YouSaid · the spoken record

Coomaraswamy

lines on the record: 98
first: 2006-07-24
most recent: 2011-07-12
sittings or episodes: 7
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In addition, the Council's commitment has real and positive effects on the lives of thousands of children. As Council members have just heard from the Secretary-General, only last year 10,000 children were released from armed forces and groups and reintegrated into their communities. Today, at this open debate, I bring the Council their message of thanks. When I was in Chad recently, I met with many children in a refugee camp. One girl grabbed my hand, curled her fingers around my wrist and whispered, "Madame, I want to go to school." Today, with the Council's adoption of resolution 1998 (2011), we have acknowledged the importance of schools and education to children all over the world, especially in conflict areas. We hope it will usher in an era where children can study, play and learn in an atmosphere of safety and dignity.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“The reintegration of children often left at the doorstep of UNICEF and its partners also requires the commitment of resources and personnel. While we work with these issues of accountability, we must also attempt to understand the root causes of violations against children. Without prevention and understanding, long-term solutions will not be sustainable. In 1999, the Council began a journey of great promise. There have been important landmarks along the way, including the Council's demand for clear monitoring of violations, the proper implementation of action plans and accountability. Governments and non-State actors have begun to respond to the Council's call for action. When I meet them in the field they display great respect for the power and authority of the Security Council.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“Again, they have given the United Nations access to military installations and have requested our assistance in the reintegration of the children into the community. Moving forward, I am hopeful that I will be able to witness the signing of an action plan with the Government of Myanmar, which acknowledges the key role of the country task force, including UNICEF and IL0, in the coming months. Yet, great challenges remain. Persistent violators of children are on the list of the Secretary-General with little action taken against them. Their impunity remains a blot on justice systems, both national and international. In time, the Council must deal with this issue in a comprehensive manner and find ways and means of dealing with perpetrators. As a testimony to that, a list of persistent violators is attached to my statement.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“Fourthly, in the Central African Republic during the course of 2010, 525 children were separated from the ranks of the Armee populaire pour la restauration de la democratie following the commitment made by their commander during my visit to the Central African Republic a few years ago. Fifthly, in Sri Lanka, 562 children, including 201 identified at the end of the conflict as formerly associated with armed groups, were released after one year of rehabilitation. They were reunited with their families by a magistrate's order. This was done in close cooperation with UNICEF and my Special Envoy. Lastly, I also visited Chad in June to witness the action plan signed between the Government of Chad and the United Nations for the release of children.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“Secondly, last year in Nepal, 2,973 minors were discharged. Despite a few concerns about reintegration, the United Nations country team has risen to the challenge, offering programmes and following up on the children once they returned to the community. Thirdly, in the Philippines in January 2010, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed an action plan with the United Nations with the full support of the Government. Further, MILF issued a supplemental general order warning its commanders of sanctions for recruiting and using children and created child protection units. Children are now being registered and released, and UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have stepped up their presence to provide these children with education and vocational skills.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“The promise of the resolution is very real. I know this because we have achieved so much since the adoption of resolution 1612 (2005). What I would like to highlight today are a few successes we have had, and thereby to thank the Council for being steadfast and committed to children. 11-41067 First, in February this year, the Afghan Government signed an action plan for the prevention of underage recruitment into the Afghan security forces, including the police. The United Nations country task force on children and armed conflict, with access to military and police installations, has sent to my Office progress reports about the effective implementation of the plan. Further, the Ulema Shura, the highest religious body, has proclaimed a fatwa on violations committed against children in conflict.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“In fact, protecting hospitals and its personnel was the founding element of modern humanitarian law. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for strengthened attention to and focus on the need to protect schools and hospitals from attack. Germany's initiative to bring today's resolution 1998 (2011) forward demonstrates the Council's resolve to expand the protection of girls and boys. The resolution provides for the listing of parties who attack schools and hospitals and those who use intimidation to force their closure. It also reaffirms the need for the enhanced monitoring and reporting of incidents where there are violations that deprive children of their right to go to school or be treated in hospitals. The resolution gives concrete impetus for action on the ground to protect these facilities.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“Schools are increasingly under physical attack, resulting in either full or partial destruction, oftentimes in violation of international humanitarian law. Schools are also closed as a result of threats and intimidation. Teachers and students are also killed and maimed in targeted attacks. Military use of schools is also a concern, as such use can put children in clear danger. To deprive children of an education is to destroy their future. A future destroyed - a future without hope - will only sow the seeds of further conflict. Hospitals are also vital to children, especially in war. Attacks on hospitals are two-fold atrocities; not only do they kill and wound girls and boys, but they also leave them without access to treatment. Attacks on hospitals and hospital personnel deprive the community of a much-needed lifeline.