A/70/162
end attacks on education and health care” in May 2014, which was co -produced by
the Special Representative and other organizations of the United Nations system. In
her own efforts to promote the guidance note, the Special Representative attended a
workshop on the protection of schools and hospitals in January 2015 in Berlin at
the invitation of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the German Institute for
International and Security Affairs. Prevention of the violation of the rights to
education and health was also supported by the Security Council through its
resolutions 1998 (2011), 2143 (2014) and 2225 (2015), in which the Council urged all
parties to conflict to respect the civilian character of schools and to refrain from
actions that impeded children’s access to education and health care.
19. The accountability of those who attack schools and hospitals is a key aspect of
prevention. The Special Representative appreciates the importance conferred to the
protection of education and health of children by Mem ber States and reiterates her
call to them to consider, where needed, changes in national policies, military
procedures and legislation. Those who deliberately target schools and hospitals must
be investigated and prosecuted.
20. In its resolution 2225 (2015), the Security Council also encouraged Member
States to take concrete measures to deter the military use of schools by armed forces
and armed groups. In that regard, the Special Representative welcomes the adoption
by 37 countries of the Safe Schools Declaration on 29 May 2015, which endorsed
the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during
Armed Conflict. An additional 10 countries have adopted the Declaration since its
launch. Although the Guidelines are not legally binding, they highlight good
practice for all parties to conflict and aim to provide guidance to reduce the impact
of armed conflict on education, particularly in relation to military use.
21. The Special Representative underlines the continuing importance o f efforts to
protect education in conflict situations, such as the dedication of the Nobel laureate
Malala Yousafzai, the work of the United Nations Special Envoy for Global
Education, the No Lost Generation initiative by the United Nations and its partner s
for children affected by the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Oslo Summit on
Education for Development, the Incheon Declaration, the planned data hub project by
Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict on global attacks on education, and the
Children of Peace initiative of the European Union. With 39 million children and
adolescents deprived of education owing to conflict and internal and cross -border
displacement, however, those efforts are only a small step towards the goal of
safeguarding universal education for those affected by conflict.
22. Ensuring access to education and health care for children in conflict and for
displaced children must be a priority. The General Assembly will be endorsing the
sustainable development goals at its seventieth session. In the implementation of
the goals, the Special Representative urges Member States to prioritize addressing
the impact of conflict on the rights of children to education and health.
III. Dialogue, commitments and action plans with parties to
conflict: update on the “Children, not soldiers” campaign
23. The “Children, not soldiers” campaign was launched in March 2014 jointly
with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with the goal of ending the
6/17
15-12221