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retreat of the African Union in the United Republic of Tanzania in October 2014,
which provided an opportunity to discuss the children and armed conflict agenda
with senior African Union officials, with a specific focus on mediation.
European Union
53. The European Union remains an important partner, particularly in integrating
the protection of children in conflict in the political and human rights dialogue. On
12 February 2015, the Special Representative and the High Representative of the
Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Moghe rini, renewed their
commitment to work together in a joint statement on ending the recruitment and use
of children in armed conflict. The Special Representative addressed the European
Parliament on 3 December 2014, focusing on how better to protect childre n in
armed conflict. In June 2015, her Office participated in training for the European
External Action Service and diplomatic mission staff in Brussels on children and
armed conflict, together with UNICEF.
League of Arab States
54. Building upon previous engagement with the League of Arab States, the Special
Representative entered into a cooperation agreement with the League on
22 September 2014, marked by a signing ceremony with the Secretary-General of the
League, Nabil El-Arabi, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The
aim of the agreement is to further strengthen the collaboration between the two
entities, with a focus on ensuring the protection of children living in conflict -affected
areas in the Arab world. In particular, the agreement seeks to enhance the capacity of
the League to address issues pertaining to children and armed conflict across its areas
of operation. The Office of the Special Representative and the Permanent Observer
Mission of the League of Arab States to the United Nations developed a workplan in
which immediate and long-term activities and joint engagement are outlined. The
workplan articulates practical steps required to strengthen the internal capacity of the
League, with the overall objective of adopting a strategy on the protection of children
affected by armed conflict. The efforts are in line with General Assembly resolution
69/9 of 11 November 2014 on cooperation between the United Nations and the
League of Arab States.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
55. The Special Representative continued to strengthen the partnership with the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to support the ongoing institutionalization
of child protection. With that aim, her Office participated in a workshop in April
2015 that focused on using practical field experience to create training on the issue
of children and armed conflict for current and future NATO deployments. The
inclusion of a children and armed conflict advisor in the Resolute Support Mission in
Afghanistan is also a welcome step that will improve the capacity of NATO troops
and national authorities regarding children and armed conflict issues. In the Wales
Summit Declaration of 5 September 2014, NATO reaffirmed its commitment to
implement Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and further integrate the issue of
children and armed conflict into the planning and conduct of its operations and
missions and into its training, monitoring and reporting.
14/17
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