Security Council SC/7219
4422nd and 4423rd Meetings* (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
SECURITY COUNCIL
REQUESTS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LIST PARTIES
TO ARMED CONFLICT THAT
RECRUIT OR USE CHILDREN
Council Unanimously
Adopts Resolution 1379 (2001);
Recognizing the harmful and widespread impact of armed conflict on children and the long-term consequences on durable peace, security and development, the Security Council this afternoon expressed its readiness to explicitly include provisions for the protection of children, when considering mandates for peacekeeping operations.
In the second of two meetings today, the Council took that action as it unanimously adopted resolution 1379 (2001) by whose terms it also expressed its readiness to continue to include child protection advisers on peacekeeping operations. In that context, the Secretary-General was asked to take the protection of children into account in peacekeeping plans submitted to the Council, by including, on a case-by case basis, child-protection staff in missions and peace-building operations.
The Council also asked the Secretary-General to continue, and intensify, monitoring and reporting activities by peacekeeping and peace-building support operations on the situation of children in armed conflict. In a report requested by the Council on the resolution’s implementation, the Secretary-General was requested to attach a list of parties to armed conflict that recruit or use children in violation of their international obligations.
“The resolution before the Council today tells each of us what we have to do to protect children in armed conflict”, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Council in the first meeting today, which was addressed by over
30 speakers. He said that the text called on States to punish conduct that fuelled and exacerbated war and drew attention to issues such as the recruitment of children and trafficking in arms and natural resources. It also urged donors, lenders, the United Nations, international financial institutions and others to use their financial leverage and influence as well.
(page 1a follows)
__________
* The 4420th & and 4421st Meetings were closed.
Security Council - 1a - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
Also in today’s resolution, the Council further expressed its intention to call upon the parties to a conflict to make special arrangements for the protection and assistance requirements of women, children and other vulnerable groups. It also underlined the importance of the full, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel, goods and assistance to all children affected by armed conflict.
By other terms, the Council expressed its intention to consider taking appropriate steps to address the links between armed conflict and terrorism, the illicit trade and trafficking in precious minerals, small arms and light weapons, as well as other criminal activities which could prolong armed conflict or intensify its impact in civilian populations, including children.
By further terms, the Council undertook to consider, when imposing punitive measures, the socio-economic impact of sanctions on children in order to provide appropriate humanitarian exemptions that would take account of their specific needs and vulnerability, as well as minimize such impact.
The resolution also called on all parties to armed conflict to fully respect international laws related to the rights and protection of children in armed conflict; provide protection and assistance to refugees and internally displaced people; take special measures to promote and protect the rights of girls, meet their needs and put an end to all forms of violence and exploitation; and provide protection for children in peace agreements.
By other terms, the Council urged Member States to end impunity; prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity and other egregious crimes committed against children; and exclude, where feasible, those crimes from amnesty provisions and relevant legislation. Member States were also urged to consider measures to discourage corporate actors within their jurisdiction from maintaining commercial relations with parties to armed conflicts, who violate applicable international law on the protection of children in armed conflict. States were also urged to take further measures against corporate actors, individuals and entities under their jurisdiction who engaged in illicit trading of natural resources and small arms.
Further by the text, States were urged to ratify both the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on involvement of children in armed conflict and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said there was an urgent need for the international community to organize a more systematic and effective way of monitoring and reporting the conduct of parties to the conflict in relation to their treatment of children. Unless critical knowledge gaps were filled, interventions were unlikely to be effective. He had proposed a Research Agenda on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children to focus on filling knowledge gaps in the specific areas. The idea was to generate research outcomes and products that were responsive to practical needs, and help to inform and strengthen policy-making and action.
(page 1b follows)
Security Council - 1b - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
Mr. Otunnu also underscored that the international community was not doing enough to prevent harm to girls in wartime and to ensure appropriate recovery and rehabilitation services in the aftermath. He appealed to the Council and the international community to support the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) to ensure that child protection remained a priority throughout the peacemaking and peace-building processes in that country.
Also in his statement this morning, Mr. Annan stressed that field monitoring was essential, and he would continue to ensure the deployment of child protection advisers. The Council also needed timely, accurate information about the implementation of its resolutions, and he was committed to providing that. He underscored that he also stood “ready to bring to your attention the identities of parties that are in violation of any part of this resolution”.
