Armed Conflict: Children

(asked on 24th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, published on 21 June; and what steps they are taking to hold to account perpetrators of violations against children.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 8th July 2021

The Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) shows how far we still need to travel to end the suffering of children. The UK is particularly concerned about the increase in violations committed against children in countries already on the Council's agenda, like Somalia. We have called on the Secretary General to ensure that next year's report includes the plight of children in Ethiopia and Mozambique. As a member of the UN Security Council CAAC Working Group, the UK applies diplomatic pressure to perpetrators to enter into UN action plans to verify and release any children associated with armed groups and forces, to prevent re-recruitment and ensure the provision of appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance. Recently, we have negotiated strong calls to action for parties to conflict in Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia.

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