Canada’s National Statement – United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict

New York, 28 June 2021

Madam President,

Thank you to Estonia for convening the Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict to consider the findings of the Secretary-General’s report

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past year has been one like no other, with significant setbacks around the world to the hard-fought progress in defending the rights of children affected by conflict.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and South Sudan, for example, children are still being recruited and used by armed forces and armed groups. In Afghanistan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Syria, children continue to be killed and maimed. And, while not covered in the Secretary-General’s report, the credible reports of widespread sexual violence against children, particularly girls, in Tigray, Ethiopia, are deeply disturbing.

Moreover, contrary to international law, attacks against schools and hospitals have occurred or are ongoing in Cameroon, Nigeria, Syria, and elsewhere. We condemn in the strongest terms the deliberate strikes against a medical facility in Atarib, northern Aleppo, Syria, in March 2021, and the June 2021 attack on Al-Shifaa Hospital in Afrin that killed and injured several children.

Such trends are not only concerning; in our eyes they are unacceptable. Canada condemns all grave violations committed against children and we will continue working with partners to help prevent and end such violations, including by holding perpetrators accountable.  

Madam President,

Canada strongly supports the impartiality and independence of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM), which is one of the most critical tools in promoting truth and accountability for grave violations against children.

The MRM’s work, and the CAAC agenda, are strengthened by the application of clear, consistent, and evidence-based criteria in the listing and de-listing of parties responsible for grave violations against children.

Canada will continue to advocate for these principles to be upheld to the highest standard, including in our capacity as chair of the Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict in New York.

In addition to our work in at the UN, Canada also co-chairs Groups of Friends in Colombia, Philippines, South Sudan, and Sudan; a testament to our global commitment and engagement in support of the CAAC agenda.

The Group of Friends in South Sudan, co-chaired by Canada and South Africa, advocates for and supports South Sudan in implementing its Comprehensive Action Plan to end and prevent all grave violations against children, and encourages South Sudan to endorse key instruments, like the Vancouver Principles.

In Colombia, Canada and Sweden, as co-chairs the Group of Friends, held virtual visits to assess the situation facing children in areas of the country where recruitment is on the rise due to COVID-19.

We remain committed to help build stronger links and synergies between these groups to support the CAAC agenda around the world.

Madam President,

Since their launch in 2017, the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers have been endorsed by an ever-growing number of UN Member States.

As of today, 102 countries have formally committed to working to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers in places where UN Peacekeeping missions operate. This commitment takes many forms, from providing adequate training to their own peacekeepers, to ensuring that peacekeeping missions are adequately resourced to address recruitment and use of children.

Canada recognizes and congratulates those countries that have endorsed the Principles since the last Security Council Open Debate on Children in Armed Conflict in 2020, namely, Qatar, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Ghana, and Togo. We hope that even more UN Member States will join us in reinforcing the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers through peacekeeping.

We also look forward to advancing the concrete implementation of the Vancouver Principles in all aspects of UN peacekeeping. At the national level, the Canadian Armed Forces Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security is facilitating implementation of the Vancouver Principles.  Key to this is the development of doctrine that outlines the range of tasks the military can perform in preventing the recruitment and use of children as soldiers. These tasks, informed by research and consultation with civil society actors, will influence policy, processes and training of Canadian military peacekeepers, making them better prepared to prevent recruitment. We look forward to sharing this with other partners. 

Madam President,

It is imperative that we work together to better align peacekeeping mandates with resources, including dedicated child protection capacity and expertise. Encouragingly, the latest report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations calls for the swift deployment of senior child protection advisors and teams to UN peacekeeping operations. As members of the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, currently studying peacekeeping budgets, we have an opportunity to ensure that child protection remains a priority, particularly for missions that have specific child protection mandates.

Canada reiterates our strong support for these specialized protection actors, who contribute to early warning and comprehensive, integrated, and gender-sensitive responses.

Madam President,

Canada will continue to use its voice and provide resources to ensure that children are adequately protected in situations of armed conflict.

For instance, in Cameroon, Canada’s funding to Plan International helps address urgent humanitarian needs of up to 20,380 IDPs and other conflict-affected people, of which approximately 9,500 are boys and girls. This includes the establishment of community-based safe spaces and structures, the delivery of comprehensive age- and gender-responsive and inclusive case management support services to vulnerable children, including survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and the delivery of family tracing and reunification support to unaccompanied and separated children.

In South Sudan, Canada is supporting a project led by the Dallaire Institute to build the capacity of security sector actors to prioritize the issue of child soldiers, prevent the recruitment of children, and prevent sexual violence perpetrated against child associated with armed groups. Since inception, the project has reached 5,031 members of South Sudan’s unified forces. The project also involves working closely with South Sudanese civil society and women-led organizations to prevent at-risk boys and girls from being recruited as child soldiers.

We look forward to continuing to work with our partners around the world to help put an end to grave violations against children affected by conflict, no matter where they occur.   

Thank you.