Alhaji Babah Sawaneh, a 14-year old former child soldier from Sierra Leone, who was abducted by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) when he was 10 years old, also addressed the Council today, describing his two-year ordeal as a child combatant and his experience with disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
He appealed to the Council on behalf of the children of Sierra Leone to do all it could to end their sad tale. “We want to be able to move about freely in all parts of the country to attend the schools of our choice”, he said. “We want to be able to visit our friends and families everywhere in the country without fear of abduction, recruitment and other dangers. Above all we want our parents to be able to work and educate us and to become useful citizens.” He hoped that governments and the United Nations would listen to children and take their words into account.
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), addressed the Council, as well, today.
Statements were also made in the first meeting today by the representatives of the United Kingdom, United States, Norway, China, Ukraine, Mali, Russian Federation, Ireland, Bangladesh, Colombia, Tunisia, France, Singapore, Mauritius, and Jamaica.
The representatives of Belgium (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Egypt, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Iraq, Israel, Nigeria and Malaysia addressed the Council today, as well.
The first meeting, which began at 11:45 a.m., was suspended at 1:17 p.m., resumed at 3:20 p.m., and adjourned at 6:22 p.m.
The second meeting in which the resolution was adopted, began at 6:23 p.m. and was adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
(page 1c follows)
Security Council - 1c - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
Resolution
The full text of
resolution 1379 (2001) reads, as follows:
"The Security
Council,
"Recalling
its resolution 1314 (2000) of 11 August 2000,
"Further
recalling its resolutions 1261 (1999) of 28 August 1999, 1265 (1999) of 17
September 1999, 1296 (2000) of 19 April 2000, 1306 (2000) of 5 July 2000, 1308
(2000) of 17 July 2000 and 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 and the statements of
its President of 29 June 1998 (S/PRST/1998/18), 12 February 1999
(S/PRST/1999/6), 8 July 1999 (S/PRST/1999/21), 30 November 1999
(S/PRST/1999/34), 20 July 2000 (S/PRST/2000/25) and of 31 August 2001
(S/PRST/2001/21),
"Recognizing the harmful and widespread impact of armed conflict
on children and the long-term consequences this has for durable peace, security
and development,
"Bearing in
mind the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
recalling the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the
maintenance of international peace and security and, in this connection, its
commitment to address the impact of armed conflict on
children,
"Underlining the need for all parties concerned to comply with the
provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and with international law, in
particular those regarding children,
"Having
considered the report of the Secretary-General of 7 September 2001 on the
implementation of resolution 1314 (2000) on children and armed
conflict,
"1. Expresses,
accordingly, its determination to give the fullest attention to the question of
the protection of children in armed conflict when considering the matters of
which it is seized;
"2. Expresses
its readiness explicitly to include provisions for the protection of children,
when considering the mandates of peacekeeping operations, and reaffirms, in this
regard, its readiness to continue to include, where appropriate, child
protection advisers in peacekeeping operations;
"3. Supports
the ongoing work of the Secretary General, the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children's
Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, other agencies
of the United Nations system and other international organizations dealing with
children affected by armed conflict;
(page 1d follows)
Security Council - 1d - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
"4. Expresses
its intention, where appropriate, to call upon the parties to a conflict to make
special arrangements to meet the protection and assistance requirements of
women, children and other vulnerable groups, including through the promotion of
"days of immunization" and other opportunities for the safe and unhindered
delivery of basic necessary services;
"5. Underlines
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;
"6. Expresses
its intention to consider taking appropriate steps, in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations, to address the linkages between armed conflict
and terrorism, the illicit trade in precious minerals, the illicit trafficking
in small arms and light weapons, and other criminal activities, which can
prolong armed conflict or intensify its impact on civilian populations,
including children;
"7. Undertakes
to consider, as appropriate when imposing measures under Article 41 of the
Charter of the United Nations, the economic and social impact of sanctions on
children, with a view to providing appropriate humanitarian exemptions that take
account of their specific needs and their vulnerability and to minimize such
impact;
"8. Calls upon
all parties to armed conflict to:
"(a) Respect fully
applicable international law relating to the rights and protection of children
in armed conflict, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the
obligations applicable to them under the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977,
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989, the Optional
Protocol thereto of 25 May 2000, and the amended Protocol II to the Convention
on Prohibition or Restriction on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which
May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, the
International Labour Organization Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the
Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the
Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their
Destruction, and notes the inclusion as a war crime in the Rome Statute of the
conscription or enlistment of children under the age of fifteen years into the
national armed forces or using them to participate actively in
hostilities;
"(b) Provide
protection and assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons, the
majority of whom are women and children, in accordance with applicable
international norms and standards;
"(c) Take special
measures to promote and protect the rights and meet the special needs of girls
affected by armed conflict, and to put an end to all forms of violence and
exploitation, including sexual violence, particularly
rape;
"(d) Abide by the
concrete commitments they have made to the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, as well
(page 1e follows)
Security Council - 1e - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
as
relevant United Nations bodies, to ensure the protection of children in
situations of armed conflict;
"(e) Provide
protection of children in peace agreements, including, where appropriate,
provisions relating to the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and
