SC/15429

29 SEPTEMBER 2023

Public statement by Chair of Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the third report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Nigeria (document S/2022/596), agreed to convey the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group:

To all parties to conflict in Nigeria:

• Strongly condemning all violations and abuses that continue to be committed against children by all parties to the conflict in Nigeria, noting that Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups were responsible for the vast majority of the incidents verified in the report, and noting with concern the disproportionate negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children; urging all parties to the conflict to immediately end and prevent all abuses and violations against children, including those involving the recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abduction and the denial of humanitarian access and urging all parties to comply with their obligations under international law; (2020 conclusions 5a)
• Noting with concern that access restrictions to conflict-affected areas during the reporting period presented challenges to the verification of the six grave violations against children and that the information contained in the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Nigeria (document S/2022/596) does not reflect the full impact of armed conflict on children in Nigeria; (2020 conclusions 5b and Secretary-General report paragraph 16)
• Calling upon all parties to further implement the previous conclusions of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in Nigeria (document S/AC.51/2020/4);
• Stressing the importance of accountability for all violations and abuses against children in armed conflict and stressing that all perpetrators must be brought to justice and held accountable without undue delay, including through timely and systematic investigations, and as appropriate, prosecution and conviction; to ensure that all victims have access to justice and to the medical, protection and support services that they need; (2020 conclusions paragraph 5d)
• Stressing that the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration, and that the specific needs and vulnerabilities of girls and boys, as well as children with disabilities and displaced children, should be duly considered, when planning and carrying out actions concerning children in situations of armed conflict; (Yemen 4d)
• Strongly condemning the continued recruitment and use of children, and strongly urging armed groups to immediately and without preconditions release all children associated with them, to hand them over to relevant civilian child protection actors in coordination with the respective Nigerian authorities and urging all parties to end and prevent the further recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, including the re-recruitment of children who have been released, consistent with their obligations under international law, including, as applicable, the Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict; (based on 2020 conclusions 5e, streamlined)
• Expressing deep concern about the deprivation of liberty of children for their or their parents’ association or alleged association with Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups, emphasizing that children who have been recruited by armed groups and are accused of having committed crimes during armed conflicts should be treated primarily as victims and reaffirming the importance that all actors respect the rights of children in Nigeria, including, as applicable, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2020 conclusions 5f; SG report).....

https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15429.doc.htm

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