A/HRC/15/58
67.
The international community is urged to continue to mobilize its energies
towards: advocating unequivocally for 18 as the minimum age for recruitment and
participation in hostilities; exerting international pressure on parties that continue to
recruit and use children; monitoring and compelling adherence by parties to conflict
to commitments made to protect children, and holding them accountable for failure to
comply with international standards; addressing the political, social and economic
factors that facilitate the recruitment and use of children; and responding to the
rehabilitation and reintegration needs of former child soldiers.
Universal periodic review
68.
During the universal periodic review process, States are urged to systematically
include in their recommendations to the State under review, specific references to any
information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations
against children established in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612
(2005), as well as conclusions adopted by the Security Council Working Group on
Children and Armed Conflict, as appropriate.
69.
Concluding observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on
reports submitted by State parties under the Optional Protocol to the Convention
should also be taken into consideration by the Working Group on the UPR when
reviewing a State submission under the UPR process.
70.
As the end of the first UPR cycle is approaching, States should begin paying
particular attention to the implementation of relevant recommendations by the
Working Group on the UPR, with the assistance of the international community,
wherever it is needed.
Special procedures
71.
All special procedures mandate holders are urged to continue to take into
account during their missions the challenges faced by children, as well as in their
reports and recommendations, insofar as they are relevant to their respective
mandates, and to bring those concerns to the attention of the Special Representative.
Human Rights Council
72.
The Human Rights Council is encouraged, when considering or adopting
resolutions on country-specific situations or thematic issues, to include therein
recommendations on, or references to, protection of children affected by armed
conflict.
73.
Member States which bear a central and immediate political, legal and moral
responsibility, should comply with international law for the protection of children
within their territories. They should take strong and urgent action to bring to justice
individuals responsible for the recruitment and use of children in the armed forces or
armed groups, and their use in hostilities, in violation of applicable international law.
They should also take action against other grave violations against children through
national justice systems, including undertaking appropriate reforms of national
legislation for the protection of children, in order to bring laws into line with
international obligations, as well as strengthening child-protection capacity and
training for the military, the police, and law enforcement and judiciary officials within
national security sector reform efforts.
16
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