rehabilitation of child soldiers and the reunification of families, and to
consider, when possible, the views of children in those
processes;
"9. Urges
Member States to:
"(a) Put an end to
impunity, prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war
crimes, and other egregious crimes perpetrated against children and exclude,
where feasible, these crimes from amnesty provisions and relevant legislation,
and ensure that post-conflict truth-and-reconciliation processes address serious
abuses involving children;
"(b) Consider
appropriate legal, political, diplomatic, financial and material measures, in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, in order to ensure that
parties to armed conflict respect international norms for the protection of
children;
"(c) Consider, where
appropriate, measures that may be taken to discourage corporate actors, within
their jurisdiction, from maintaining commercial relations with parties to armed
conflicts, that are on the Security Council's agenda, that violate
internationally accepted child protection standards or that contribute to
prolonging armed conflicts;
"(d) Consider measures
against corporate actors, individuals and entities under their jurisdiction that
engage in illicit trade in natural resources and small arms, in violation of
relevant Security Council resolutions and the Charter of the United
Nations;
"(e) Consider
ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on
Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the International Labour
Organization Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labour;
"(f) Consider further
steps for the protection of children, especially in the context of the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of
the World (2001-2010);
"10. Requests
the Secretary-General to:
"(a) Take the
protection of children into account in peacekeeping plans submitted to the
Security Council, inter alia, by including, on a case by case basis, child
protection staff in peacekeeping and, as appropriate, peace-building operations
and strengthening expertise and capacity in the area of human rights, where
necessary;
(page 1f follows)
Security Council - 1f - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
"(b) Ensure that all
peacekeeping personnel receive and follow appropriate guidance on HIV/AIDS and
training in international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law relevant to
children;
"(c) Continue and
intensify, on a case by case basis, monitoring and reporting activities by
peacekeeping and peace-building support operations on the situation of children
in armed conflict;
"11. Requests
the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations
to:
"(a) Coordinate their
support and assistance to parties to armed conflict in fulfilling their
obligations and commitments to children;
"(b) Take account of
ways of reducing child recruitment that is contrary to accepted international
standards when formulating development assistance
programmes;
"(c) Devote particular
attention and adequate resources to the rehabilitation of children affected by
armed conflict, particularly their counselling, education and appropriate
vocational opportunities, as a preventive measure and as a means of
reintegrating them into society;
"(d) Ensure that the
special needs and particular vulnerabilities of girls affected by armed
conflict, including those heading households, orphaned, sexually exploited and
used as combatants, are duly taken into account in the design of development
assistance programmes, and that adequate resources are allocated to such
programmes;
"(e) Integrate
HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, care and support into emergency, humanitarian,
and post-conflict programmes;
"(f) Support the
development of local capacity to address post-conflict child rehabilitation and
reintegration concerns;
"(g) Promote a culture
of peace, including through support for peace education programmes and other
non-violent approaches to conflict prevention and resolution, in peace-building
activities;
"12. Encourages
the international financial institutions and regional financial and development
institutions to:
"(a) Devote part of
their assistance to rehabilitation and reintegration programmes conducted
jointly by agencies, funds, programmes and State parties to conflicts that have
taken effective measures to comply with their obligations to protect children in
situations of armed conflict, including the demobilization and reintegration of
child soldiers, in particular those who have been used in armed conflicts
contrary to international law;
"(b) Contribute
resources for quick-impact projects in conflict zones where peacekeeping
operations are deployed or are in the process of
deployment;
(page 1g follows)
Security Council - 1g - Press Release SC/7219
4422nd & 4423rd Meetings (AM & PM) 20 November 2001
"(c) Support the
efforts of the regional organizations engaged in activities for the benefit of
children affected by armed conflict, by providing them with financial and
technical assistance, as appropriate;
"13. Urges
regional and subregional organizations and arrangements
to:
"(a) Consider
establishing, within their secretariats, child protection mechanisms for the
development and implementation of policies, activities and advocacy for the
benefit of children affected by armed conflict, and consider the views of
children in the design and implementation of such policies and programmes where
possible;
"(b) Consider
including child protection staff in their peacekeeping and field operations and
provide training to members of such operations on the rights and protection of
children;
"(c) Take steps
leading to the elimination of cross-border activities deleterious to children in
times of armed conflict, such as the cross-border recruitment and abduction of
children, the sale of or traffic in children, attacks on camps and settlements
of refugees and internally displaced persons, the illicit trade in precious
minerals, the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, and other
criminal activities;
"(d) Develop and
expand regional initiatives to prevent the use of child soldiers in violation of
international law and to take appropriate measures to ensure the compliance by
parties to armed conflict with obligations to protect children in armed conflict
situations;
"14. Requests
the Secretary-General to continue to include in his written reports to the
Council on conflict situations his observations concerning the protection of
children and recommendations in this regard;
"15. Requests
the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council by 31 October 2002 on
the implementation of this resolution and of resolutions 1261 (1999) and 1314
(2000);
"16. Requests
the Secretary-General to attach to his report a list of parties to armed
conflict that recruit or use children in violation of the international
obligations applicable to them, in situations that are on the Security Council's
agenda or that may be brought to the attention of the Security Council by the
Secretary-General, in accordance with article 99 of the Charter of the United
Nations, which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international
peace and security;
"17. Decides to
remain actively seized of this matter."
