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