Report of the special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict

This report assesses the progress that has been made in mainstreaming the concerns of war-affected children in the United Nations system, and identifies the gaps that still exist.

The report finds that notable progress has been made, particularly in the systematic and concerted engagement of the Security Council and the integration of children’s issues in the context of United Nations peacekeeping and into relevant thematic activities across the United Nations system. It also finds that executive coordination mechanisms have proved useful forums for advocating and pushing for the mainstreaming in the United Nations system of the issue of children affected by armed conflict. However, this progress needs to be consolidated and institutionalised.

There also remain many gaps that the United Nations system must address. The paper makes a number of recommendations for the integration of the issue of children affected by armed conflict into UN Systems:

• Security Council: heads of peace missions and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations should institute specific procedures to ensure the implementation of the Security Council’s stipulation in its resolutions 1460 (2003) and 1539 (2004), that the protection of children in armed conflict be included as a specific aspect in all country-specific reports
• Peacekeeping operations: ensure that effective monitoring and reporting and the provision of training, the number of child protection advisers, and their roles, be systematically assessed during the preparation of each United Nations peacekeeping operation
• Key United Nations-led institutional processes: the United Nations entities that lead key institutional processes, particularly CAP (Consolidated Appeals Process), the poverty reduction strategy paper and the common country assessment-UNDAF (United Nations Development Assistance Framework), should ensure that concerns relating to children affected by armed conflict are systematically and explicitly integrated into these frameworks
• Internal mainstreaming within key United Nations institutions: all relevant United Nations entities should designate focal points at a senior level and ensure the allocation of adequate financial and human resources within all relevant offices and departments, and on the ground. Periodic assessment against the mainstreaming criteria should be undertaken to judge the progress of relevant United Nations entities in mainstreaming issues relating to children affected by armed conflict in their institutions and domains
• Country-level mainstreaming: establish a monitoring and reporting mechanism at the country level, make strong commitment of the country-level leadership of all operational United Nations entities, and ensure adequate allocation of resources and expertise within their institutions.