[child-rights] NGOs uge UN Security Council to take immediate action to protect children in war zones

News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

AI Index: IOR 80/001/2003 14 January 2003

NGOs Urge UNSC to take immediate action to protect children in war zones


Today several non-governmental organizations unite in a call for the United 
Nations Security Council at its open debate on children and armed conflict 
to take immediate action to protect children's security and rights in armed 
conflicts around the world.

The lives and futures of millions of children are at stake everyday in 
35-armed conflicts worldwide. The major challenge for the Council is to 
ensure respect for international law and commitments to protect children in 
specific situations.

The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict and the Coalition to Stop the 
Use of Child Soldiers, two non-governmental networks, recommend that the UN 
Security Council take stronger action to protect children in armed 
conflict. Practical actions by the Security Council to significantly 
improve children's lives include:

* Explicitly name all parties that continue to recruit or use child 
soldiers and undertake discussions with them. Faced with no significant 
progress on ending warring parties' abuse of children, the Council should 
act to stop the flow of arms to such situations and consider sanctions 
which may assist in stopping the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

* Ensure that all Council resolutions on specific conflict situations 
specifically address children and armed conflict, to ensure that child 
protection becomes a top priority throughout the UN system.

* Establish protocols in the UN system for ensuring that special 
protections outlined in UN Security Council resolutions on children in 
armed conflict are implemented during emergencies, especially unhindered 
access to humanitarian assistance.

* Ensure that, where boys and girls are involved in armed conflict, all 
children are included in all disarmament, demobilization and reintegration 
processes after the fighting ends.

* Establish an informal working group of the Council to develop general 
procedures for improving the coordination and effectiveness of UN 
initiatives in cooperation with regional and other international 
organizations on behalf of children affected by armed conflict.

Explaining the urgent need for stronger action to protect children in 
specific armed conflicts, Casey Kelso, Coordinator of the Child Soldiers 
Coalition, said, "While progress has been made in recent years to protect 
children in armed conflicts, significant challenges still exist in 
implementing international commitments, such as the Optional Protocol to 
end the recruitment and use of children as soldiers. "This is an historic 
opportunity for the Council to take a major step forward in child 
protection," he said.

Julia Freedson, Watchlist Coordinator, said, "We hope the Council's open 
debate will indicate an international willingness to take stronger action 
to protect children." She continued, "NGOs believe the Council must adopt a 
strong resolution setting out a clear path for protecting children. The 
Council must implement its previous commitments with a clear action plan to 
end abuses and hold violators accountable."

Representatives from the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Save 
the Children, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict and Women's 
Commission for Refugee Women and Children made recommendations to the UN 
Security Council yesterday during a closed door, informal briefing with UN 
Security Council members. They spoke about access to humanitarian 
assistance, needs for improved monitoring and reporting on violations 
against children, child soldier use in conflicts and threats of HIV/AIDS to 
young people in conflict situations.

For more information and further NGO recommendations to the UN Security 
Council see the following publications:

* Protection Children: Implementing Resolution 1379, www.watchlist.org
* Child Soldiers Coalition 1379 Report, www.child-soldiers.org
* Children and Armed Conflict: Symposium on Implementing UN Security 
Council Resolution 1379, November 8, 2002, www.watchlist.org and
www.child-soldiers.org


Background

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers was formed in May 1998 by 
leading non-governmental organisations to seek to end the military 
recruitment and participation in armed conflict of all children under 18 
years of age. Its steering committee members currently include Amnesty 
International, Defence for Children International, Human Rights Watch, 
Jesuit Refugee Service, Quaker United Nations Office - Geneva, Radda Barnen 
for the International Save the Children Alliance, Terre des Hommes and 
World Vision International and several regional NGOs from Latin America, 
Africa, Asia and the Middle East.


Want to learn more about child soldiers and/or take action? Go to: 
http://click.topica.com/maaaL7CaaVl0lbb0imPb/


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