26 August 1999 UNSC Condemns Use of Children as Soldiers in Armed Conflicts (Also assails wanton killing, sexual abuse) (720) The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the recruitment of children as soldiers and other abuses directed against them during armed conflicts "including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction and forced displacement," and the targeting of places that have "a significant presence of children", such as schools and hospitals. The unanimous UNSC resolution passed the evening of August 25 also called for steps to facilitate the demobilization of child soldiers and their reintegration into normal society, and special measures to protect girls from rape and other forms of sexual abuse. Following is the UN text: (begin text) 25 August 1999 SECURITY COUNCIL STRONGLY CONDEMNS TARGETING OF CHILDREN IN SITUATIONS OF ARMED CONFLICT, INCLUDING THEIR RECRUITMENT AND USE AS SOLDIERS Resolution 1261 (1999) Adopted Unanimously; Olara Otunnu Stresses Words On Paper Cannot Save Children in Peril; Namibia's Foreign Minister Presides The Security Council tonight strongly condemned the targeting of children in situations of armed conflict including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction and forced displacement, recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of international law and attacks on places that usually have a significant presence of children such as schools and hospitals, and called on all parties concerned to put an end to such practices. By unanimously adopting resolution 1261 (1999), after hearing from 48 speakers during an all-day debate, the Council expressed its support for the ongoing work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), other parts of the United Nations system and other relevant international organizations dealing with children affected by armed conflict, and requested the Secretary-General to continue to develop coordination and coherence among them. The Secretary-General was requested to submit to the Council by 31 July 2000, a report on the implementation of the resolution, consulting all relevant parts of the United Nations system and taking into account other relevant work. He was also requested to ensure that personnel involved in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building activities have appropriate training on the protection, rights and welfare of children. Also by the text, the Council urged States and the United Nations system to facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of children used as soldiers in violation of international law, and called upon, in particular, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF, UNHCR and other relevant agencies of the United Nations system to intensify their efforts in that regard. The Council recognized the deleterious impact of the proliferation of arms, in particular small arms, on the security of civilians, including refugees and other vulnerable populations, particularly children. It recalled resolution 1209 (1998) which, among other provisions, stressed the importance of all Member States, and in particular States involved in manufacturing and marketing of weapons, restricting arms transfers which could provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or armed conflicts, and which urged international collaboration in combating illegal arms flows. All parties to armed conflicts were urged to ensure that the protection, welfare and rights of children are taken into account during peace negotiations and throughout the process of consolidating peace in the aftermath of conflict. They were also urged to take special measures to protect children, in particular girls, from rape and other forms of sexual abuse and gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict and to take into account the special needs of the girl child throughout armed conflicts and their aftermath, including in the delivery of the humanitarian assistance. In the text's preambular part, the Council noted recent efforts to bring to an end the use of children as soldiers in violation of international law, in International Labour Organization Convention No. 182 on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, which prohibits forced or compulsory labour, including the forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, and in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in which conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 into national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities is characterized as a war crime. (end text) Return to Washington File home page
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
