A/69/212 2014, the Government of South Sudan recommitted to fully implementing the action plan it had signed with the United Nations in 2012 and, in July, the Government of Afghanistan formally agreed to an accelerated road map for compliance with the action plan it had signed in 2011. 15. Chad’s deployment of troops in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali contributed to renewed momentum to engage with the United Nations to accelerate the implementation of the action plan it had signed in 2011 to end and prevent underage recruitment in the Armée nationale tchadienne. The Special Representative and UNICEF engaged with Chadian authorities and jointly adopted a road map detailing specific measures to achieve compliance with the action plan, which was fully implemented through sustained collaboration. As a result, the Armée nationale tchadienne was delisted from the annexes to the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed (A/68/878-S/2014/339). While a number of challenges remain to ensure the sustainability of the gains achieved, the progress accomplished by Chad demonstrates that, with national ownership and clear targets, the action plan process can effectively contribute to strengthening the capacity of national security forces to respect child rights. 16. The Children, Not Soldiers campaign also serves as a platform for advocacy and a catalyst for national and regional initiatives in support of the broader children and armed conflict agenda. For example, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the campaign “Plus jamais de Kadogo” was developed to support the Children, Not Soldiers campaign with messages adapted to the local audience and addressing all parties to the conflict. In addition, the African Union the European Union and several Member States proactively supported the goals of the campaign. In order to ensure durable progress, the Special Representative will also prioritize facilitating cooperation between the Member States concerned and the exchange of good practices among them. B. Engaging non-State actors 17. Engagement and dialogue with non-State armed groups to end grave violations against children is central to the implementation of the children and armed c onflict mandate and has been a longstanding priority for the Special Representative. Since the inception of the mandate, the Special Representative has engaged with armed groups through dialogue, written commitments and the signing and implementation of action plans. Over the years, those efforts have yielded concrete results. Thirteen non-State actors have signed action plans with the United Nations, namely in the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Sudan and the Sudan. 18. The challenge of engaging armed non-State actors, however, is growing. Out of the 59 parties cited for grave violations in the annexes to the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (A/68/878-S/2014/339), 51 are non-State armed groups. This calls for enhanced efforts by the United Nations and its partners to address the growing role of non-State actors in a number of current conflicts. Over the course of the reporting period, the Special Representative and United Nations partners interacted with a number of armed groups. As such, the growing number of public statements and command orders issued by armed groups 14-58528 5/18