Evolution of the United Nations protection agenda for children affected by armed conflict: towards an ‘era of application’ of international standards
- Document number
- 2153
- Date
- 2007
- Title
- Evolution of the United Nations protection agenda for children affected by armed conflict: towards an ‘era of application’ of international standards
- Author/publisher
- Tonderai W. Chikuhwa
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- Research/Study/Analysis,
- Keywords
- Violence, Human rights violation, Crime against humanity, War crime, Armed conflict, Post-conflict situation, Terrorism,
- Summary
- This paper traces the evolution of the United Nations protection agenda for children affected by armed conflict (CAAC) since the publication in 1996 of the seminal report of Graca Machel entitled The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children" This report was so profoundly disturbing in its articulation of the plight of children in situations of armed conflict, that it galvanized the resolve of member states of the United Nations to address this problem in a more concerted and systematic manner. As a step towards this end, in 1997 the General Assembly accepted one of the key recommendations of Graca Machel to establish the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, as the convening focal point for the United Nations protection agenda for CAAC. This essay highlights some of the notable progress that has been registered for CAAC in the ten years since the Graca Machel report, focusing in particular on the strategic engagement of the Security Council on CAAC.
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