United Nations Security Council Resolution 1261
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1261, adopted unanimously on August 25, 1999, in the first resolution to address the topic, the Council condemned the targeting of children in armed conflict
including the recruitment and use of child soldiers
.
The Security Council was informed prior to the adoption of the resolution that 300,000 children from the age of seven or eight were serving as soldiers, guerrillas
or supporting roles in armed conflicts in more than 30 countries around the world. It was also told that wars within the past decade, armed conflicts had killed 2 million children.
, including the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
which prohibits forced conscription
of children under the age of fifteen in armed forces
or the participation in war crime
s.
ren and the long-term effects on peace, security and development. It strongly condemned the targeting of children in conflict via murder
, mutilation
, sexual violence
, abduction
, displacement
or use in the military. All concerned parties were called upon to comply with their obligations under international law, in particular the Geneva Conventions
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and violators and bring violators to justice. The parties were also urged to ensure the protection of children (particularly with respect to gender-based violence) and to take their welfare and rights seriously during peace negotiations and additionally to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid
to children.
The Council supported the efforts of the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), United Nations Commission on Human Rights
and Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict. It underlined the importance of the safety, security and freedom of movement
for United Nations and humanitarian personnel and urged all countries and the United Nations system to ensure an end to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict through political efforts and the demilitarisation
, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers. The Council recalled the provisions of Resolution 1209
(1998) concerning the effects of the proliferation of arms on vulnerable groups, particularly children and in this regard reminded states to restrict arms transfers that would provoke or prolong conflict.
The resolution reaffirmed the Security Council's readiness when dealing with situation of children in armed conflict to:
ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and taking into account the needs of children; support the protection and resettlement
of displaced children through the UNHCR and others; consider the impact on children when adopting measures under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter
concerning sanctions; consider appropriate responses when buildings or sites used by children were targeted in armed conflict.
Finally, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
was asked to ensure that United Nations personnel had appropriate training on the rights and welfare of children and to report to the Council by July 31, 2000 on the implementation of the current resolution.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1261, adopted unanimously on August 25, 1999, in the first resolution to address the topic, the Council condemned the targeting of children in armed conflict
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
including the recruitment and use of child soldiers
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
.
The Security Council was informed prior to the adoption of the resolution that 300,000 children from the age of seven or eight were serving as soldiers, guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
or supporting roles in armed conflicts in more than 30 countries around the world. It was also told that wars within the past decade, armed conflicts had killed 2 million children.
Observations
The preamble of the resolution noted recent efforts to bring to an end the use of child soldiers in violation of international lawInternational law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, including the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999
The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental...
and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court . It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of 13 October 2011, 119 states are party to the statute...
which prohibits forced conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
of children under the age of fifteen in armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
or the participation in war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s.
Acts
The Security Council expressed concern at the effect of armed conflict on childChild
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren and the long-term effects on peace, security and development. It strongly condemned the targeting of children in conflict via murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, mutilation
Mutilation
Mutilation or maiming is an act of physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of any living body, usually without causing death.- Usage :...
, sexual violence
Sexual violence
Sexual violence occurs throughout the world, although in most countries there has been little research conducted on the problem. Due to the private nature of sexual violence, estimating the extent of the problem is difficult...
, abduction
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
, displacement
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
or use in the military. All concerned parties were called upon to comply with their obligations under international law, in particular the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
and violators and bring violators to justice. The parties were also urged to ensure the protection of children (particularly with respect to gender-based violence) and to take their welfare and rights seriously during peace negotiations and additionally to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
to children.
The Council supported the efforts of the United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
(UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR), United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
and Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent her/him in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues...
for Children and Armed Conflict. It underlined the importance of the safety, security and freedom of movement
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...
for United Nations and humanitarian personnel and urged all countries and the United Nations system to ensure an end to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict through political efforts and the demilitarisation
Demilitarisation
Demilitarisation or demilitarization is the reduction of a nation's army, weapons, or military vehicles to an agreed minimum. Demilitarisation is usually the result of a peace treaty ending a war or a major conflict....
, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers. The Council recalled the provisions of Resolution 1209
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1209
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1209, adopted unanimously on November 19, 1998, after recalling resolutions 1170 and 1196 on Africa, the Council addressed illicit arms flows on the continent.-Observations:...
(1998) concerning the effects of the proliferation of arms on vulnerable groups, particularly children and in this regard reminded states to restrict arms transfers that would provoke or prolong conflict.
The resolution reaffirmed the Security Council's readiness when dealing with situation of children in armed conflict to:
ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and taking into account the needs of children; support the protection and resettlement
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
of displaced children through the UNHCR and others; consider the impact on children when adopting measures under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
concerning sanctions; consider appropriate responses when buildings or sites used by children were targeted in armed conflict.
Finally, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
was asked to ensure that United Nations personnel had appropriate training on the rights and welfare of children and to report to the Council by July 31, 2000 on the implementation of the current resolution.
See also
- List of international instruments relevant to the worst forms of child labour
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1201 to 1300 (1998 – 2000)
- Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed ConflictOptional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflictThe United Nations General Assembly adopted the Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Annex I of a resolution on 25 May 2000.The protocol came into force on 12 February 2002....
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1314United Nations Security Council Resolution 1314United Nations Security Council Resolution 1314, adopted unanimously on August 11, 2000, after recalling Resolution 1261 on children and armed conflict and other resolutions including 1265 , 1296 and 1306 , the Council expressed concern at the impact of conflict upon children and the use of child...