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“In 15 of the 22 situations covered in the report, we found evidence of attacks on schools and hospitals. During my visits to conflict areas, I have personally seen the devastation - schools completely destroyed, bombed or burnt to the ground. I have also seen schools with broken window panes and empty classrooms where children have been recruited as child soldiers. I have met girls whose colleagues stay away from school because, as female students, they may be the Victims of acid attacks. These images stay in my mind and remind me of how important it is to ensure that schools are zones of peace for children. Half of all the children who do not go to primary school in the world live in conflict areas. They do not go to school because their schools have become part of the tragedy of conflict.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“Ms. Coomaraswamy: Thank you, Sir, for convening this open debate on children and armed conflict. Your presence signals a commitment at the highest level to the protection of children during war. I would also like to commend the dedication of Ambassador Peter Wittig and his staff for their effective engagement as Chair of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Their dedication must be truly commended and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them. I also want to thank the Secretary-General for honouring us with his presence and his unwavering support for the cause of women and children. I also want to thank all the ministers who have come from afar to be with us today. The Security Council has before it the tenth annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2011/250).”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581 (2011) · source
“My office, along with our partners, UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has begun the "Zero Under Eighteen" campaign for the universal ratification of the Protocol. I will be knocking on the doors of those who have not signed and ratified, and encouraging those who have ratified to speak to their neighbours. Universal ratification signifies an international moral consensus - a consensus that is necessary to give further strength to laws and norms protecting children from unlawful recruitment. In my work with this Council, I have been encouraged by the political will to reach consensus on issues relating to children. It is this consensus that empowers and emboldens us, both in the field and at Headquarters, to work with heart and spirit for the protection of children.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“I had the opportunity to meet General McChrystal, the commander of the international forces in Afghanistan, who reassured me that the protection of civilians is an important part of military strategy in Afghanistan and explained the measures taken to minimize civilian casualties. Nevertheless, children continue to die, and in 2009 137 Afghan children were killed by aerial bombardment alone. We do commend the steps taken recently in this regard, but would like to impress upon all actors that vigilance is necessary and that the killing of children must be avoided at all cost. Finally, it is 10 years since the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict was adopted.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“We are increasingly concerned about the changing nature of warfare in different parts of the world and the difficult challenges it poses for child protection partners. In some wars, we find children being used as suicide bombers; there were seven such cases in Afghanistan and several in Iraq in 2009. Attacks on schools and denial of humanitarian access, where the neutrality of humanitarian actors is not respected, are also posing major dilemmas. We are just starting to fully explore how we should deal with such phenomena. We do not as yet have the answers. Counterinsurgency also poses its own set of difficulties. The number of children being killed in aerial bombardments and drone strikes is a matter of great concern.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“It is important that we respond to this crisis effectively, working with local communities so that children, especially girls, are not placed at risk and are not denied their right to education during or after conflict. We are also discovering that more and more children are being used for military intelligence purposes by different armed forces and groups around the world. Recently, we have been engaged in bilateral advocacy against this practice in a number of situations. Children should be handed over to child protection institutions and partners within 48 hours of their capture. This is extremely important. Placing them at risk or subjecting them to prolonged interrogation will only make it more difficult for their proper reintegration into their communities.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“We urge Governments to endorse this process in the best interest of the children as a humanitarian imperative towards saving children's lives. Without access to dialogue with non-State actors on action plans, the chances of securing the release of children is very slim. In recent times, new issues have also emerged with regard to children and armed conflict. The first is the ever-increasing pattern of attacks on schools. This has become a very disturbing phenomenon that requires urgent attention. The United Nations system has always argued that children and schools should be zones of peace. Instead, schools themselves are increasingly being targeted. The classroom, once a sacred space, has become a place of fear.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“That being said, we would also need to move forward to devise appropriate mechanisms to deal with the large number of parties listed in the Secretary- General's annexes that are not covered by sanctions committees. I hope that the Council will sharpen its focus on this issue so that perpetrators do not sense reluctance on the part of the Council to hold them fully accountable. After all these noble efforts by this body, the Security Council should not be perceived to be part of the cycle of impunity. Many parties have been listed in the Secretary- General's reports for recruiting and using children, committing sexual violence against children, and killing and maiming children. The vast majority are non-State actors, who need to enter into action plans with the United Nations to be de-listed.