A/HRC/25/46 IX. Observations and recommendations 80. The Special Representative reiterates her urgent call upon States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict; to enact legislation to explicitly prohibit and criminalize the recruitment of children into armed forces or groups, and the use of children in hostilities; and to establish 18 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the armed forces when depositing their binding declaration (under article 3), upon ratification of the Optional Protocol. 81. Given the resource implications and reporting requirements that ratification and implementation entail, the Special Representative encourages initiatives by one or more members that have already ratified the Optional Protocol, as well as by regional and intergovernmental organizations, to provide guidance and technical assistance to those Member States willing to ratify. 82. The Special Representative reiterates the recommendations made in previous reports and in her recent oral update to the Human Rights Council, in which she encouraged the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review to systematically take into account the concluding observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child when reviewing a State submission. The Special Representative urges State parties to accord priority to the implementation of relevant recommendations of the Working Group, with the assistance of the international community as needed. 83. During the universal periodic review process, States are urged to include, as appropriate, in their recommendations to the State under review, specific references to information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children that was established in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), in addition to the country conclusions adopted by the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, as appropriate. 84. States should begin to accord priority to reporting on the implementation of the relevant recommendations by the Security Council Working Group in the universal periodic review process, with the assistance of the international community wherever it is needed. 85. The Special Representative encourages the Human Rights Council, when considering or adopting resolutions on country-specific situations or thematic issues, to include recommendations on or references to the protection of children affected by armed conflict. 86. The Special Representative also encourages the Human Rights Council to continue to include child rights violations in its resolutions establishing or renewing the mandates of special procedures. 87. The Special Representative takes note with appreciation of the attention paid by the special procedures mandate holders to including child-protection concerns in their work. She encourages the mandate holders to continue to take into account the challenges faced by children, during their missions and in their reports and recommendations, insofar as they are relevant to their respective mandates, and to bring those concerns to her attention. 17