(page 2
follows)
Background
The Security Council met this morning to begin a day-long review of "Children and Armed Conflict". It had before it a report of the Secretary-General (document A/56/342-S/2001/852), which was issued on 7 September 2001. The report is submitted in accordance with the terms of resolution 1314 adopted by the Council on 11 August 2000.
In that resolution, the Council expressed grave concern at the impact of armed conflict on children and underlined the importance of giving consideration to the special needs and vulnerabilities of girls affected by such conflict. The resolution urged that children's human rights, their protection and welfare be incorporated in the development of policies and programmes, including those for prevention, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
The resolution also reaffirmed the Council's readiness to continue to include child protection advisers in future peacekeeping operations. The Council further urged all parties to armed conflict to respect international law regarding the rights and protection of children in armed conflict and urged Member States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
Member States and relevant parts of the United Nations system were also urged to strengthen the capacities of national institutions and local civil society for ensuring the sustainability of local initiatives for the protection of children. Parties to conflicts were also asked to include provisions for the protection of children -- including disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of child combatants -- in peace negotiations and agreements, and the involvement of children in those processes. Parties were also urged to abide by concrete commitments made by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General is Olara Otunnu. Appointed in September 1997, his mandate is to promote the protection, rights and welfare of children at every phase of a conflict. As a public advocate on behalf of children who have been brutalized and abused, he has been working to build greater awareness of their problems and to turn global outrage at those continuing abominations into a worldwide movement of repudiation.
Since the 1990 World Summit for Children, the United Nations has increasingly sought to draw international attention to the horrendous plight of children affected by armed conflict. In 1993, following a recommendation by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the General Assembly adopted resolution 48/157 (7 March 1994), recommending that the Secretary-General appoint an independent expert to study the impact of armed conflict on children. Graça Machel, former Minister of Education of Mozambique, was appointed and charged with undertaking the study, with the special support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Centre for Human Rights.
In 1996, Ms. Machel submitted her report, entitled "Impact of Armed Conflict on Children" (documents A/51/306 and Add.1), to the Assembly at its fifty-first session. In response, the Assembly adopted resolution 51/77, in which it recommended that the Secretary-General appoint for a period of three years a Special Representative on the impact of armed conflict on children. The Assembly also called upon States and institutions concerned to provide voluntary contributions in support of the work of the Special Representative.
The present progress report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 1314 (2000) stipulates several important measures intended to protect children during and after conflict. It also informs the Council of actions under way to ensure implementation of earlier recommendations of the Secretary-General and other relevant Council resolutions, while highlighting key actions for the future.
The Secretary-General's report states that in recent armed conflicts children have featured centrally as both targets and perpetrators of violence. A large number of them have been directly affected by armed conflict. The Secretary-General adds, however, that the growing awareness of the plight of war-affected children and increasing focus on their protection and rehabilitation have not yet, regrettably, ended children's suffering during and after armed conflict. While there is commendable progress on many fronts, to the children tormented by the effects of armed conflict, efforts to bring about an "era of application" of protective norms and standards fall short both of their expectations and of universally agreed standards.
