A/HRC/31/19 Palestine. The Special Representative remains deeply concerned about the increasing number of attacks on schools in those countries, despite the fact that schools have protected status as civilian objects under international humanitarian law. The Special Representative highlighted these issues during a high-level meeting entitled “Ensuring the inclusion of the right to education in emergencies in the post-2015 development agenda”, held on the margins of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, in September 2015. The Special Representative also emphasized the need for funding for education in emergencies during the Law, Justice and Development Week organized by the World Bank in November 2015. 25. Attacks against schools, teachers and students during armed conflicts are particularly worrying as they interfere with education precisely when it can be of most benefit, not only to teach essential life skills but also to promote respect, tolerance and understanding, all of which are vital for social reconstruction and cohesion. Affected populations often view education as essential to both their short- and long-term well-being, as it helps mitigate the psychological and social impacts of conflict by creating a sense of normality, stability, structure and hope and, therefore, to overcome a crisis. All parties to a conflict have a responsibility to ensure safe access to education. It is essential that there be continuous engagement with non-State armed groups on the protection of education to remind their leadership of their obligations to avoid interfering with education, whether directly or indirectly. 26. The Special Representative welcomes the international community’s increasing attention to the issue of the military use of schools, in particular with the adoption, at a conference held in Oslo on 28 and 29 May 2015, of the Safe Schools Declaration. In that regard, the Special Representative highlights the May 2014 guidance note entitled “Protect schools and hospitals: end attacks on education and health care”, prepared jointly by the Office of the Special Representative and other entities of the United Nations system. The guidance note includes a draft operational strategy for preventing the military use of schools. The Special Representative also commends the efforts of the Human Rights Council to dedicate attention to the continuing attacks on education around the world as a gross violation of human rights, particularly through Council resolution 29/7 on the right to education, adopted on 2 July 2015. The Special Representative will continue to support these efforts through the monitoring and reporting mechanism and sustained advocacy, with the hope of curbing such violations and promoting children’s right to education. III. Ending grave violations of the rights of children in armed conflict A. “Children, Not Soldiers” campaign 27. The momentum generated by the “Children, Not Soldiers” campaign remained strong throughout the reporting period and notable progress was achieved. The campaign, launched jointly with UNICEF in March 2014 to end the recruitment and use of children by national security forces in conflict, continued to mobilize political support, provide technical assistance and assist Governments concerned in implementing action plans and taking measures to end the recruitment of children and promote accountability. The campaign benefited from strong support from Member States, regional organizations and a wide range of civil society partners. 28. The Special Representative’s high-level advocacy, combined with the commitment of the Governments concerned and support from UNICEF, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the Secretariat and other United Nations and civil society partners, resulted in 9