United Nations Security Council Resolution 1314 – Children and Armed Conflict
Resolution 1314 (2000)
The Security Council,
Recalling its resolution 1261 (1999) of 28 August 1999,
Further recalling its resolutions 1265 (1999) of 17 September 1999, 1296(2000) of 19 April 2000, 1306 (2000) of 5 July 2000 and the statements of itsPresident of 29 June 1998 (S/PRST/1998/18), 12 February 1999 (S/PRST/1999/6), 8July 1999 (S/PRST/1999/21), 30 November 1999 (S/PRST/1999/34) and 20 July2000 (S/PRST/25),
Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly on 25 May 2000 of theOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvementof children in armed conflict,
Bearing in mind the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UnitedNations, and the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenanceof international peace and security,
Underlining the need for all parties concerned to comply with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and with the rules and principles of internationallaw, in particular international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, and toimplement fully the relevant decisions of the Security Council, and recalling therelevant provisions on the protection of children contained in International LabourOrganization Convention No. 182 on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, the Rome Statute of theInternational Criminal Court and the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of theUse, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on TheirDestruction,
Noting the regional initiatives on war-affected children, including within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the West African Conferenceon War-Affected Children held in Accra, Ghana, in April 2000, and the forthcoming International Conference on War-Affected Children to be held in Winnipeg, Canadafrom 10 to 17 September 2000,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 19 July 2000 on the implementation of resolution 1261 (1999) on Children and Armed Conflict(S/2000/712),
- Reaffirms its strong condemnation of the deliberate targeting of childrenin situations of armed conflict and the harmful and widespread impact of armedconflict on children, and the long-term consequences this has for durable peace,security and development;
2. Emphasizes the responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity andto prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and warcrimes, and, in this regard, stresses the need to exclude these, where feasible, fromamnesty provisions and relevant legislation;
3. Urges all parties to armed conflict to respect fully international lawapplicable to the rights and protection of children in armed conflict, in particular theGeneva Conventions of 1949 and the obligations applicable to them under theAdditional Protocols thereto of 1977, the United Nations Convention on the Rightsof the Child of 1989 and the Optional Protocol thereto of 25 May 2000, and to bearin mind the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International CriminalCourt;
4. Urges Member States in a position to do so to sign and ratify theOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvementof Children in Armed Conflict;
5. Expresses support for the ongoing work of the Special Representative ofthe Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, other partsof the United Nations system and other relevant international organizations dealingwith children affected by armed conflict;
6. Urges Member States and parties to armed conflict to provide protectionand assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons, as appropriate, the vastmajority of whom are women and children;
7. Calls upon all parties to armed conflict to ensure the full, safe andunhindered access of humanitarian personnel and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all children affected by armed conflict;
8. Expresses its grave concern at the linkages between the illicit trade innatural resources and armed conflict, as well as the linkages between the illicittrafficking in small arms and light weapons and armed conflict, which can prolongarmed conflict and intensify its impact on children, and in this regard expresses itsintention to consider taking appropriate steps, in accordance with the Charter of theUnited Nations;
9. Notes that the deliberate targeting of civilian populations or otherprotected persons, including children, and the committing of systematic, flagrantand widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law,including that relating to children, in situations of armed conflict may constitute athreat to international peace and security, and in this regard reaffirms its readiness toconsider such situations and, where necessary to adopt appropriate steps;
10. Urges all parties to abide by the concrete commitments they have madeto the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and ArmedConflict as well as relevant United Nations bodies to ensure the protection ofchildren in situations of armed conflict;
11. Requests parties to armed conflict to include, where appropriate,provisions for the protection of children, including the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of child combatants, in peace negotiations and in peace agreements and the involvement of children, where possible, in these processes;
12. Reaffirms its readiness to continue to include, where appropriate, childprotection advisers in future peacekeeping operations;
13. Underlines the importance of giving consideration to the special needsand particular vulnerabilities of girls affected by armed conflict, including, interalia, those heading households, orphaned, sexually exploited and used ascombatants, and urges that their human rights, protection and welfare beincorporated in the development of policies and programmes, including those forprevention, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration;
14. Reiterates the importance of ensuring that children continue to have access to basic services during the conflict and post-conflict periods, including, inter alia, education and health care;
15. Indicates its willingness, when imposing measures under Article 41 ofthe Charter of the United Nations, to consider assessing the potential unintendedconsequences of sanctions on children and to take appropriate steps to minimizesuch consequences;
16. Welcomes recent initiatives by regional and subregional organizations andarrangements for the protection of children affected by armed conflict, and urgesthem to:
(a) Consider establishing, within their secretariats, child protection units forthe development and implementation of policies, activities and advocacy for the benefit of children affected by armed conflict, including children in the design andimplementation of such policies and programmes where possible;
(b) Consider including child protection staff in their peace and field operations and providing training to members of their peace and field operations onthe rights and protection of women and children;
(c) Undertake initiatives to curb the cross-border activities deleterious to children in times of armed conflict, such as the cross-border recruitment andabduction of children, the illicit movement of small arms and the illicit trade innatural resources;
(d) Allocate resources, as applicable, during policy and programmedevelopment for the benefit of children affected by armed conflict;
(e) Integrate a gender perspective into all policies, programmes and projects;
(f) Consider declaring regional initiatives towards full implementation of the prohibition of the use of child soldiers in violation of international law;
17. Encourages Member States, relevant parts of the United Nations systemand regional organizations and arrangements to undertake efforts to obtain therelease of children abducted during armed conflict and their family reunification;
18. Urges Member States and relevant parts of the United Nations system tostrengthen the capacities of national institutions and local civil society for ensuringthe sustainability of local initiatives for the protection of children;
19. Calls on Member States, relevant parts of the United Nations system, andcivil society to encourage the involvement of young persons in programmes forpeace consolidation and peace-building;
20. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to include in his writtenreports to the Council on matters of which the Council is seized, as appropriate,observations relating to the protection of children in armed conflict;
21. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Security Council on the implementation of this resolution and of resolution 1261 (1999) by 31 July, 2001;
22. Decides to remain actively seized of this matter.
Adopted by the Security Council at its 4185th meeting, on 11 August 2000.
