he said.
VITTORIO CRAXI, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy, aligning himself with the European Union’s statement, said his country supported the work of the Special Representative and that of UNICEF and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), as well as of all the non-governmental organizations that worked for children. The figures in the Secretary-General’s report required immediate action by the international community. His country had been actively involved in the promotion of children’s rights. In 2003, under the Italian Presidency, the European Union had adopted guidelines on children in armed conflicts. There was a need to take up specific projects in health and labour to offer children alternatives, in order to help them integrate in civil society.
He said that Italy was developing new assistance strategies. UNICEF’s projects in Afghanistan had been financed by Italy. Italy also focused on Iraq. He hoped the Working Group would have a greater impact in the future. A comprehensive strategy was needed, which was not limited to children’s recruitment. Rape and other acts of sexual violence against children should be added to those violations that triggered inclusion in the annex list, and the International Criminal Court should continue to investigate such acts. Italy also endorsed the Union’s position of adopting legal instruments to ban munitions that caused insufferable harm to civilians, including children. Today’s debate should be a decisive stage towards adoption of a new Security Council resolution, which included lessons learned and progress made since the passage of resolution 1612 (2005).
GIADALLA ETTALHI ( Libya) said the Secretary-General’s consecutive reports indicated that shameful acts against children, such as recruiting them into armed conflicts, were on the rise. States should take serious measures within their national legislation and in accordance with international humanitarian law to hold perpetrators responsible for such actions and to impose the maximum deterrent penalty on them, without any opportunity for impunity.
He said that the detention of children in conflict zones based on claims of linkage with armed groups was a serious violation of international legal standards. Strongly condemning the Israeli military operations that had killed more than 500 children in the past year, he said that the international community must take the necessary measures to address the situation of children detained in Israeli prisons. Also condemning the use of cluster bombs and the effect on children of air bombing operations by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, he expressed support for the establishment of a convention banning cluster bombs. International support should also be mobilized for programmes aimed at sustainable reintegration of affected children into society. The Working Group must avoid selectivity, double standards and politicization in its recommendations and conclusions, while the Council should consider the full impact of its sanctions.
ALEJANDRO D. WOLFF (United States) said that the development of action plans by States and non-State actors had proven to be a positive way to guide and measure progress. It would be useful for all the parties listed in the annex to the Secretary-General’s report to be similarly required to submit such plans. As for the Council’s Working Group, as its work evolved, it might need additional tools, including targeted and graduated measures against persistent violators to persuade them to comply with applicable international law.
He said he was pleased with the progress in Côte d’Ivoire, where parties previously associated with unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers had ended those practices. However, the Council’s work had just begun. Over a quarter of a million child soldiers remained engaged in conflicts around the globe. He remained deeply concerned by the situation of children and armed conflict in Burma, urging immediate and unimpeded access to communities in that country. In the Sudan, he urged full cooperation from the Government of National Unity and Government in Southern Sudan to follow through on their commitments and to put an end to all violations against children. He also deplored continued use of rape as a weapon of war in Darfur, with the increasing targeting of young girls. His delegation urged the commitment of all parties to put an end to those violations and to grant United Nations entities unimpeded access for monitoring and verification purposes. Regarding Chad, he urged all parties to permit access to the United Nations monitors and others attempting to ascertain the extent of the problem. He welcomed the news that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was working to increase its child protection there.
Turning to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, he said that recidivism, or the child’s inability to function properly within his family or community, was an issue of great concern to everybody, and certainly to his Government, as a major donor of such programmes. The United States applauded the hard work of UNICEF, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and their partners. He encouraged Member States to allow full access to conflict areas, in order to accomplish the goals of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
While fully supporting the effort by the Secretary-General, his Special Representative and the Security Council to end unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, he did not agree that the Council should have a general policy or practice of referring cases to the International Criminal Court, as recommended in the Secretary-General’s report. Different States had different views about the best mechanism for combating crimes against children. It was important to bear in mind that not all Member States were parties to the Rome Statute, and those who were not should be taken into account.
As for the recommendation that Member States should immediately address the subject of cluster munitions, he said his delegation would ask that the Working Group focus on the substantial issues already and clearly within its mandate. Discussion of cluster munitions was better left to weapons experts operating through the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.
VITALY CHURKIN ( Russian Federation) said that his country was committed to ensuring the rights of children, and it intended to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning children and armed conflict. He shared the Secretary-General’s concern in the report over the deteriorating situation of children in Afghanistan and Iraq and emphasized the responsibility of all the parties, including multinational forces, for the implementation of the norms of international humanitarian law. Unfortunately, the report did not contain information on the death of children, owing to the activities of private security firms in Iraq. He supported the inclusion of the Taliban on the lists of the violators, which opened the way to the consideration of the matter by the Council’s Working Group.