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“As the Secretary-General's independent voice for children affected by armed conflict, it is my duty to persuade this body to move forward on taking action against these violators. In this regard, resolution 1882 (2009) calls for closer cooperation among sanctions committees of the Council. The Sanctions Committee on the Democratic Republic of the Congo had the foresight to include crimes against children as grounds for listing, and I urge other sanctions committees to also consider the same. I had the honour of addressing the Democratic Republic of the Congo Committee and to thank its members for the fair hearing they gave to our recommendations. I look forward to deeper engagement with other relevant sanctions committees.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“The ceasefire agreement between the Liberation and Justice Movement and the Government of the Sudan includes specific key provisions for the release of children and is reflective of the priority and commitment to children on the side of the parties. I urge that all subsequent ceasefire or peace agreements include provisions for child protection. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army has also entered into an action plan for the release of children associated with their forces this year. Again, child protection partners have the responsibility to make this reintegration a success. Despite these successes, many challenges remain. In the report before the Council (S/2010/181), the Secretary-General has highlighted a list of the most persistent violators who have been on the annexes of his reports for a minimum of five years.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“It is crucial that the international community step up to the plate and give these children a real future. I appeal to all Member States represented here to support the reintegration process. I also call upon the ceasefire mechanism in place in Mindanao to include the monitoring of child rights Violations in its mandated activities. In the Sudan, there have also been some successes. In the past month, we have moved forward on commitments by the Sudan Liberation Army/Free Will and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abu Gasim from Darfur to release children and to give unhindered access to the United Nations for verification purposes.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“Later this morning, the Council will hear from Manju, a Nepali girl who was taken by the Maoist forces at the age of 13 and remained with them for two years. Since her release, she has rebuilt her life and is a model for other children. Manju has travelled a long way to share her story with us so that her experience will not be repeated in any part of the world. 3 The Moro Islamic Liberation Front from the Philippines has also entered into an action plan with the United Nations. The terms have been agreed and activities outlined. Our main challenge now is to assist in the reintegration of these children. Unless we provide the United Nations in the Philippines with assistance to secure schooling or livelihood training, they will either be re-recruited or tempted by other, less peaceful avenues.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“Within the framework of such an action plan, the Maoist party in Nepal released almost 3,000 minors in an extraordinary process in which the Whole United Nations worked together as one. My office, the United Nations Mission in Nepal, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Programme and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as their national partners, worked very closely together to secure the agreement and implement the terms of the release. It was an important moment for the United Nations in Nepal. Children were identified, registered and sent home. At the moment, our child protection partners are tracking these boys and girls in their home villages to ensure that they are included in the reintegration process.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“I am glad to say that she is finalizing guidance to the field on resolution 1882 (2009), which will enhance the monitoring and reporting on the two triggers. With regard to sexual violence in particular, I welcome the appointment of Ms. Margot Wallstrom, the new Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and I am pleased to report that we are already working very closely and are looking into common strategies. I look forward to a fruitful collaboration. Parties listed in the Secretary-General's report can be de-listed if they enter into an action plan with the United Nations We have also had marked successes with regard to the formulation of action plans required by the Security Council.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“We cannot ignore Agnes or those like her. The Council's decision to make sexual violence and the killing and maiming of children grounds for listing by the Secretary-General is the first step in the right direction. 10-40745 The Council's decision to expand the triggers requires that we further develop our methodologies and practices to collect reliable information and to guide the field with regard to action plans. For the past few months, my Office has been working with Ms. Patricia Sellers, whose extensive experience with both the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda has brought new momentum to the discussions on action plans. In close consultation with our United Nations partners, she is developing templates for action plans on the killing and maiming of children and on sexual violence against children.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“This naming and shaming exercise, along with the possibility of sanctions against persistent violators, has persuaded parties to cease their reprehensible behaviour and should deter others from future offences. The collective voice of the Council, guided by the common moral compunction of humanity to protect its children, must be used to make outcasts of those who commit unspeakable acts against children in war. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. Just two weeks ago, I was in Gulu, Uganda, where I met with a girl named Agnes who had just escaped from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). She fled with a baby born of rape, fearing for her life and that of her infant child as the LRA splintered and regrouped across the region. She could hardly express herself. Years of abuse had broken her spirit.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“Ms. Coomaraswamy: I wish once again to thank the Government of Mexico for presiding over this important debate on children and armed conflict. Your presence here today, Madame Minister, elevates the discussion and your words provide a framework for the serious deliberations that must follow. Since the last report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2009/ 158), we have had some measurable progress in important areas. The Security Council adopted resolution 1882 (2009), which now makes sexual violence against children and the killing and maiming of children contrary to international law grounds for listing in the annexes of the Secretary-General's report.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341 (2010) · source
