Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 4. August 2009 / Timeline August 4, 2009
Version 3.53. August 2009, 5. August 2009
08/04/2009
Watchlist applauds new un security council resolution to protect
children in armed conflict, urges implementation
August 4, 2009, New York, NY - Watchlist on Children and Armed
Conflict, an international network of human rights and humanitarian
organizations, applauds the adoption of a new UN Security Council
Resolution that strengthens the protection of children affected by
armed conflict.
In a major step forward, the Security Council adopted a resolution
that calls on the UN system as a whole to monitor and report on
grave violations against children caught in the violence of armed
conflict. This expansion will make killing and maiming of children
and rape and other forms of sexual violence against children top
priorities for Security Council action.
Now, all parties to armed conflict, found by the UN
Secretary-General to be recruiting and using child soldiers,
killing and maiming children, or raping and subjecting children to
sexual violence in the context of armed conflict, will face action
by the UN Security Council's Working Group on Children and Armed
Conflict, which aims to hold perpetrators accountable and
ultimately to halt these violations.
"Given the rampant sexual violence against girls and boys in many
situations of armed conflict across the globe and the alarming
rates of killing and maiming of children, this action by the
Security Council signifies a real advancement in efforts to protect
children," said Julia Freedson, Watchlist Director. "The Security
Council must now make certain that the ideals set out in this
resolution translate into tangible improvements in the lives of
children-especially the end of violence and the end to the impunity
enjoyed by armed groups."
The resolution's other key achievements include:
* Reaffirmation of the Security Council's intention to use
sanctions against persistent perpetrators of crimes against
children and commitment to closer cooperation between the Council's
Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and pre-existing
Sanctions Committees;
* A call to member states to hold persistent perpetrators of
violations accountable and to bring them to justice through
national and international justice mechanisms, criminal courts and
tribunals;
* A call to parties to armed conflict to develop and implement
action plans to halt all violations against children, in
coordination with UN teams in the field.
"Watchlist applauds the extraordinary leadership by the government
of Mexico, in its role as the Chair of the UN Security Council
Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in securing the
adoption of this important resolution," said Kathleen Hunt,
Watchlist Steering Committee Chair and UN Representative of CARE
International. Watchlist also recognizes and appreciates the strong
commitment of all 15 Security Council members to reinforce child
protection efforts on the ground. It is of crucial importance,
however, that the Security Council and the international community
as a whole keep the momentum on the children and armed conflict
agenda and continue to demand that all parties to conflict take
concrete and measurable actions to halt all violations against
children.
The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict is a global network of
human rights and humanitarian organizations, which strives to end
violations against children in armed conflicts and to guarantee
their rights. For more information, visit www.watchlist.org.
Julia Freedson, Director
The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict strives to end
violations against children in armed conflicts and to guarantee
their rights. As a global network, the Watchlist builds
partnerships among local, national and international
non-governmental organizations, enhancing mutual capacities and
strengths. Working together, we strategically collect and
disseminate information on violations against children in conflicts
in order to influence key decision-makers to create and implement
programs and policies that effectively protect children.
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