A/HRC/43/38 the Force de résistance patriotique de l’Ituri, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including child recruitment and use and sexual violence, began. The trial of Cheka, former commander of Nduma défense du Congo-Cheka, for war crimes, including child recruitment and use and sexual violence, is ongoing. Additionally, the sentencing in 2018 of Dominique Buyenge Birihanze, former commander of the Patriotes résistants congolais, to life imprisonment for child recruitment was confirmed on appeal in 2019. 48. Incorporating the provisions of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and criminalizing grave violations against children in national legislation are important steps to lay the foundation to hold perpetrators to account. As mentioned above, legislative measures were taken in 2019 to that end by several countries on the children and armed conflict agenda. 49. Throughout 2019 the Special Representative continued to encourage States to prioritize accountability efforts. She regularly called for the adoption of legislation criminalizing grave violations against children and for the swift investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, while respecting due process. She also continued to advocate for the inclusion and implementation of accountability provisions in action plans signed between the United Nations and parties listed in the annexes to the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict (A/73/907–S/2019/509). 50. At the international level, on 7 November 2019, the International Criminal Court sentenced Bosco Ntaganda, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander of Operations of the Union des patriotes congolais pour la paix/Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo, to 30 years of imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 2002 and 2003 in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, including rape, sexual slavery, and enlisting and conscripting children under 15 years of age into an armed group and using them to participate actively in hostilities. On 11 December 2019, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court confirmed charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Alfred Yekatom (alias Rambo) and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, both former anti-balaka leaders in the Central African Republic. In confirming the charges, it found that there were substantial grounds to believe that Alfred Yekatom had committed the war crime of recruiting and using children under the age of 15 years to participate in hostilities. V. Awareness-raising and mobilizing global action 51. Throughout 2019 the Special Representative continued to raise public awareness and mobilize global action, including through field visits, the launch of a new campaign, the collection of best practices and lessons learned, the Global Coalition for the Reintegration of Child Soldiers and engagement with a broad range of actors. A. Field visits 52. The Special Representative and her Office continued to use visits to countries on the children and armed conflict agenda and international high-level events to raise awareness and advocate for the protection of children affected by conflict. 53. In January and March 2019, the Special Representative travelled to Riyadh, the headquarters of the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen, to sign a memorandum of understanding to improve the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Yemen. 54. In May 2019, the Special Representative visited the Central African Republic and met with, among others, senior government officials and representatives of armed groups who were signatories to the agreement for peace and reconciliation in 2019. She advocated for the full implementation of the action plan of 2018, signed by the Mouvement patriotique pour la Centrafrique and called upon other listed armed groups to adopt and implement action plans. As previously mentioned, two new action plans were signed in June and August 2019. The Special Representative also encouraged the Government to develop a national plan to prevent grave violations against children. In Bangui and Kaga Bandoro, she 10