75^th MEETING OF THE DIRECTING COUNCIL OF THE
INTER-AMERICAN CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE

June, 7-9,  2000
Ottawa, Canada

CHILDREN AFFECTED BY ARMED CONFLICTS

The Member States of the Inter-American Children's Institute in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary-General of the OAS and the Office of the Director General of IACI.

RECALLING AG/RES.1667 instructing the Inter-American Children’s Institute to deal systematically with the problem of children’s participation in armed conflicts, in coordination with the Agencies of the United Nations;

GRAVELY CONCERNED that countless numbers of children in the region have been targeted in violation of international law, including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, forced displacement, and forced recruitment and use in armed conflict;

STRESSING that children affected by armed conflicts frequently suffer physical, emotional and psychological trauma long after the fighting has ceased, as they are subject to witnessing, partaking in or experiencing brutal acts of violence;

CONCERNED BY the threat posed to the security and well-being of children and their communities by the uncontrolled spread and accumulation of small arms and light weapons;

CONSIDERING that during “The International Conference on War-Affected Children”, hosted by the Government of Canada from September 10 to 17, in Winnipeg, Canada, there were achieved many outcomes that involve international commitment;

WELCOMING also the results of the Montevideo Declaration on the Use of Children as Soldiers (1999); the Inter-American Children’s Institute Resolution in Support for Ending the Use of Children and Young People Under 18 as Soldiers, CD/RES. 03 (1999); and the Organization of American States Resolution “Children and Armed Conflicts”, AG/RES. 1709 (2000);

FURTHER TO the UN Security Council Resolution 1261 (1999) and 1265 (1999) and 1314 (2000) concerning children affected by armed conflicts and the protection of civilian populations in situations of armed conflict;

CONTINUES TO RECOGNIZE the work of the Organization of American States and its specialized organizations which assist landmine victims, many of whom are children;

1.      CALL UPON all parties to take necessary measures to put an end to the targeting and abuse of
         the rights of  children affected by armed conflicts, and stresses the responsibility of States to
         bring an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against
         humanity, and serious violations of international humanitarian law;

2.      CALL FOR the immediate release by armed groups in the sub-region of all children abducted
         and held against their will;

3.      CALL UPON ALL OAS Member States to consider the adoption of all necessary measures
         to fully implement and respect the aforementioned United Nations Security Council Resolutions,
         the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, as well as the Convention on the
         Rights of the Child, the International Labour Organization Convention 182 Concerning the
         Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour,
         the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the Ottawa Treaty
         to Ban the Stockpile, Production, and Use of Anti-Personnel Mines;

4.      ACTIVELY SUPPORT efforts to demobilize, rehabilitate and reintegrate children affected by
         armed conflicts, including children who have participated in armed conflict, in addition to
          undertaking all necessary steps for family reunification;

5.      COMMIT to institute measures to encourage and mobilize families and guardians to register all
         children who were not registered at birth;

6.      URGE all parties in peace negotiations and throughout the processes of consolidating peace in
         the aftermath of conflict to take into account the voices of young people affected by armed
         conflicts in decisions which affect them;

7.      CALL ON States and concerned parties to take all possible measures to protect displaced and
          refugee children and adolescents, and to reunite separated children with their families;

8.      ENCOURAGE all parties to take into account the special needs of girls and adolescents, and
         ensure their attention and participation in reconstruction programmes, recognizing that girls
         and boys experience conflict differently;

9.      CALL UPON all parties to armed conflict to ensure the full, safe and unhindered access of
         humanitarian personnel and the delivery of humanitarian assistance and further call upon all
         parties to armed conflicts to promote, implement and respect such measures;

10.    COMMIT to take measures to involve young people as participants and advocates in the protection
         of  children affected by armed conflicts, including developing children-to-children networks in
         the hemisphere;

11.    CONTINUE to work in cooperation with the relevant bodies of the United Nations system and
        with civil society and Inter-American institutions such as PAHO to fulfil the aims of this resolution;

12.    CALL UPON all members to cooperate in implementing this resolution, including, where
         appropriate, through the provision of technical assistance ;and financial resources.

13.    DECIDE to remain actively seized of the matter.