In addressing the consolidation of the normative framework, the Secretary-General stresses that the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict is one of the core treaties that States are expected to ratify during the forthcoming special session of the General Assembly on children. States are urged to take the necessary steps without further delay to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol. (The special session, which was scheduled to take place in New York from 19 to 21 September, was formally postponed by the General Assembly until 8-10 May 2002, in recognition of the tragedy that struck the United States on Tuesday, 11 September.)
Still addressing the consolidation of the normative framework, the Secretary-General's report also underscores that States, in particular those considering the ratification of the Rome Statute for the Interactive Criminal Court, should review their national legislation with a view to defining the crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court as national crimes, and to ensure that national courts have jurisdiction over them and can prosecute egregious violations of children's rights in the context of armed conflict, wherever they occur.
Regarding the monitoring of obligations and commitments, the report calls upon the Council and Member States to continue to take steps to ensure compliance by all parties to armed conflicts with their child protection obligations and the commitments they have made to his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as relevant United Nations bodies.
The report also suggests that the Council may wish to ensure that the mandates of peace operations explicitly include provisions for the monitoring of the rights of children.
According to the Secretary-General, accurate and current information from a wide variety of sources about the protection of children's rights in conflict situations should be made available to the Council and Member States. In addition, regional organizations are called upon to institute mechanisms for monitoring, and taking steps to curb, the cross-border movement of individuals and groups credibly accused of having violated their child protection commitments and obligations.
Addressing the issue of child protection on the United Nations agenda, the report states that the work of the informal inter-agency working group on the integration of child protection issues into peace negotiation and agreements should receive due attention and follow-up. It is also recommended that the training package developed by the informal working group on child-protection training for peacekeeping personnel should form a core component of training provided to such personnel. Member States are called upon to take similar steps.
The report further suggests that the Council should continue to include child protection elements in the mandates of relevant peacekeeping operations, and to provide for child protection advisers and child-focused human rights officers, where appropriate. The launch of the international research network on children and armed conflict should be supported, as well, notes the report.
Regarding the impact on children of the illicit exploitation of natural resources in zones of conflict, the Secretary-General recommends that the Council continue to consider targeted measures against parties to armed conflict, including complicit neighbours, whose actions contribute to the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the consequent fuelling of conflict. The Council should also continue its development of "strategic maps" of resource flows in zones of conflict characterized by egregious harm to children and civilians. There should be a particular focus on the beneficiaries of those flows, and the supply chains through which illegally procured resources are inserted into legal international markets.
The Secretary-General calls on the Council to consider the inclusion, where feasible, of specific provisions in the mandates of peacekeeping operations to monitor such activity. In addition, it could convene informal consultations with relevant actors, in particular with business leaders, on establishing mechanisms to curb those supply chains.
The report also suggests that multilateral development banks and the international corporate sector conduct "child impact assessments", where feasible, with regard to particular investments and projects that they may be funding in or near zones of conflict. Such assessments will repay their own costs by leading to better relations with local communities and, hence, more viable investments, adds the Secretary-General.
Addressing DDR programmes for child soldiers and abducted children, the report stresses that the provision of adequate resources for such programming is crucial. The Council and Member States are, therefore, urged to provide sustained and adequate resources to all relevant actors engaged in implementing demobilization and reintegration programmes for children. Regional organizations and relevant bodies are encouraged to institute close and consistent mapping of cross-border activity pertaining to the recruitment and abduction of children and to prioritize on their agendas, the curbing of such activity.
On the links between HIV/AIDS, children and conflict, the Secretary-General states that future Council field missions may decide to include an assessment of the HIV/AIDS situation, with particular focus on the impact of that situation on children. He appeals to the Council, Member States, humanitarian organizations and donors to ensure that HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, care and support are mainstreamed into emergency humanitarian assistance and DDR and repatriation programmes, including those for male and female child soldiers. He also urges that sexual violence against women and children continue to be prosecuted as a war crime in domestic and international forums.
On the issue of impunity and the involvement and protection of children in the truth- and justice-seeking process, the report calls attention to the recommendations recently made in the Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, in which both the Council and the Assembly were urged to provide sufficient and sustained funding for international truth- and justice-seeking efforts, and to provide for such efforts within the peacekeeping mandates.
The report also calls on Member States, parties to armed conflict and other concerned actors to ensure that the truth- and justice-seeking processes envisaged in the aftermath of conflict pay systematic attention to the full range of children's war-time experiences, the circumstances that allowed such abuses to occur, and the long-term interventions required to ensure rehabilitation and reintegration.
Regarding the issue of peace-building for children during and after conflict, the Secretary-General urges both the Council and Member States to consider specific means of involving local communities in war-affected areas in the development and implementation of the post-conflict response, in particular, those aspects that pertain to the rehabilitation of children affected by armed conflict.