Relevant attention should be paid to Iraq, he said, adding that he had recently seen a tape of Al Qaida terrorists teaching child soldiers to kill and abduct. Another matter of concern related to the incarceration of children by multinational forces. UNICEF should pay attention to the causes and conditions of their captivity, and the Council’s monitoring and reporting mechanism should be involved in that regard. He supported the Secretary-General’s suggestion that advisers on the protection of children be sent to Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, as well as Darfur, Chad and the Central African Republic. He welcomed the gains made in Côte d’Ivoire, which resulted in the delisting of some parties, and he agreed with the need to continue to focus on those situations, so that the improvements did not turn out to be short-lived.
All serious violations, including the murder and maiming of children, should receive the Council’s attention, and the monitoring and reporting mechanism should be involved in all situations of concern. Priority in that regard should be given to the most acute and widespread conflicts on the Council’s agenda. It would be impossible to protect children without interaction with the Governments of countries in conflict and post-conflict situations. The United Nations and the Security Council should focus more on supporting national measures directed at strengthening such protection; effective implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes; and the establishment of social and legal conditions for preventing recruiting and other crimes against children. Systemic efforts would result in concrete results, easing the situation of children in armed conflict.
DUMISANI KUMALO (South Africa) said that the Council should continue to call upon all parties in armed conflicts to prepare concrete time-bound action plans to halt the recruitment and use of children and to halt the abuses against them. The Council should also consider giving equal weight to all six categories of the relevant grave violations and it should refer cases to the International Criminal Court for investigations and prosecutions within its jurisdiction.
Further, he said, mainstreaming child protection into peacekeeping operations would enhance the monitoring and reporting mechanism. The inclusion of child protection advisers should be considered when reviewing or creating mandates, so as to provide for greater consistency in advocacy and response. A zero-tolerance policy for United Nations personnel should be implemented with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse of children, with a comprehensive strategy developed for assistance and support for victims. Finally, international support should be provided as a priority for the reintegration and rehabilitation of children who had been associated with armed groups. The special concerns of girls in such situations should be taken into account.
JOHN SAWERS (United Kingdom), associating himself with the statement to be made by the European Union, said that, committed to playing an active role in international efforts to protect children affected by armed conflict, it supported the Secretary-General’s recommendation to include child protection advisers within the mandates of peacekeeping and relevant political mission in the future. He was pleased to note a number of positive developments, including in Côte d’Ivoire and in Nepal. The decrease in unlawful recruitment of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a further positive sign and the cooperation of the country with the International Criminal Court was also very welcome. He would welcome further details on progress made in the development and implementation of the action plans of parties within Burma. He urged the Myanmar Government to adhere to its commitment to the Special Representative to cooperate in establishing a monitoring and reporting mechanism.
He said that all six grave violations remained of great concern to his country, which stood ready to contribute to a review of the violations that triggered the listing of a party in the annexes. He was greatly concerned that instances of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, during conflict had increased, including in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. There was evidence that rape was used as an instrument of war in those regions to terrorize local populations. It was important that such crimes did not go unpunished, he said, expressing full support for the role of the International Criminal Court in investigating and prosecuting those and other violations against children in armed conflict that fell within its jurisdiction. The Council and its Working Group should make full use of the range of options for addressing systematic violations set out in resolution 1612 (2005) and in the Working Group’s “toolkit”, including targeted measures. Inaction was not an option.
MICHEL KAFANDO ( Burkina Faso) said that thousands of children still died each year from direct and indirect consequences of war. The report had noted the persistence of serious violations against children by armed groups and armed forces. Thousands of children were still being abducted and forcibly used as child soldiers. Violence stemming from cluster bombs and attacks against schools continued to kill and wound thousands of children. It was vital that appropriate measures be taken.
He called on Governments to criminalize recruitment of child soldiers and encouraged States that had not done so to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol. He called on the international community to ensure that schools were not targeted. Parties to a conflict must spare health-care services and water deliveries, and ensure safe passage for humanitarian organizations. He encouraged the Council to contemplate mandatory measures against any party that continued to systematically violate measures to protect children. It was the Council’s duty to ensure full implementation of all resolutions thereto. He welcomed the establishment of the monitoring and reporting mechanism, which had a deterrent effect, and recommended extending it to cover all violations.
