GUIDANCE FOR UN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON

UNCLAS STATE 040403

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC GG PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR UN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON
CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT


1. (U) This is an action request: USUN is instructed to draw
from the points below during the UN Security Council thematic
debate on Children and Armed Conflict scheduled for April 29,

2009.


2. (U) Begin points:

-- Secretary Espinosa, Mr. President, thank you for hosting
today,s debate on Children and Armed Conflict. The United
States also thanks Mexico for its initiative and efforts as
the new Chair of the Security Council Working Group on
Children and Armed Conflict. We also applaud France for its
leadership as Chair of the Working Group over the last four
years.
-- We also thank Special Representative Coomaraswamy for her
briefing and commend her unyielding advocacy for children.
You continue to have our full support.

-- Madame Secretary, Mr. President, the United States is
deeply committed to addressing issues
regarding the welfare of children, including protecting
children from the scourges of war.
This commitment has its foundation in President Obama,s
steadfast dedication to safeguarding
human rights and to preventing violations of international
humanitarian law. Every day,
hundreds of thousands of children are caught in the middle of
armed conflict. In most cases,
they cannot ensure their own safety, protection, and dignity.


-- The roles that the Security Council and the Working Group
play are important in this regard. They send a signal of
strong political will and provide a valuable forum to focus
the international spotlight on this issue. Perhaps more
importantly, in coordination with Special Representative
Coomaraswamy, the Working Group calls for action by both
state and non-state actors.
-- The United States welcomes the Secretary-General,s annual
report on Children and Armed Conflict. It includes
invaluable monitoring and reporting information that
highlights progress in addressing this issue as well as
tragedies that continue to occur as we meet here today. The
report also outlines thoughtful recommendations for enhancing
future action on this topic, but I,d like to comment first
on a few country-specific situations.
-- There is some good news in Uganda where the government has
taken positive steps to address children and armed conflict
issues. The report notes that there has been no evidence of
child soldier recruitment by the Uganda People,s Defense
Forces (UPDF) since August 2007 and that strictly enforced
laws and regulations are now in place to prevent recruitment
and use of child soldiers. We commend the Government of
Uganda for its efforts and for signing an action plan in
December 2008.
-- In the DRC, however, the situation remains dire. The UN
Mission (MONUC) documented 554 new child recruits by armed
groups during the reporting period, 26 of whom were girls.
We are also concerned about what the Secretary-General,s
report calls &widespread sexual violence8 by armed groups.
Two foreign armed groups operating in the DRC ) the
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the
Lord,s Resistance Army (LRA) ) abduct children to serve as
soldiers, porters and sex slaves, and some are murdered in
cold blood.
-- The current conflict in Sri Lanka has exacted a tragic
toll on children. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) has reportedly increased its forcible recruitment of
children in the Northern conflict zone and threatens families
seeking to disclose information about their children to the
UN. The LTTE is using civilians as &human shields8 and
there are increasingly frequent reports that the LTTE has
shot at groups of civilians, including children. Children
have also suffered directly as a consequence of government
shelling of the safe zone. Both sides of the conflict should
commit to a sustained humanitarian pause. Additionally, the
government should enforce international standards in IDP
camps and facilitate access by international aid groups and
media.
-- In Sudan, since February 2008 close to 500 children, some
as young as 12, have been recruited by a variety of armed
groups, including government forces. Attacks and
restrictions on humanitarian workers have created an
impediment to the delivery of humanitarian aid to children.
The recent government expulsion of NGOs is having a
significant negative impact. We are also extremely concerned
that there have been 53 verified cases of child rape by armed
government elements in Darfur. This is utterly unacceptable.

-- While the Working Group is a useful tool that contributes
to resolution of these situations, other critical work is
done on the ground. DPKO child protection advisors and
missions, UNICEF, UNHCR, and UN technical agencies, for
example, play a vital role in efforts to report, rescue and
protect children. A child protection advisor in Burundi was
instrumental in developing an action plan to halt recruitment
that will soon be signed by the government. UNICEF,s
programming responds to needs of children and helps them
build better lives. UNHCR/OCHAs commitment to reporting
helps highlight this important issue. The advocacy of NGOs
like Save the Children and Human Rights Watch helps to inform
policy makers.

-- The international community is engaging to protect
children, but we can and must do more. Expanding the list of
triggers for the monitoring and reporting mechanism
authorized by the Security Council in Resolution 1612 to
include rape and sexual violence against children is a good
start. The current Secretary-General,s report illustrates
numerous threats to children in armed conflict, including the
alarming increased rates of rape and sexual violence. The
United States fully supports expanding the trigger to include
rape and sexual violence and applauds the Security Council
for its endorsement of today,s Presidential Statement to
this effect.
-- Beyond the Working Group, the United States is also
working hard to address children and armed conflict issues.
Through our support for international organizations such as
UNHCR and the ICRC, we are addressing the needs of refugees
and conflict victims, including children in armed conflict.
We are also supporting programs through NGO partners that
address the specific needs of children and adolescents
including primary, secondary, and vocational education.
These programs give children hope for a better future.
-- Here at home, in 2008 the United States Congress passed
the 2008 Child Soldiers Prevention Act and the Child Soldiers
Accountability Act, and we are promoting these pieces of
legislation as examples for countries around the world to use
as a basis for drafting similar domestic legislation
themselves. The Child Soldiers Prevention Act, among other
things, restricts the provision of certain types of foreign
assistance to countries whose armed forces or government-
supported armed groups unlawfully recruit or use child
soldiers and include requirements for our missions overseas
to investigate and report on the unlawful use of child
soldiers.
-- Madame Secretary, Mr. President, the Security Council and
the international community have made progress in addressing
the issue of children and armed conflict, but we should not
stop now. We have moral responsibilities to increase
protections for all children and to provide them a future
based on opportunity, not on terror and abuse. In pursuing
the fulfillment of these responsibilities, we should strive
to ensure that the kind of success achieved by heroes like
Grace Akallo, Ismael Beah and Emmanuel Jal become the rule
for children in armed conflict and not the exception. Their
achievement is our inspiration.
CLINTON