Member States are further called upon to establish codes of conduct to improve restraints on the transfer of small arms and light weapons -- in particular, to conflict zones where children's rights are violated and children are used as soldiers. The Secretary-General suggests that the Council promote a culture of peace, including through support for peace education programmes and other non-violent approaches to conflict resolution, in its peace-building activities.
On the issue of regional responses to child protection concerns, the report urges Member States to provide the technical support and resources necessary for regional organizations to fulfil their roles in the protection of children in situations of armed conflict.
In his concluding observations, the Secretary-General states that, as delegations gather for the special session of the General Assembly on children, he sincerely hopes that decisive action will be taken to protect children and to actively dissuade, and seek to expose and sanction, those whose actions are beyond the pale. He also hopes that concrete commitments will be made by the Council and Member States so that all parties to armed conflict, and actors whose conduct indirectly fuels conflict, cannot but realize that the international community will accept nothing less than full compliance with child-protection obligations and commitments in time of war and in its aftermath.
Statements
Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN told the Council the situation in Afghanistan only reaffirmed the organization's concern for the plight of war-affected children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olaru Otunnu, were, therefore, working with his Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, to ensure that the protection of children and civilians was a key part of efforts to restore and rebuild Afghanistan. "This generation of Afghan children must become the harbingers of peace", he said.
He said the resolution that would be before the Council today indicated what everyone had to do to protect children in armed conflict. It called on States to punish conduct that fuelled and exacerbated war. It drew attention to issues such as the recruitment of children and trafficking in arms and natural resources. It also urged donors, lenders and others to use their financial leverage. Further, it insisted that the Council, the United Nations system and the international financial institutions and others use their influence, as well.
The Secretary-General said that field monitoring was essential and he would continue to ensure the deployment of child protection advisers. The Council also needed timely, accurate information about the implementation of its resolutions, and he said he was committed to providing that, adding, "I also stand ready to bring to your attention the identities of parties that are in violation of any part of this resolution."
In conclusion, the Secretary-General said that wars, violence and political instability continued to inflict appalling damage to the children of the world. "I look forward to working with you in the struggle to keep their needs uppermost in our minds, and to ensure that the rights of children and child protection maintain a central role in the Organization's agenda", he said.
Under-Secretary-General OLARA OTUNNU, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said that since the Council’s first open debate devoted to the protections, rights and rehabilitation of children affected by armed conflict, there had been a progressive integration of those concerns into the peace and security agenda of the United Nations. Despite that progress, however, the overall situation of children exposed to war remained grave and unacceptable.
Reviewing the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, he referred to measures which were particularly important, in order to change the situation of children on the ground. There was an urgent need, he said, for the international community to organize a more systematic and effective way of monitoring and reporting on the conduct of parties to conflict in relation to their treatment of children. Unless critical knowledge gaps were filled, interventions on behalf of children were unlikely to be effective. He had proposed a Research Agenda on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children to focus on filling knowledge gaps in the specific areas. The idea was to generate research outcomes and products that were responsive to practical needs, and help to inform and strengthen policy–making and action.
He said the coming into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict would constitute a milestone in the collective endeavours to end child soldiering. The international community must undertake tangible action to ensure the application of the Optional Protocol in theatres of conflict through effective monitoring of conduct and the mobilization of concerted pressure. He said a particular scandal was the pillage of natural resources by parties to armed conflict. Resources that should provide for rehabilitation, education, health care and nutrition for children were, instead, being plundered by networks of local, regional and international actors. He suggested that targeted measures be taken against parties to the conflict and others who were complicit, and that peacekeeping mandates should provide for the monitoring of compliance with such measures.
He said the international community was not doing enough to prevent harm to girls in times of war, and to ensure appropriate recovery and rehabilitation services in war’s aftermath. It must do more to protect and rehabilitate girls exposed to war. With regard to the spread of HIV/AIDS “in the corridors of war”, he urged the Council to continue to look at ways that HIV/AIDS could be combated. Education of peacekeeping personnel and the identification of children exposed to the virus, and provision of appropriate counselling and treatment for them, were essential.
Turning to the situation in Afghanistan, he appealed to the Council and the international community to support the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) to ensure that child protection remained a priority throughout the peacemaking and peace-building processes in that country, including through the deployment of specialized child-protection staff. No peace was likely to be sustainable, he said, unless children and youth were provided with rehabilitation and hope, so that, instead of being potential spoilers, they became a constructive force in rebuilding their country. “Only by doing what is right for children today can we build a solid foundation for peace and security tomorrow”, he said.
