[child-rights] UN Special Representative calls for protection of Iraqi children during conflict

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
21 March 2003

NEW YORK, 21 March (Office of the Special Representative) -- The Special 
Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, 
Olara A. Otunnu, today called upon all parties involved in the conflict in 
Iraq to ensure the rights, protection and well-being of children at all 
times during the conflict.

The children of Iraq, who make up half the population, are at risk of 
physical injury, psychosocial trauma, displacement, family separation, and 
loss of social services, such as schooling and medical care, during the 
conflict. They are all the more vulnerable because, as Secretary-General 
Kofi Annan has emphasized, Iraq's population has already suffered from the 
impact of "two major wars, internal uprisings and more than a decade of 
debilitating sanctions".

Special Representative Otunnu stated, "It is the responsibility of the 
parties to ensure that children are given special protection, that children 
and facilities critical for their well-being, such as hospitals and 
schools, are not attacked, and that children are not used as combatants."

"I call on all parties to abide strictly by their responsibilities and 
obligations embodied in international human rights norms and international 
humanitarian law providing for the protection of children during conflict", 
said Mr. Otunnu. In this connection, he cited in particular the relevant 
provisions of the Geneva Conventions and two Additional Protocols of 1977; 
the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the 
Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict; and Security Council resolutions 
1261, 1314, 1379 and 1460 concerning the protection of children during 
armed conflict.

The Special Representative stressed that the children of Iraq are innocent, 
and all parties must make their protection "an absolute priority". Looking 
beyond the conflict, Mr. Otunnu said, "we must now begin to put in place 
plans to ensure that the well-being, rehabilitation and development of the 
children of Iraq will constitute a central aspect of any programmes for 
post-conflict recovery and reconstruction".

The Special Representative serves as international advocate for children 
affected by armed conflict by promoting standards and measures for their 
protection in times of war, as well as their healing and social 
reintegration in the aftermath of conflict.

For further information, please contact: Jean-Victor Nkolo, Communications 
Officer, tel: 212-963-9879, Fax: 212-963-0807; Mobile: 646-334-9027, 
e-mail: nkolo@un.org.

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