A/HRC/45/55 which represents an increase of 167 per cent. MINUSCA also indicated that, in the HauteKotto prefecture, 110 children associated with armed groups and armed forces have been identified within the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique and the antibalaka. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stressed that, while it is incredibly difficult to estimate how many children remain associated with armed groups, these children are among the most vulnerable in the country and their fate remains unclear.10 These concerns are shared by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. 58. The Independent Expert urges the three ex-Séléka factions that have concluded action plans with the United Nations to prevent and halt grave violations of children’s rights to honour their commitments. He urges all armed groups to refrain from attacking civilians, to protect children and to honour their commitments under the Peace Agreement. 59. Under the National Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation, armed groups have concluded protocols and action plans with the authorities under which they have undertaken to discharge children from their ranks and to refrain from re-recruiting them. It is regrettable that, during the incidents that took place in Ndélé in March 2020, children were used by the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique and other armed groups, which continue to enlist and use them. Children’s leaving armed groups and armed forces is also dependent on the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process moving forward. It is crucial that the State implement a coordinated plan for the prevention of the conscription, enlistment and use of children in armed groups and for their reintegration, even though, admittedly, some children have been discharged following the signing of protocols with armed groups. 60. Beyond the conflict, measures should urgently be taken to ensure that children fully enjoy their rights, taking into account, in particular, the recommendations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Central African Republic (CRC/C/CAF/CO/2). To this end, the Independent Expert commends the Government on the promulgation of Act No. 20016, which provides for the prosecution of violations of children’s rights, including the conscription, enlistment and use of minors in armed groups and armed forces, as well as attacks on humanitarian personnel, schools and hospitals. This significant regulatory achievement must be translated into action through the adoption by the Central African Republic of implementation measures that will enable it to establish a domestic legal framework that is aligned with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, particularly with regard to the prevention of the conscription and use of children in armed groups and armed forces, their demobilization and their reintegration into society. 61. During the high-level interactive dialogue held during the forty-third session of the Human Rights Council, the Independent Expert drew attention to the partial or total closure of several schools as a result of the armed conflict, particularly in the hinterland. This situation forces children to leave education and makes them vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and recruitment by armed groups. 62. The Independent Expert urges the Central African authorities to strengthen existing initiatives and to prioritize investment in youth. Such investment will ensure that young people are engaged in meaningful activities, prevent their enlistment by armed groups and address mass youth unemployment and, in so doing, reduce their exposure to extremist discourse and manipulation, and foster the development of young people’s full potential under the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan. 63. The Independent Expert was informed that several Central African children, including children displaced or affected by the conflict, are reportedly not registered with 10 GE.20-10998 UNICEF, “One year on from peace agreement, millions of children in the Central African Republic remain at risk”, press release, 6 February 2020. 11