Security Council resolution 2143 (2014) [on children and armed conflict]
Symbol: S/RES/2143 (2014)
Date: 2014-03-07
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/69 [187] CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS
Subjects: UN. Children, Not Soldiers Campaign|CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS|RIGHTS OF THE CHILD|CHILD SOLDIERS|CHILD SAFETY
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ARGENTINA
vote: yes
country: AUSTRALIA
vote: yes
country: CHAD
vote: yes
country: CHILE
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JORDAN
vote: yes
country: LITHUANIA
vote: yes
country: LUXEMBOURG
vote: yes
country: NIGERIA
vote: yes
country: REPUBLIC OF KOREA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: RWANDA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/2143 (2014)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                7 March 2014




               Resolution 2143 (2014)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 7129th meeting, on
               7 March 2014

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming its resolutions 1261 (1999) of 25 August 1999, 1314 (2000) of
               11 August 2000, 1379 (2001) of 20 November 2001, 1460 (2003) of 30 January
               2003, 1539 (2004) of 22 April 2004, 1612 (2005) of 26 July 2005, 1882 (2009) of
               4 August 2009, 1998 (2011) of 12 July 2011 and 2068 (2012) of 19 September 2012,
               and the Statements of its President on 24 July 2006 (S/PRST/2006/33),
               28 November 2006 (S/PRST/2006/48), 12 February 2008 (S/PRST/2008/6), 17 July
               2008 (S/PRST/2008/28), 29 April 2009 (S/PRST/2009/9), 16 June 2010
               (S/PRST/2010/10) and 17 June 2013 (S/PRST/2013/8), which contribute to a
               comprehensive framework for addressing the protection of children affected by
               armed conflict,
                     Acknowledging that its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009), 1998 (2011) and
               2068 (2012) and the Statements of its President on children and armed conflict have
               generated progress in preventing and responding to violations and abuses committed
               against children, in particular in the demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration
               of thousands of children, the signing of action plans between parties to armed
               conflict and the United Nations and the delisting of parties to conflict from the
               Annexes to the Secretary-General’s annual report,
                    Remaining however deeply concerned over the lack of progress on the ground
               in some situations of concern, where parties to conflict continue to violate with
               impunity the relevant provisions of applicable international law relating to the rights
               and protection of children in armed conflict,
                     Recalling that all parties to armed conflict must comply strictly with the
               obligations applicable to them under international law for the protection of children
               in armed conflict, including those contained in the Convention on the Rights of the
               Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of Children in armed conflict, as
               well as the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and their Additional Protocols of
               1977,
                     Noting that Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes
               the right of the child to education and sets forth obligations for State parties to the
               Convention, with a view to progressively achieving this right on the basis of equal
               opportunity,

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                    Expressing deep concern about the military use of schools by armed forces and
               non-State armed groups in contravention of applicable international law, including
               those involving their use as military barracks, weapons storage facilities, command
               centres, detention and interrogation sites and firing and observation positions,
                    Expressing further concern regarding the high number of children that are
               being killed and maimed in conflict and post-conflict situations by landmines,
               explosive remnants of war, improvised explosive devices and other unexploded
               ordnance,
                    Convinced that the protection of children in armed conflict should be an
               important aspect of any comprehensive strategy to resolve conflict and build peace,
                     Recalling the responsibility of all Member States to comply with their
               respective obligations to end impunity and to investigate and prosecute those
               responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other egregious
               crimes perpetrated against children; and noting that the fight against impunity for
               the most serious crimes of international concern committed against children has
               been strengthened through the work on and prosecution of these crimes by the
               International Criminal Court, ad hoc and mixed tribunals and specialized chambers
               in national tribunals,
                     Acknowledging the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty and noting that in line
               with the provisions in Article 7(4) of the Treaty exporting States Parties shall take
               into account the risk of covered conventional arms or items being used to commit or
               facilitate serious acts of violence against children,
                    Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international
               peace and security and, in this connection, its commitment to address the
               widespread impact of armed conflict on children,
                     Stressing the primary role of Governments in providing protection and relief to
               all children affected by armed conflict, recognizing the importance of strengthening
               national capacities in this regard and reiterating that all action undertaken by United
               Nations entities within the framework of the monitoring and reporting mechanism
               must be designed to support and supplement, as appropriate, the protection and
               rehabilitation roles of national Governments,
                     Recognizing further that capacity-building for the protection of children
               affected by armed conflict is a process that must begin from the earliest days of
               international engagement,
                     Emphasizing the vital role of the United Nations, in consultations with
               international partners, to support national authorities in consolidating peace and in
               developing strategies for peacebuilding priorities as well as to ensure that these
               strategies strengthen coherence between political, security, human rights,
               development and rule of law activities,
                     Recognizing the crucial role of child protection advisers in mainstreaming
               child protection and leading monitoring, prevention and reporting efforts in relevant
               United Nations peacekeeping missions, political missions and peacebuilding offices
               in accordance with their mandate, including advice for and close cooperation and
               coordination between the missions, UNICEF and specialized NGOs for child
               demobilization and integration and prevention of recruitment,



