Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Burma's record of compliance with the agreement of the United Nations to end the use and recruitment of child soldiers.

We welcome the Burmese government’s extension of the UN Action Plan to end the recruitment of child soldiers and the progress that has been made, which has seen the release of over 600 child soldiers and a nationwide public awareness campaign.

But we are clear that more needs to be done. Access to military units and non-state armed groups continues to be restricted, release of child soldiers has been limited, and while recruitment of children has slowed, it has not ceased entirely. We call on the Burmese government to address these issues, and to agree to an extension of the Action Plan to ensure this practice is eradicated. We will continue to raise this issue with the Burmese government at every appropriate opportunity.