A/HRC/12/49 page 14 of their best interests, bearing in mind the child’s emotional, mental and intellectual maturity, the extent of the child’s moral culpability, the possibility of alternative accountability and reconciliation mechanisms that focus on the child’s rehabilitation. If a child is to be tried in any jurisdiction for crimes, his/her treatment should be in accordance with international human rights standards specific to the rights of the child, in particular with regard to the age of criminal responsibility, fair trials, sentencing and detention. 51. Similarly, national courts trying children for international crimes must also uphold their rights in accordance with international standards for juvenile justice. For example, in Afghanistan, child protection actors have welcomed juvenile-specific provisions, including on offences relating to children associated with armed groups, in the law on combating terrorist offences adopted in 2008. The law states that when an offence has been committed by individuals below the age of 18, the 2005 juvenile code will apply. V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 52. The Special Representative welcomes and appreciates the strengthened collaboration between her Office and the United Nation human rights system, and reiterates her continued support including to share regular information and to advocate for the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Special Representative is also encouraged that information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children in armed conflict 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 have been mainstreamed by the Human Rights Council and the wider human rights system, particularly through reports submitted for the universal periodic reviews and by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. 53. The Special Representative encourages the Committee on the Rights of the Child and special procedures mandate holders, as appropriate, to continue to take account of recommendations by the Secretary-General and conclusions of the Security Council Working Group insofar as they are relevant to reporting on a particular country situation. 54. The Special Representative reiterates the recommendation made in her last report that concluding observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on reports submitted by States parties under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict should also be taken into consideration by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review when reviewing a State submission under the UPR process. More importantly, the Special Representative encourages States parties to integrate the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols in their reports submitted for the universal periodic review process. 55. Further, in the light of the information provided in sections III and IV above, the Special Representative offers the following recommendations.