A/66/256 16. The durable separation of children from armed forces and groups is a complex process that requires appropriate security safeguards, support from child protection partners and the existence of economic as well as social reintegration opportunities. In line with the Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, the experience of operational partners has shown that reintegration assistance to children must be tailored to their specific needs. As such, the needs of younger children are different to those of working age (15-17 depending on national legislation). While for younger children reintegration assistance should emphasize schooling combined, where appropriate, with economic assistance to the family, older children usually require vocational training or apprenticeships, which would enable a transition to employment. The Office of the Special Representative, through the Inter-Agency Working Group on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, co-chaired by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will continue to contribute to policy and guidance development on child disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and to conduct advocacy for the implementation and mainstreaming of such guidance. E. Enhancing the legal and normative framework for children and armed conflict 17. During the reporting period, the Special Representative worked towards the strengthening of the legal and normative framework for the protection of children, including through the implementation of the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The campaign, Zero Under 18, has been conducted in cooperation with UNICEF, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Violence against Children, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Optional Protocol, adopted in 2000, prohibits the forced recruitment of children under the age of 18 by armed forces and armed groups and their direct participation in hostilities. 18. The Special Representative has conducted outreach activities with 34 Member States that are not party to the Optional Protocol and briefed several regional organizations, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Office of the Special Representative organized a treaty signing event during the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2010 and held a forum in New York on the occasion of the first anniversary of the campaign in May 2010. During a seminar organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the Office provided technical advice to Member States on the ratification process. 19. Since the launch of the campaign in May 2010, 12 treaty actions have been taken: three Member States have signed the Optional Protocol (Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Iran (Islamic Republic of)), five have ratified it (Cyprus, Djibouti, Gabon, Malawi and Seychelles) and five have acceded to it (Congo, Georgia, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Saudi Arabia). To date, the Optional Protocol has been ratified by 142 States. 11-44370 5