“In my heart of hearts, I believe that that is not the intention of the international community and that this day will mark a new age in what my predecessor called the era of application.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“In the camp she was always near starvation but had to fetch water, cook and clean in addition to her combatant activities. Recently, Mai Mai groups have entered into the peace process, and Adila was identified and released by MONUC child protection. She is now in a non- governmental organization transit centre supported by UNICEF and has just gone back to school. Her eyes lit up when she told me that she plans to be a school teacher. What am I to say to Adila, Grace and the hundreds of other girl and boy victims of sexual violence whom I meet on my missions to conflict- affected countries? Is it fair to say that those children suffer second-class violation and that the Council does not wish to apply the same focus and engagement to them?”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“My field visits and the information contained in this report must be supplemented by the harrowing experience of children on the ground. Later this morning, you will hear from Grace, a former girl soldier, who will describe to the Council what she went through and what she and other children like her hope to receive from this body. While visiting North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I met a 12-year-old girl named Adila. She told me that she had joined the Mai Mai militia because her parents could no longer pay for school and because she thought carrying a gun would protect her from being raped. However, like thousands of other children in the Congo and despite her gun, Adila was sexually violated and abused by her commanders.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam continue to recruit children to fight on the front lines, and they use force to keep many of the civilians, including children, in harm's way. The United Nations has urged the Government to practice military forbearance and to maintain a prolonged pause in the fighting, so that humanitarian workers can help negotiate safe passage for the remaining civilians. It is incumbent upon the Government to protect its citizens to the maximum extent possible and to refrain from using heavy artillery. Humanitarian actors have urged that the internally displaced person camps set up by the Government meet international standards. We hope short-term military gain will not blind the authorities to the long-term demands of reconciliation. People stripped of their dignity are unlikely to forget, especially the children.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“As it was just days after the fighting had ended, the children, their teachers and parents in Gaza were still in a state of shock and they had horror in their eyes. The children demand accountability, and the international community must respond. The crossings must be opened, and reconstruction must begin in haste. Everyone hopes for peace, and in southern Israel, where children also live in fear, girls and boys speak freely of reaching out to their Palestinian brothers and sisters. In Sri Lanka, the situation remains deplorable for children in the north and the east. In the near future, I intend to send a special envoy to begin consultations with the Government.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“In South Kivu, impending Operation Kimia II, a joint military operation by the Forces Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo (FARDC) and the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) against the Forces democratiques de liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), raises serious concerns about large-scale displacement, the use of children as soldiers and the possibility of exactions committed by uncontrolled armed units against civilian populations. With the United Nations taking part in offensive military operations, it is crucial that the Council follow those developments carefully in order to ensure that children are protected to the maximum extent possible. In February, I visited Gaza and southern Israel after weeks of war.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“My most recent trips have been to Gaza and southern Israel and to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Dungu, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I recently visited, 990 people have been killed and 300 children abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) since September 2008, and people are now just hiding in the bush to escape. In North Kivu, the rapid integration of Congres national pour la defense du peuple (CNDP) and other armed groups into the Congolese Armed Forces has resulted in children being incorporated into the ranks of the national army. Although 1,300 have been released to child-protection partners, many more remain as child soldiers.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“I cannot stress enough the centrality of United Nations peacekeeping and child-protection advisers to the monitoring and reporting mechanism that is called for in resolution 1612 (2005). That is why it is also critical for the Security Council to ensure that its investment in protecting children is more systematically reflected in country-specific resolutions, with the inclusion on a more consistent basis of child-protection provisions, including child-protection advisers, in the mandates of peacekeeping operations and political missions. The Security Council and the General Assembly have repeatedly urged me to undertake field missions in order to monitor country situations, to be an independent moral voice for the sake of children and to advocate for their needs.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“These staff members come from funds, programmes and agencies like UNICEF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNIFEM and our non-governmental organization partners, reflecting the ever more mainstreamed nature of child protection throughout the United Nations system, as called for by the Security Council and our Secretary- General himself. I would like to thank UNICEF in particular for assisting me in my field visits. 5 I am pleased to see that the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations has just finalized its child protection policy, which I fully endorse and which, I am sure, my colleague Mr. Le Roy will elaborate upon.