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                Underlining the importance of providing military, police and civilian
           peacekeepers with adequate predeployment and in-mission training on missionspecific child protection issues and on appropriate comprehensive prevention and
           protection responses,
                 Recognizing the valuable contribution of relevant regional and subregional
           organizations and arrangements for the protection of children affected by armed
           conflict and commending in this regard the declaration signed on 17 September
           2013 between the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
           Children and Armed Conflict and the Peace and Security Department of the African
           Union Commission, in order to mainstream protection mechanisms in all peace and
           security activities of the African Union, in close partnership with UNICEF, as well
           as the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, including its Checklist for
           the integration of the protection of children affected by armed conflict into EU
           Common Security and Defense Policy operations and the development by NATO, in
           close collaboration with the DPKO and the Office of the Special Representative of
           the Secretary-General, of training courses and military guidelines on Children and
           Armed Conflict,
                 1.   Strongly condemns all violations of applicable international law
           involving the recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict, as well as
           their re-recruitment, killing and maiming, rape and other sexual violence,
           abductions, attacks against schools or hospitals and denial of humanitarian access by
           parties to armed conflict and all other violations of international law, including
           international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law, committed
           against children in situations of armed conflict and demands that all relevant parties
           immediately put an end to such practices and take special measures to protect
           children;
                 2.   Calls on Member States to devise ways, in close consultations with the
           United Nations country-level task force on monitoring and reporting and United
           Nations country teams, to facilitate the development and implementation of timebound action plans, and the review and monitoring by the United Nations countrylevel task force of obligations and commitments relating to the protection of
           children affected by armed conflict;
                 3.   Reiterates the value of interministerial committees as a successful
           framework for partnership with concerned Governments to discuss and follow-up on
           child protection commitments and encourages these Governments with the support
           of the United Nations to utilize these committees to foster action plan
           implementation;
                4.    Stresses the importance of regular and timely consideration of violations
           and abuses committed against children in armed conflict, including through
           incorporating, where appropriate, a children and armed conflict dimension in the
           terms of reference of Security Council field visits, and invites its Working Group on
           Children and Armed Conflict to make full use of its toolkit (S/2006/724) in light of
           ongoing discussions on enhancing compliance, and in this regard to continue
           considering the issue of persistent perpetrators and action plan implementation;
                5.    Recalls the fact that the conscription or enlistment of children under the
           age of 15 or using them to participate actively in hostilities in both international and
           non-international armed conflict constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of



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               the International Criminal Court, and notes that the Optional Protocol to the
               Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed
               conflict requires State parties to set a minimum age of 18 for compulsory
               recruitment and participation in hostilities and to raise the minimum age for
               voluntary recruitment from that set out in article 38, paragraph 3, of the Convention
               on the Rights of the Child and to take all feasible measures to ensure that members
               of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct
               part in hostilities;
                    6.    Welcomes in this context the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers” initiated
               by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed
               Conflict and UNICEF, in collaboration with other United Nations partners, with a
               view to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by Government armed
               forces in conflict by 2016;
                     7.    Urges in this regard concerned Governments to undertake all efforts in
               order to ensure that no children are in their ranks in conflict, in particular through
               the development and implementation of time-bound action plans; calls on Member
               States, all relevant United Nations entities, NGOs and the donor community to
               support in their various capacities the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers”,
               recognizing that its goal can only be attained through partnership and active
               involvement of all;
                    8.   Invites the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children
               and Armed Conflict to inform the Security Council about the campaign “Children,
               Not Soldiers”, including about process and progress in delisting concerned parties;
                     9.   Further urges Member States, United Nations entities and other parties
               concerned to ensure that child protection provisions, including those relating to the
               release and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces or armed
               groups, are integrated into all peace negotiations and peace agreements;
                     10. Reiterates the Security Council’s readiness to adopt targeted and
               graduated measures against persistent perpetrators of violations and abuses
               committed against children, taking into account the relevant provisions of its
               resolutions 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009), 1998 (2011) and 2068 (2012)
               and to consider including provisions pertaining to parties to armed conflict that
               engage in activities in violation of applicable international law relating to the rights
               and protection of children in armed conflicts, when establishing, modifying or
               renewing the mandate of relevant sanctions regimes;
                     11. Stresses the need to exclude genocide, crimes against humanity, war
               crimes and other egregious crimes perpetrated against children from amnesty laws
               and other similar provisions and strongly encourages concerned States to establish a
               vetting mechanism to ensure that those responsible for such crimes are not included
               in the ranks of the army or other security forces;
                     12. Emphasizes the responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity and
               to investigate and prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity,
               war crimes and other egregious crimes perpetrated against children and highlights in
               this regard the contribution of the International Criminal Court, in accordance with
               the principle of complementarity to national criminal jurisdictions as set out in the
               Rome Statute;



