PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

At a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon, Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, marked the end of the first three-year period of his mandate, referring to it as "the coming of age". He believed that, in light of his report to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), it was an opportune time to review the tangible progress made in pushing forward the agenda for the protection of children affected by conflict.

Most notable was the fact that the issue had been placed high on the political agenda, particularly in the Security Council, which had affirmed that the fate of children affected by conflict was a peace and security concern. In addition, he noted, all of the regional organizations had embraced the agenda as their own. The new bond between 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the 15-member European Union, as manifested in their Partnership Agreement, incorporated provisions on child rights and war-affected children. That was a first for an international cooperation agreement.

Moreover, the level of public awareness had grown considerably, he continued. The Security Council had begun to systemically incorporate child protection into peacekeeping mandates, as took place in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A significant innovation has been the creation of child protection advisers, to be attached directly to the political structure within peacekeeping missions. New conflicts now generated two thematic questions: How did it affect children? and what could the Security Council do to respond to the situation of children?.

Similarly, he added in post-conflict situations, ensuring that the needs of children were central had become the norm, as observed in East Timor, in Kosovo and in Sierra Leone. For the first time, through direct engagement and field visits, it had been possible to get a number of parties in conflict -- not only the State, but non-State actors as well -- to make formal measures to protect children.

He then went on to cite the development of specific instruments to protect the rights of children: the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1998, which classified war crimes against children; the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which came into force in November 1999; and the International Labour Organisation Convention 182 (adopted in 1999), which set 18 as the minimum age for forced recruitment into the armed forces and defined child soldiering as one of the worst forms of child labour.

Finally, at the beginning of the year, international consensus was achieved on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he continued. That was a major victory for children, because, at the moment, 70 countries had signed the Protocol. Further, he found encouragement in the proliferation of local initiatives in countries affected by conflict, such as a National Commission for Children in Sierra Leone and an ongoing debate to establish a similar institution in Northern Ireland.

He said other positive steps included: a new law in Rwanda giving young girls the right to inherit property; an initiative in Sri Lanka whereby children were called a zone of peace; and the eminent persons group in Liberia devoted to

Otunnu Briefing - 2 - 11 October 2000

promoting the protection of children. He also took note of the work of non- governmental organizations in galvanizing advocacy programmes within countries and across borders, facilitating developments on the ground.

For the next three-year period, he envisioned: emphasis on follow-up activities and programmes in areas where tangible progress had been made; a need to "consolidate gains" and make them sustainable in the long term; a focus on other areas given less attention, for example, illicit trade that fed war machines; reaching out to young people, communities of faith and women's groups to make them part of the movement to protect children; and giving special attention to particular areas of vulnerability, specifically, girls affected by conflict, displaced children, abducted children and addressing the phenomenon of HIV/AIDS in the corridors of armed conflict.

“Ultimately, what are the collective ambitions for governments?" he asked. The aim should be to channel various actions and initiatives into a critical mass of activities benefiting children; to build a culture of advocacy for protection of children affected by conflict, which would become self-sustaining beyond lifespan of Special Representative's mandate; establishment of international and local norms; and to engender a major political and social movement for children. He closed by saying that his Office would continue to work in the area as advocate, catalyst, convenor, facilitator and cheerleader.

A correspondent asked whether the manpower and financing provided by the United Nations were sufficient to carry out the mandate efficiently

The Special Representative responded that the resources, the capacity and the means at his disposal were not adequate for the task. At the same time, he was grateful for the generous contributions to his Office, which was entirely funded through voluntary contributions. On the matter of staffing, he counted four Professional staff members, one communications person and two consultants.

In response to a question on whether children should be tried in Sierra Leone, the Special Representative said that the report of the Secretary-General on punishment for those who might have committed atrocities would lead to rehabilitative options, a measure which he strongly supported. "In the judicial process, the principles and procedures of juvenile justice should be scrupulously adhered to", he said. Complete impunity should not apply for those age 15 and above, but the young person was made accountable and, once found guilty, would be sent into rehabilitation and not punished as the adult. That was important for long-term reconciliation, he added.

A correspondent said that the Special Representative had contradicted himself on the matter. He responded that it was a challenge for the courts, which had to get to the bottom of the facts by gathering evidence. Notwithstanding, he felt that the numbers involved would not be large.

Another correspondent asked if the Special Representative had seemed to concentrate his activities in Africa and whether he would take up problems in Haiti and in Latin America.

He did not believe it to be entirely true that he concentrated on Africa, but rather that the African continent was the most touched by the incidence of conflict. His Office had been deeply involved in Kosovo, East Timor, Sri Lanka and Colombia. "The only defining element, obviously, is that it should be a situation arising in the context of armed conflict", he said.

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