LIU ZHENMIN ( China) said that his country was against the recruitment and use of child soldiers and other violations, and supported the efforts of the international community and the Security Council to enhance the protection of children in armed conflict. The need to protect children in armed conflict stemmed from the existence of the armed conflicts, themselves, and the Council should strengthen its efforts to prevent conflict and safeguard peace, preventing and resolving conflicts at their origin. Thus, efforts should be made to improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
He said that the role of the Governments concerned must be respected and supported. As emphasized in resolution 1612 (2005), the Governments concerned bore the primary responsibility for the protection of children. The Council and its Working Group should enhance their communications with those Governments and support the positive measures they took. The question of children should not be politicized and used as a pretext to interfere with a country’s internal affairs. Resolution 1612 (2005) should continue to serve as the basis for improving the monitoring and reporting mechanisms, and the functioning of the Working Group. Under the coordination of France as the Chair, the Working Group had considered several countries and submitted relevant recommendations to the Council. Hopefully, that instrument would maintain its professionalism and seek to address relevant issues through cooperation with the Governments concerned. China always stood for dialogue to resolve relevant issues and opposed the wilful use or threat of sanctions.
In post-conflict reconstruction, the international community should prioritize the reintegration of children and ensure that adequate resources were provided, he said. To solve the question of children and armed conflict, the efforts of the Council alone were not enough. UNICEF and other relevant organizations should play a greater role. Also welcome was the positive role played by non-governmental organizations. Not long ago, China had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. He called on all the countries that had not done so, to ratify and accede to the Protocol.
LE LUONG MINH ( Viet Nam) said that, although progress had been made regarding recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and the willingness by Governments to punish those acts, the continuation of the practice was of grave concern. Such acts, together with attacks on schoolchildren, sexual abuse of children, torture, and deprivation of food and education, constituted serious violations of basic rights. There was a need for a broad strategy of conflict prevention that would address the root causes of armed conflict in a comprehensive manner, in order to enhance children’s protection on a long-term basis, including by promoting sustainable development, poverty eradication, national reconciliation and respect for and protection of human rights.
He stressed the importance of strengthened dialogue and cooperation with national Governments in the efforts to monitor and report on the issue of children in armed conflict. The fact that some Governments had complained that they had not been consulted, leading to consideration of their views in the preparation of the Secretary-General’s report, and that the situations in their respective countries were not armed conflicts and, thus, should not have been mentioned in the report, deserved the Council’s attention. Equal treatment of all situations of armed conflict could also be an area for improvement. The Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict should improve its performance and working methods, with a view to putting greater emphasis on prevention.
NEVEN JURICA ( Croatia) said that reporting on the six grave violations against children should not be solely contingent on a country being listed as recruiting child soldiers. Rather, the application of the monitoring and recruiting mechanism should be expanded to include those violations in all situations identified in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s report. Condemning in the “strongest possible terms” the rising sexual violence against children and women in situations of armed conflict as unacceptable methods of warfare, he encouraged the Council to use targeted measures whenever needed to protect women and girls from gender-based violence. There should be a zero tolerance policy against sexual abuse of women and children by United Nations and related personnel, including those guarding the camps of the internally displaced persons, which had become recruiting grounds for child soldiers.
He said that all troop-contributing countries should provide training for participants of peacekeeping operations on the rights of children. Furthermore, Governments should end impunity for perpetrators accused of committing violations against children in armed conflict, and the Council should refer violations to the International Criminal Court in situations where national systems failed to address them. As an active member of the Working Group, he called for the strengthening of the Group’s methods by using organized briefings with concerned countries six months after adoption of the Group’s conclusions by the concerned countries. All possible actions in the “toolkit” should be used, as needed, especially field trips, followed by reports.
JORGE URBINA ( Costa Rica) said that his country shared a particular concern for children and love of peace with Panama, which was expressed in the wish of both peoples to live in peace. The situation of children in zones of conflict remained a source of concern. While there had been encouraging progress in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers in some countries, there had been a lack of progress in many other areas. Children who were manipulated or forced to carry a rifle instead of schoolbooks required more than an annual debate. They required a naming of the perpetrators and fighting them with determination. The situation of child victims of abuse and other violations required serious consideration of measures to protect them. The Council had the responsibility to ensure compliance with all of its resolutions. The Working Group should recommend measures or sanctions against those who consistently violated the resolutions. It was time to bring those responsible to justice, leaving aside national conveniences or interests.