CAROL BELLAMY, Executive Director of UNICEF, said that the draft resolution that would be before the Council today built upon two previous measures on the issue, as well as the Council’s earlier resolutions on protection of civilians, on women, peace and security and on the threat of HIV/AIDS. Those measures were a testament to what the United Nations did best: changing attitudes through incremental developments; establishing standards for what was right and just; and making their implementation obligatory.
The issue of child soldiers was a prime example, she continued; as recently as five years ago, understanding and awareness of the issue had been limited. Today, a new international legal standard was in force -– an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child -- which raised the age of recruitment, and prohibited the involvement of children under the age of 18 in hostilities. The recruitment of children was also defined as a war crime in the Rome Statute for the establishment of the International Criminal Court. Under the terms of the draft before the Council, those who recruited or used children in violation of international obligations would be brought to the attention of the Council by the Secretary-General, who would be called on to prepare reports, as necessary. That was a crucial step in the campaign to end the recruitment of children for armed combat and their use as soldiers.
Access to children caught up in conflict remained a major problem, she said. Most child fatalities in armed conflict occurred not as a direct result of violence, but because children were denied access to such essential services as health care, food security and clean water. Last year’s resolution 1314 called for unhindered access to children affected by armed conflict, and today’s measure would reiterate that call with renewed urgency. It would also make explicit reference to internally displaced populations.
She said today’s draft resolution also called upon parties to armed conflict to collaborate in Days of Immunization and other opportunities for the safe delivery of basic services. This year, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners had been able to carry out successful national immunization days for polio eradication in many countries, including Sierra Leone, Angola and –- just last week -– Afghanistan. But those were just partial steps towards securing full, safe and unhindered access to children in situations of conflict. In that connection, she also pointed out that later today an initiative would be launch to dedicate the 2002 World Cup (football) to children. Part of the effort would be to call upon warring parties around the world to take special measures during the World Cup, to ensure humanitarian access to children.
She said it was also gratifying to see the issue of HIV/AIDS addressed in the draft. The call to ensure that all peacekeeping personnel receive appropriate guidance and training was a vital follow-up to resolution 1308 (2000). In line with the draft resolution, UNICEF would continue to seek to protect children from all forms of sexual violence and to include HIV/AIDS education as part of all emergency education programmes.
In Afghanistan, she said, the international community was confronting a crisis in which the survival of millions of children and women hinged on an immediate and coordinated response. According to estimates, more than 100,000 children could die during the winter, which was why UNICEF was urgently seeking short-term assistance in the form of continued funding, access to those in need and security for humanitarian staff.
In post-war situations and even during conflict, education provided an environment of relative stability and normalcy for children, she said. The Council’s draft resolution pledged to put children at the centre of recovery and rehabilitation efforts in various parts of the world; UNICEF and its partners would do everything to make that a reality.
The Council was then addressed by ALHAJI BABAH SAWANEH, a 14-year old former child soldier from Sierra Leone, who said he was 10 years old when he was abducted by rebels during a Christmas holiday visit to an uncle living in a village in the north of the country. During his stay there, they heard that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were 10 miles away from them and they hid in the bush. On the second night, while looking for water for cooking, he and his eldest brother ran into rebels who first searched them for money then beat them up when none was found. The rebels took them back to the village, where they were tied up, beaten again and held out in the burning sun. Many houses were burnt, property destroyed and people killed. A group of rebels, who had gone into bush in search of food, then found his uncle and the rest of his family. His uncle was killed.
He described the events that followed: The rebels took them to their base, 100 miles away; it was a 10-day walk. On arrival at the RUF base, he was trained to shoot, and made to fight every time the rebels were attacked. “During those attacks, we killed people, burned down houses, destroyed property and cut off limbs”, he said. More often, however, he went on food raids and did domestic work for his commander’s wife.
In January 2000, two years after his capture, United Nations peacekeepers met with his commander to explain the DDR process, and within two days more than 250 children were released into the custody of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). They were then taken to a care centre where he was first registered for demobilization and later handed over to Caritas Makeni for care and protection. He also reported immediately to the health centre because he was completely covered in scabies. He had not seen his family for about two years, so when Caritas said that they would help in finding families, he was happy to give information. It was not safe to go to his village, so with others he was put into a community secondary school. The rebels attacked again and tried to recruit them once more. They did not want fight, so they ran away with their social workers into the bush. More than 200 of them made it to the capital, Freetown, where they were picked up by Caritas.
