Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to implement the Paris Principles on Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups.

The UK is  committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as outlined by the Paris Principles. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), we are using our membership to ensure that conflict related child-protection issues remain a key part of the Council discussions and to ensure that UN operations retain the necessary capacity to address all child protection issues, including the continued use of child soldiers in conflict zones. This also includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups to prevent the unlawful recruitment or use of children in armed conflict.