He urged the Council not to shy away from referring cases to the International Criminal Court, thereby sending a powerful message to those who sacrificed children for their selfish concerns. It was important to immediately revise monitoring criteria to include all six offences against children. Equal importance should be attached to all violations. It was the responsibility of all States to protect their people, and that responsibility was particularly grave in case of children. When such responsibility was not observed, the international community should step in. The quantity and location of cluster munitions should be provided, in order for the affected areas to be cleared. It was also necessary to conclude an international instrument on the use of cluster munitions.
MARTY M. NATALEGAWA ( Indonesia) said the sight of children carrying machine guns and engaging in combat was absolutely unacceptable. It was an affront to international humanitarian law, which clearly prohibited such practices, either by armed forces or armed groups. The Council had to act to forge alliances with the concerned States to eradicate such practices. Delivery of humanitarian assistance to all children affected by armed conflict was vital. All humanitarian actors should continue to carry out their work based on the principles of neutrality, humanity, impartiality and independence. Situations such as those outlined in the report often pertained to developing countries facing complex and sometimes insurmountable difficulties. Progress on the issue, therefore, also depended on their capacity-building.
He said that the concern could only be properly addressed by adopting a broad strategy of conflict prevention and by tackling the root causes of armed conflict. Ultimately, the promotion of sustainable development, poverty eradication, national reconciliation, good governance and democracy, the rule of law and protection of human rights were the best guarantors of children’s welfare. A successful release, rehabilitation and reintegration of children associated with armed forces and armed conflict required a comprehensive approach. On a specific point, he said he strongly deplored the use of cluster munitions targeted directly or indirectly at children. The Council should pronounce itself clearly in rejecting that practice by State or non-State actors. In conclusion, he stressed the importance of the Council’s Working Group on Children and Armed conflict to further enhance its working methods to achieve transparency and inclusiveness.
BERNARD KOUCHNER, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of France, said “the tragedy of child soldiers forces us to be determined and uncompromising”. In spite of the countless, inevitable difficulties, there must only be one objective: the eradication of that barbarity. “The UN must play a central role in combating this heinous form of slavery which turns victims into assassins.” The Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, presided over by France, was an innovative mechanism that had resulted in tangible progress. Thousands of children had been freed and returned to civilian life, notably in Burundi. Progress had also been made in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, there were still children on the battlefields of Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burma, as well as in the Central African Republic and Afghanistan. The international community must remain mobilized and redouble its efforts.
He said his country would like to see the deterrent aspect of the Council increased. Its members must not shrink from the adoption of strong, targeted measures against parties that failed to comply with its recommendations. Action was not limited to the issue of child soldiers. The other five serious violations of children’s rights, including sexual violence as a weapon of war, should also be addressed. Failure to react would be reprehensible. The Council must demand that the action plans drawn up by the belligerents integrated measures to end sexual violence and followed through on their implementation. The Working Group should tackle the tragedy of sexual violence against children in armed conflict independently of whether they were child soldiers or not. It should also address impunity. Council action, however irreplaceable, did not prevent other initiatives, such as from the International Criminal Court, the European Union and UNICEF.
France, in cooperation with UNICEF, had organized a ministerial conference in February 2007, called “Free Children from War”, at which 59 countries signed on to the Paris Commitments, a raft of principles and good practices aimed at strengthening action significantly, he noted. A follow-up conference last October saw seven more countries join the Commitments. Another forum on the Paris Commitments, which sought to facilitate the financing of reintegration programmes, had a first meeting scheduled for September, on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Speaking in his national capacity, Council President, SAMUEL LEWIS NAVARRO, Vice-President and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, said that everybody recognized the negative impact of armed conflict on children. The international community had an obligation to prevent that. The Working Group created by the Council was evidence that the world would no longer address that issue in a fragmented manner. Peace and security, development and human rights were the pillars of the United Nations system. Those issues were interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Protection of children in armed conflict should not be undertaken by the Security Council alone. The General Assembly also had an important role to play. The Working Group’s practice of meeting with States affected by its decisions should be used by other subsidiary bodies on many other occasions.
He said he welcomed the important recent advances, including recent convictions by the Special Court for Sierra Leone and charges issued by the International Criminal Court. While he was pleased by international efforts to put an end to persistent violations, he was concerned over the rising use of refugee and internally displaced persons camps for child soldier recruitment, as well as the proliferation of intentional attacks against teachers and schools, and the use of sexual violence as a tool of war. He encouraged the International Criminal Court to continue safeguarding children’s rights when investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also supported placing advisers on the issue of children and armed conflict in peacekeeping missions and stre