Security Council Presidential Statement on Children and Armed Conflict

The Security Council, recalling resolutions 1261 (1999), 1314 (2000) and 1379 (2001) on children and armed conflict, expresses its commitment to the protection of children affected by armed conflict as an essential component of its work to promote and maintain international peace and security.

The Security Council expresses its concern at the grave impact of armed conflict in all its various aspects on children and reiterates its strong condemnation of the continued targeting and use of children in armed conflicts, including their abduction, compulsory recruitment, mutilation, forced displacement, sexual exploitation and abuse, and calls on all parties to conflict to desist from such practices immediately.

The Security Council reaffirms its call for the inclusion of provisions for the protection of children, with particular attention to the special needs of girls, in peace negotiations and peace agreements; mandates and reports concerning peacekeeping operations; rehabilitation and peace-building programmes; training programmes for peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel; as well as the inclusion of child protection advisers in peacekeeping and peace-building operations, in accordance with previous resolutions and Presidential Statements adopted by the Security Council, in particular 1379 (2001).

The Security Council looks forward to a successful final document concerning the protection of children affected by armed conflict on the occasion of the General Assembly Special Session on Children. The Security Council further reiterates its call to all parties to abide by their obligations as well as concrete commitments made to the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF and other relevant UN bodies to ensure the protection of children in situations of armed conflict in all its various aspects.

The Security Council welcomes the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and urges Member States to consider ratification, and for States Parties to fully implement these provisions.

The Security Council underscores the importance of unhindered humanitarian access for the benefit of children and, in this connection, calls on parties to conflict to make special arrangements to meet the protection and assistance requirements of children, including where appropriate the promotion of “Days of Immunisation”.

The Security Council will remain actively seized of this matter.