A/HRC/21/38 that goal. In Myanmar, negotiations with the Government towards the signing of an action plan to end the recruitment and use of children in the armed forces, including the integrated border guard forces, are in their final phase, and the prompt signing of an action plan is expected. 18. There has also been progress in the protection of children abducted across borders by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), with the establishment by the Uganda People’s Defence Force in May 2011 of standard operating procedures for the reception and handover of children and women separated from LRA in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan, which stipulate that all children separated from LRA in the custody of the Uganda People’s Defence Force must be handed over to child protection actors within seven days. 19. The progress made notwithstanding, significant challenges in addressing grave violations against children remain. Impunity for grave crimes perpetrated against children remains a serious challenge. The Special Representatives notes with great concern the growing list of persistent perpetrators of grave violations against children, with 32 parties to conflict having been listed by the Secretary-General for at least five years. More must be done to enforce compliance with international obligations and to address factors that undermine efforts to combat impunity, such as the lack of political will, weak legal and judicial infrastructures, and the insufficient allocation or absence of resources and expertise to conduct investigations and prosecutions. 20. Obstacles to dialogue for the development of action plans between the United Nations and non-State armed groups continue to persist. These include lack of access to armed groups and of political will, fragmentation within armed groups or the inability to identify perpetrators and hold groups accountable for violations committed. Countries affected by these constraints include Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen. 21. The lack of economic opportunities and insufficient long-term funding continue to hamper the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and group s. This is the case in the Central African Republic, Chad and the Philippines, for example, where many children remain associated with armed actors through their communities. In many countries, continuing fighting and insecurity make children vulnerable to rerecruitment and limit the access of actors delivering reintegration support. 22. An additional challenge lies in ensuring that timely and reliable information on grave violations against children is available in emerging crises. During the reporting period, such challenges arose in Libya, Mali and the Syrian Arab Republic. The Special Representative would welcome a dialogue with all United Nations partners on how to better address the situation of children in rapidly evolving conflicts. She also stresses the need for the early deployment of specific child protection capacity. IV. First judgement of the International Criminal Court on the war crime of recruitment and use of children 23. On 14 March 2012, the International Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the case The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, convicting Thomas Lubanga of the crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years into the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo and using them to participate actively in hostilities. The Court’s first judgement on the issue of child recruitment constitutes important international jurisprudence for future cases. In 2008, the Special Representative testified as an expert witness before the Court and submitted an amicus curiae brief providing clarification on the 7