A/68/267 39. In view of the extensive grave violations committed against children by both the Government and armed groups, the Special Representative visited the Syrian Arab Republic in December and again in July. 40. At the time of the first visit, violations against children were ongoing and the damage and destruction of schools and medical facilities was already extensive, rendering thousands of schools and 40 per cent of hospitals non-functional. In her visits to the internally displaced person camps in Damascus and Homs, as well as the refugee camp of Al Yarmouk, she observed the dire humanitarian needs of children facing winter with little food, medicine or shelter. 41. In Damascus, the Special Representative engaged with the Government on a range of issues, including the use of airstrikes and heavy weapons in densely populated areas, the targeting and military use of schools and hospitals by Government forces and the humanitarian needs of children affected by the conflict. Her discussions with Government officials resulted in the establishment of the United Nations monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children. The Special Representative seized the opportunity of her presence in the Syrian Arab Republic to initiate contacts with Free Syrian Army commanders operating in Rif Damascus and Homs to raise the issue of the recruitment and use of children. 3. Chad 42. The Special Representative visited N’Djamena in May to assess progress on the implementation of the action plan to end the recruitment and use of children signed by the Government and the United Nations in 2011. In the course of the visit, President Idriss Deby Itno renewed his Government’s commitment to ending the recruitment and use of children by the Chadian national army. Acting upon that commitment, the Government agreed to undertake specific measures to end and prevent the recruitment of children. With the crucial support of UNICEF, a 10-point road map was adopted identifying the short- and medium-term measures to be implemented with a view to accelerating the implementation of the action plan. 43. Since then, tangible progress has been made and the implementation of the measures has advanced, owing to the joint efforts of the Chadian authorities and the UNICEF country office. Additional financial support will however be needed to ensure that the action plan is implemented effectively and in its entirety. 4. Regional visit to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey 44. In July the Special Representative visited Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey to follow up on her previous visit to the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as to take stock of the security and humanitarian challenges presented by the inflow of refugees in neighbouring countries. She commends the efforts of host Governments that opened their borders to refugees from the Syrian Arab Republic and provided life-saving assistance and encourages the international community to continue to support those efforts. 45. Also of concern is the situation of Palestinians who have been forced to seek refuge in Lebanon after decades of asylum in the Syrian Arab Republic. This burden on the already overstretched Palestinian refugee camps should not be neglected, and the Special Representative will be working closely with the United Nations Relief 8/18 13-41862