A/66/256 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 3 August 2011 Original: English Sixty-sixth session Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda* Promotion and protection of the rights of children: promotion and protection of the rights of children Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Summary The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 51/77 and subsequent resolutions on the rights of the child, the most recent of which is resolution 64/146. In resolution 64/146, the Assembly requested the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to submit a report to the General Assembly containing information on her field visits, on the progress achieved and the challenges remaining on the children and armed conflict agenda. The present report covers the period from August 2010 to August 2011 and provides an overview of progress in the children and armed conflict agenda, followed by an account of the trends and remaining challenges faced. Section II details progress made over the past year, including on awareness-raising, partnership building, information collection and the release of children from armed forces and groups. Section III highlights remaining challenges in the context of the changing nature of conflict and outlines other emerging issues of concern. Section IV describes the way forward in terms of ending violations committed against children. Section V describes actions taken to mainstream the children and armed conflict agenda within the United Nations system Section VI presents a set of actionable recommendations on the protection of children affected by conflict for the attention of the General Assembly. The annex to the report sets out suggested standard operating procedures outlining minimum measures that may be put in place by national armed forces, as well as multinational and peacekeeping forces, to ensure the protection of children in the course of military operations. * A/66/150. 11-44370 (E) 180811 *1144370*

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