The second resolution on children and armed conflict reaffirmed that the deliberate targeting of civilians, including children, may constitute a threat to peace and security and requested the Secretary-General to continue to report to the Security Council on violations against children taking place in times of conflict.
2000 – The Adoption of Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict
The UN General Assembly adopted this Optional Protocol to protect children under 18 from recruitment and use in hostilities.
1999 – The first resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict placed the issue of children affected by war on the agenda of the Security Council. (Security Council Resolution 1261)
The first resolution (Security Council Resolution 1261) adopted by the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict placed the issue of children affected by war on the agenda of the Security Council. The Council identified and condemned grave violations committed against children in times of conflict, and requested the Secretary-General to submit a first report on children and [...]
The Security Council expressed its support for the mandate of the Special Representative in a Presidential Statement.
In her ground-breaking report presented to the General Assembly, Graça Machel, a former Minister of Education of Mozambique, highlighted the disproportionate impact of war on children and identified them as the primary victims of armed conflict. The report led to the adoption of the General Assembly’s Resolution 51/77, which created the mandate and recommended that the Secretary-General appoint [...]