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                13. Urges concerned Member States, when undertaking security sector
           reforms, to mainstream child protection, such as the establishment of child
           protection units in national security forces and of effective age assessment
           mechanisms to prevent underage recruitment while stressing in this regard the
           importance of ensuring universal birth registration, including late birth registration;
                14. Urges further all parties concerned, including Member States, United
           Nations entities, as well as financial institutions to support, as appropriate, bearing
           in mind national ownership, the development and strengthening of the capacities of
           national institutions and local civil society networks for advocacy, protection and
           rehabilitation of children affected by armed conflict as well as national
           accountability mechanisms, including building investigative and prosecutorial
           capacities and the adoption of legislation criminalizing violations and abuses
           committed against children affected by armed conflict;
                15. Reiterates its request to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to pursue efforts to coalesce the donor community in order to address
           funding gaps, and encourages bilateral, regional and international partners to
           provide financial and capacity-building support in this regard, including for
           education during the conflict and post-conflict periods;
                16. Recalls 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;
                 17. Reiterates its deep concern about attacks as well as threats of attacks in
           contravention of applicable international law against schools and/or hospitals, and
           protected persons in relation to them as well as the closure of schools and hospitals
           in situations of armed conflict as a result of attacks and threats of attacks and urges
           all parties to armed conflict to refrain from actions that impede children’s access to
           education and to health services;
                 18. Expresses deep concern at the military use of schools in contravention of
           applicable international law, recognizing that such use may render schools
           legitimate targets of attack, thus endangering children’s and teachers’ safety as well
           as children’s education and in this regard:
                (a) Urges all parties to armed conflict to respect the civilian character of
           schools in accordance with international humanitarian law;
                (b) Encourages Member States to consider concrete measures to deter the
           use of schools by armed forces and armed non-State groups in contravention of
           applicable international law;
                (c) Urges Member States to ensure that attacks on schools in contravention
           of international humanitarian law are investigated and those responsible duly
           prosecuted;
                (d) Calls upon United Nations country-level task forces to enhance the
           monitoring and reporting on the military use of schools;
                 19. Recalls the obligations of all parties to an armed conflict, in accordance
           with international humanitarian law, to ensure that the wounded and sick, including
           children, receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least possible delay,
           the medical care and attention required by their condition, and to respect and protect



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               medical and health personnel, facilities, transports and activities in accordance with
               international humanitarian law;
                     20. Recommends that Member States include child protection in military
               training and standard operating procedures, as well as in military guidance as
               appropriate; recommends further that United Nations entities and United Nations
               peacekeeping troop and police-contributing countries undertake targeted and
               operational trainings for the preparation of United Nations mission personnel
               including troop and police contingents on their contribution in preventing violations
               against children so as to give all mission personnel the ability to effectively
               recognize, report and respond to violations and abuses committed against children
               and to successfully support child protection activities for better implementation of
               their respective mandates;
                     21. Urges all United Nations entities, including peacekeeping missions,
               political missions, peacebuilding offices, United Nations offices, agencies, funds
               and programmes to give full attention to violations against children in the
               application of the human rights due diligence policy on United Nations support to
               non-United Nations security forces;
                     22. Urges also Member States, United Nations entities, including the
               Peacebuilding Commission and other parties concerned to ensure that post-conflict
               recovery and reconstruction planning, programmes and strategies give due priority
               to issues concerning children affected by armed conflict;
                     23. Urges relevant United Nations entities to continue to take concrete steps
               to reduce the impact of mines, unexploded ordnance and cluster munition and
               explosive remnants of war on children by prioritizing mine clearance, risk education
               and risk reduction activities;
                    24. Decides to continue the inclusion of specific provisions for the protection
               of children in the mandates of all relevant United Nations peacekeeping operations
               and political missions, encourages deployment of child protection advisers to such
               missions, and calls upon the Secretary-General to ensure that the need for and the
               number and roles of such advisers are systematically assessed during the preparation
               and renewal of each United Nations peacekeeping operation and political mission
               and encourages DPKO and DPA to take into account child protection when briefing
               the Council on country-specific situations;
                     25. Encourages pertinent regional and subregional organizations and
               arrangements to help address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children,
               invites them to continue the mainstreaming of child protection into their advocacy,
               policies, programmes and mission planning, the development and expansion of
               guidelines to protect children affected by armed conflict as well as the training of
               personnel and the inclusion of child protection staff in their peacekeeping and field
               operations, and reiterates its call for the establishment of child protection
               mechanisms within their secretariats, including through the appointment of child
               protection focal points;
                     26. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that
               in all his reports on country-specific situations the matter of children and armed
               conflict is included as a specific aspect of the report;
                    27.   Decides to remain actively seized of this matter.




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