United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-08-26

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 26 August, 1999

Latest Developments

HEADLINES

• _Landmark Security Council resolution shields children from dangers of armed conflict._

In an day-long debate Wednesday, 47 delegates and the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, addressed the Council prior to its vote.

In his statement at the outset of the meeting, Mr. Otunnu called attention to the plight of the 20 million children displaced by conflicts around the globe, almost all of which are civil wars and marked by widespread social breakdowns and lawlessness. In this setting, he said, the village has become the battlefield and civilian populations the primary target.

"Children bear no responsibility for conflict, yet suffer disproportionately from its excesses," Mr. Otunnu said. "Children deserve special attention and require special protection."

Several delegates emphasized the importance of complying with the existing body of international human rights conventions that already contain provisions for protecting children.

Others representatives pointed to such initiatives as the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would raise to 18 years the minimum age for military recruits. They urged countries to support negotiations on that measure in the UN Commission on Human Rights as well as to adopt the Statutes establishing the International Criminal Court, which include clauses that make it a war crime to recruit underage children.

The Council's action also builds on the treaty recently adopted by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) outlawing the worst forms of child labour, including the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflicts.

In its resolution, the Council strongly condemned the recruitment of child soldiers -- now estimated to number 300,000 -- and called on the UN system and members countries to facilitate their "disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration."

The Council expressed support to the ongoing efforts of the UN system, commending the work of the Secretary-General's Special Representative and agencies such as the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for promoting the welfare of children.

The resolution also called on countries to comply strictly with international law and the Geneva Conventions and urged them to minimize the harm suffered by youngsters and to take special measures to protect children, especially girls, from rape and other forms of sexual abuse.

The Council, in calling for parties to stop targeting children in situations of armed conflict, strongly condemned attacks on places protected by international law, including those that usually have a significant presence of children, such as schools and hospitals. It urged that the rights and welfare children be taken into account during peace negotiations and in the aftermath of war, and pledged to consider what effect sanctions that may be applied to countries might have on children and to make appropriate humanitarian exemptions.

(Click here for of meeting.)

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