This Wilton Park roundtable follows the launch earlier this year of a comprehensive study by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which analysed the evolution of the 25-year CAAC mandate, how it has been implemented and suggested ways forward.
Building on the report’s findings, this meeting will bring together representatives from supportive member states, the United Nations, regional organizations, civil society organisations, young representatives affected by conflict, legal and child right advisors and academics to discuss how actors can come together to help support, build momentum and make tangible progress in preparing the Children in Armed Conflict agenda for the future including building effective prevention practices.
This meeting has the following specific objectives:
- Identifying what practical actions and measures can be taken to better protect children in armed conflict, based on the recommendations in the 25th anniversary study.
- Identify best practices and lessons learned, as well as address the challenges and barriers to the implementation of the CAAC mandate as set out by the report.
- Provide a platform for participating states and agencies to showcase initiatives they are undertaking that contribute to the CAAC agenda in both protection and prevention.
- Explore best practices from other contexts to better understand how the children and armed conflict agenda has been advanced, with a view to identify concrete actions, strengthening linkages and partnerships. This could be at unilaterally (with the domestic implementation of CAAC commitments), bilaterally and/or at the multilateral level (UN), and ascertain where interlinkages can be made and partnerships created to amplify the work of others in order to both protect and
prevent violations against children. - Identify how children and young people’s voices are currently heard in policy discussions and engage them directly on how this can be improved to ensure their experiences inform policy development moving forward.
‘Study on the Evolution of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate 1996-2021
In association with Save the Children, War Child, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN OSRSG for Children and Armed Conflict.
(The collage shows the six grave violations against children in times of war identified and condemned by The United Nations Security Council: From top left clockwise – the killing and maiming of children; denial of humanitarian access for children; rape or other grave sexual violence; recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups; abduction of children and attacks on schools or hospitals)
Wilton Park reference number: WP2010
