A/71/205 use of children under the age of 18 and to ensure their release to child protection actors. The action plan also covers sexual violence against children. At the time of writing in July 2016, no effective action had been taken by the group to implement the action plan. 41. In the Sudan, the Special Representative met with the Secretary -General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North in Addis Ababa in May 2016 to discuss access to territories under their control for monitoring and humanitarian purposes, as well as the possibility of signing an action plan to end and prevent recruitment and use of children. In collaboration with UNICEF, discussions continued following the meeting. Lastly, interaction between the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the Justice and Equality Movement led to the signing of a command order prohibiting the recruitment and use of children in September 2015. Peace process in Colombia 42. In May 2015, the Special Representative was requested to play an active role in the peace talks between the Government of Colombia and the Fuer zas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP), when the parties invited her as the first high-level United Nations representative to visit Havana. 43. Within the framework of the peace talks, which started in 2012, historic steps were taken, such as the signing of a milestone agreement on the peace agenda item related to victims in December 2015. That partial agreement foresaw the creation of a comprehensive system of truth, justice, reparation and non -repetition for victims. In June 2016, the parties signed a ceasefire agreement, inviting the United Nations to take part in a tripartite mechanism to monitor and verify the commitment. 44. With regard to the recruitment and use of children, following the February 2016 announcement by FARC-EP that they would stop recruiting children under the age of 18, an agreement was reached between the Government of Colombia and FARC-EP on 15 May 2016. The agreement includes the development of a protocol for the immediate separation of children under 15, a road map and a comprehensive programme for the reintegration of all children under 18, with the United Nations acting in support of the process as an observer and guarantor. 45. Following discussions between the Special Representative and the parties on the issue of the end of recruitment and the separation of children associated with FARC-EP, and with the support of the guarantors, Norway and Cuba, UNICEF and the Resident Coordinator, FARC-EP focused on the benefits of adherence to child protection norms ratified by Colombia and the consequences of violations. The agreement on children includes core principles put forward by the United Nations during the discussions with the parties, including treating separated children primarily as victims and prioritizing the best interests of the child in the reintegration process. 46. The Colombian peace process demonstrates that perseverance and a committed search for compromise by parties can lead to tangible results and bring peace. A thorough assessment of the inherent challenges has been essential to obtaining commitments and reaching agreement on protecting children. In other peace attempts, spoilers and paramilitary violence caused the failure of the processes on multiple occasions. The effective implementation of guarantees of non-repetition and safety and security will be critical to overcome such spoilers. The parties ’ 16-12896 11/18