A/HRC/28/54 the Peace and Security Department of the African Union Commission, in partnership with UNICEF. In October 2014, the Special Representative attended the African Union Fifth High-Level Retreat on Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa, in Tanzania, which provided the opportunity to exchange on issues relating to the children and armed conflict agenda with senior African Union officials. With regard to the implementation of the Declaration of Intent, a workplan is being developed with the support of a Child Protection Advisor of the Peace and Security Department to mainstream and devise strategies for the protection of children affected by armed conflict, especially as it relates to the African Union’s activities in the areas of peace and security. 40. Tangible progress has also been made in developing a framework of cooperation between the Office of the Special Representative and the League of Arab States to mainstream child protection in the League’s peace and security agenda. The Cooperation Agreement, signed on 22 September 2014, aims to enhance coordination and information flow between the two entities, and a workplan is being developed with the aim of assisting member States to mainstream child protection concerns into their policies and programmes, identifying a high-level focal point for children and armed conflict within the League and encouraging all its member States to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. 41. The Special Representative continues to work with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to integrate the children and armed conflict agenda into their policies, procedures and training. At the NATO Wales Summit in September 2014, NATO Allies reaffirmed their commitment to carrying out their responsibilities to mainstream child protection in the planning and conduct of its operations and missions, as well as in its training, monitoring and reporting. In that regard, the Special Representative welcomes NATO’s plans to adjust its military guidelines on children and armed conflict to ensure that troops are sufficiently prepared whenever and wherever the issue is likely to be encountered. The inclusion of a Children and Armed Conflict Advisor in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan is also a welcome step that will improve the capacity of NATO troops and national authorities with regard to children and armed conflict issues. 42. In December 2014, the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights and Committee on Foreign Affairs held a special hearing on the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers”. The Special Representative briefed parliamentarians on progress achieved since the launch of the campaign and highlighted challenges and ways for the European Union to support the objectives of the campaign. While in Brussels, the Special Representative met with the Managing Director for Multilateral Affairs of the European External Action Service and members of the Political and Security Committee to consider opportunities for reinforcing the existing collaboration. In December 2014, the European Parliament created an Intergroup on Children’s Rights to mainstream the needs and protection of children across all parliamentary committees. IX. Field visits by the Special Representative 43. During the reporting period, the Special Representative continued to use field visits as a key advocacy tool for engaging with governments and non-State armed actors, fostering constructive relations and gaining commitments from parties to conflict to end grave violations against children. She visited the Central African Republic (December 2013), Yemen (May 2014), South Sudan (June 2014) and Somalia (August 2014). 12