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“The inclusion of intentional killing and maiming of children in line with international humanitarian law would also be an important contribution to protecting children. That would be a critical step forward, recognizing that sexual violence and intentional killing and maiming are heinous crimes on a par with the recruitment and use of children. In my travels to conflict affected areas around the globe I have had the chance to meet dozens of courageous and talented people who are working for the protection of conflict-affected children.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“Ideally, the list of the Secretary- General should include all grave violations against children to ensure that the framework for protecting children in situations of armed conflict is comprehensive. However, since expectations do not always match realities, the United Nations and its partners have chosen to call upon the Council to take a gradualist path towards the expansion of the protection framework for children. That is why the child-protection community is unanimously calling on the Council to begin, at a minimum, with expanding the listing criteria to include those who commit rape and other grave sexual violence against children, as a first step in this incremental approach.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“This list of shame has been a rallying point for all those who want to increase the protection of children in conflict areas. In this sense, the power of the Council can make and has made a tangible difference in protecting children from being recruited and used by armed forces and groups. However, these successes have also created an imbalance in the focus of the Council, especially with regard to all other grave violations. The moment is now ripe for the Council to extend its focus beyond child soldiers to deal more effectively with other violations. Not to do so threatens to silence the suffering of thousands of children who are subjected to unspeakable crimes.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“This open debate on children and armed conflict must be an occasion for the Council to reinforce its commitment to children and advance its protection agenda even further. The Council has already created powerful and unprecedented tools for enhancing the capabilities of child-protection actors on the ground, particularly as they deal with the issue of child soldiers. The decision of the Council to demand that annexes of the report of the Secretary-General contain lists of parties to conflict that recruit and use children and to consider possible targeted measures against them has led to thousands of children being identified and released. Armed actor after armed actor has told me that they are determined to be removed from the Secretary-General's annexes.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“The Council must now ensure that its words are not empty threats. Much depends on the Council taking measures against those who have repeatedly flouted its resolutions and who continue to recruit and use children. It is now crucial for the Council to move forward by beginning a discussion about the process by which targeted measures might be applied against repeat offenders. In situations where sanctions committees already exist it is easier to envision such action. More systematic communications between the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and the relevant sanctions committees and expert groups is critical in this regard. In other cases where sanctions infrastructure does not exist, innovative solutions are necessary to ensure that violators are held accountable.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“09-31649 This hope must be tempered, however, as the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2009/158) continues to present a disturbing picture of grave violations committed against children around the globe. This year, the report identifies 20 situations of concern, where children remain vulnerable to abuse. The report chronicles 56 parties that continue to recruit and use children as child soldiers. A number of these groups simply refuse to enter into dialogue on action plans, while others, though willing to enter into dialogue, are prevented from doing so because the Member State concerned has prevented the United Nations from approaching non-State actors to devise action plans. In this report, the Secretary-General has named 19 persistent violators who have been listed in the annexes for four years or more.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“I am also encouraged that some Governments, including that of Myanmar, have recently approached my Office and their respective United Nations country teams to deepen their engagement with the recommendations of the Security Council Working Group. In Nepal, discussions are continuing and planning is under way for the release of 3,000 minors in Maoist cantonments. However, the recent crisis between the Maoists and the Nepalese Army may impede the progress hoped for. I strongly urge that the Government release the children as a matter of urgency. Just this morning, I was informed that the Justice and Equality Movement in the Sudan is in final discussions with the United Nations country team on finalizing an action plan.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“Thanks to the continuing efforts of the Security Council and its Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, five action plans have been secured to date, in cote d'Ivoire, Sri Lanka, the Sudan and Uganda, and four others are in the process of being finalized in the Philippines, the Central African Republic and Burundi. As a result, six parties have already been removed from the "list of shame". These developments demonstrate the power of the Council's focused attention and continuing engagement, and serves as a testament that it should continue to maintain pressure on violators to enter into a protection dialogue with the United Nations.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“Ms. Coomaraswamy: I thank the Council for convening this open debate of the Security Council on children and armed conflict. Madam President, your presence here today testifies to the commitment of the Council to this issue and the crucial leadership of Mexico as the new chair of the Security Council Working Group, following the exemplary leadership of France. Before the Council is the eighth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (8/2009/158). I am glad to convey to Council members today that progress has been made, especially in addressing the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and I would like to start here with these positive and encouraging developments.”