They went to Lungi, where there were also children in the Caritas Programme who had escaped from centres in Port Loko and Makeni, because they also feared recruitment. At first, the Lungi people did not want them in their town, but Caritas explained that they had been demobilized and they were allowed to stay. Again, he was put into a community school where the children were not friendly and called them “rebel children”. By the end of 2000, a woman from the community agreed to foster him. He was still living with her because his family had not yet been found.
He said the journey he had made so far had been made less difficult because of the DDR programme. “I did bad things in the bush and saw very bad things done to both children and adults.” He said that taking the gun away from him was a vital step. The programme helped him to feel natural and normal again, and develop ways in which to fit in to society again. He said he had faced much distrust from family members. There was some doubt as to whether he would ever be a normal child again. “I am easily reminded of my past when I make mistakes”, he said. Some community people also wanted revenge at all costs and in whatever form. Nevertheless, with the support of friends, family and agencies working for children, they were trying to overcome all the obstacles.
He said the DDR programme was coming to an end and he was happy that thousands of children had been given the chance to go through the process. There were, however, a number of children who had not been so fortunate and were still being held. He asked the Council, on behalf of the children of Sierra Leone, to do all they could to end their sad tale. “We want to be able to move about freely in all parts of the country to attend the schools of our choice”, he said. “We want to be able to visit our friend and families everywhere in the country without fear of abduction, recruitment and other dangers. Above all, we want our parents to be able to work and educate us and to become useful citizens.” He hoped that governments and the United Nations would listen to children and take their words into account.
Sir JEREMY GREENSTOCK (United Kingdom) said that what had been said in the Council this morning, especially the statement of the former child soldier from Sierra Leone, was all the Council needed to hear. It had brought home that the work of the Council was to affect real people on the ground today. The Council had been asked questions and it had to try to provide some answers. He said the statement by Belgium, on behalf of the European Union, would express fundamental points subscribed to by the United Kingdom, but he wished to draw attention to some specific points.
He said that this was not just an issue of morality, it was an issue of security. The Geneva Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and other legal international documents were all vital policy tools and they commanded the full support of the United Kingdom, but it was important to make those Conventions bite. Those who contravened those norms should be named and shamed and with follow-up actions ensuing. He welcomed the progress in the area of including child protection units in peacekeeping missions. He said he encouraged the efforts of UNICEF and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to encourage the role of the protection units in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He said he would also support efforts to extend the work of child protection units. He stressed the importance of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the wake of armed conflict. Taking note of the emphasis on the inimical effects of the presence of small arms, he stressed the importance of the links between HIV/AIDS, conflict and children.
He underlined the need of the various parts of the United Nations system to work on a coherent basis. There was a real chance to get that right in the situation in Afghanistan. The United Kingdom was working with UNICFEF to integrate the situation of children in armed conflict more effectively into their programmes. He shared the disappointment that the special session on children had had to be postponed, but the debate and resolution to be acted on today could inspire the preparatory process for the special session next year.
JAMES B. CUNNINGHAM (United States) said it was good news was that Member States were moving forward to help five additional nations that had ratified the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of the Child on children in armed conflict -– the international instrument that worked most directly to address the problem under discussion today. With the tenth ratification filed
by New Zealand on 12 November, the Optional Protocol would enter into force in
90 days. The United States was a signatory of the Optional Protocol, which had been submitted to the Senate for ratification.
While there were also some gains on a number of other fronts, he said, there was much still to be done, and the issue would remain with the international community for some time. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and subsequent action in Afghanistan, had introduced aspects not traditionally considered in the debate on children in armed conflict, such as the situation of the thousands of children who had lost their parents on 11 September.
However, some aspects of the Afghanistan conflict, including the victimization of children, were frighteningly familiar. The First Lady of the
United States, Laura Bush, had stated in last Saturday’s weekly presidential radio address that the plight of women and children in Afghanistan was a matter of deliberate human cruelty, carried out by those who sought to intimidate and control. Mercifully, the Taliban had been pushed out of most parts of Afghanistan, and the international community could now help bring relief to the people of that country, especially women and children.
He said the problem of child soldiers also continued. Children under the age of 15 were still being used directly in armed conflict, becoming both victims and perpetrators. He commended the work of UNICEF to address the physical, medical and psychological damage done to the children of Sierra Leone -- homeland of the young man who had addressed the Council this morning. Maimed, torn from their families and forced to engage in acts of bloody violence, those children presented an enormous challenge.