2009-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6114 (2009) · source
“I end my statement today with the words of Emmanuel Jal, the former child soldier from Sudan who filled Conference Room 4 yesterday with a song he dedicated to the humanitarian worker who rescued him along with 175 others. He said, "I stand here because someone cared. I stand here because someone dared. The sky is now my limit".”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“The time has come for us to redouble our efforts in those regions and to renew our commitment to ensuring that children will not be recruited or used as suicide bombers, that they will not be detained in military detention without due process that protects their vulnerability as minors, that their schools will not be attacked, that they or their families will not become collateral damage and that girl children will not be the targets of sexual Violence or be denied access to school. Children in those harsh battlegrounds must also be able to dream of a democratic world, free of violence, guided by tolerance and diversity, where everyone will live in peace and dignity.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“It is important that we collectively reassert our commitment on this issue, so that we may move forward realistically and move the agenda as well. Finally, my visits to Iraq and Afghanistan have convinced me that the nature of warfare is changing, that there are different and more difficult challenges ahead in protecting children and that the Council must play its part. Aisha was the 11-year-old girl we met in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Throughout the one hour I was with her and her family, she did not smile, and her eyes reflected sadness. Her family was a victim of collateral damage, and her school had been attacked by insurgents. Yet, despite all the dangers, she was determined to go to school, and her eyes lit up only when she said she hoped to be a teacher.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“In Chad and the Central African Republic in particular, I have seen how the Council's work under resolution 1612 (2005) is having a direct effect on the ground, how the imprimatur of the Council results in non-State actors entering into agreements and releasing children, how Governments sit up and listen and how child protection activists, both within and outside the United Nations system, are strengthened and empowered by the Council's commitment. All of that is a tribute to the Council's willingness to embark on the unprecedented initiative that is resolution 1612 (2005). I wish I could bring the children who have been released from the clutches of armed groups because of the Council's actions so that it might see the fruit of its work.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“Though it must deepen its understanding, it must not move away from its central focus. It will be most effective if it focuses on taking firm action against those who commit grave violations against children and who, by doing so, threaten peace and security. Over the past three months, I have visited Iraq, Chad, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan to review first-hand the problems of children affected by armed conflict in those situations of concern.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“Although I am in perfect agreement that understanding the root causes of conflict and identifying strategies for reintegration are important, they should not steer the Council away from its task of ensuring accountability for and fighting the impunity of persistent and grave violators of children's rights in situations of armed conflict, a task in which it has supreme advantage over other organs of the United Nations, including the possibility of imposing targeted measures. While the funds and programmes and other parts of the United Nations are well placed to respond to root causes and the need for sustainable development, it is the Security Council that can focus on grave violations. The Council, as the guardian organ of peace and security, must concentrate on taking action against those who persistently violate its resolutions.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source
“Girl children had the worst indicators, with the majority having major problems with social integration because of a low level of acceptance by families and communities. The younger the children recruited and the longer they stayed associated with the armed groups, the more difficult the adjustment. Another very interesting aspect is that even children who were not associated with armed groups but who lived in situations of armed conflict displayed the same vulnerabilities. Education was found to be key for the successful recovery of children. It is for that reason that my Office and UNICEF are considering compiling a manual of best practices in line with the Paris Principles, an important 08-42706 initiative by the Government of France, which sets out the standards for reintegration programmes.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source