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H. E. MR. ITSUNORI ONODERA
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan
At the Open Debate of the Security Council
On Children and Armed Conflict
23 February 2005
Mr. President,
It is my honor to participate in today’s open debate in the Security
Council under your chairmanship. The fact that Your Excellency is presiding
over the debate demonstrates the importance that your country attaches to
this issue. My Foreign Minister unfortunately could not come to New York
this time as you requested, but has instructed me to join the debate on his
behalf.
Mr. President,
I wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the
Children and Armed Conflict, Mr. Olara Otunnu for presenting the
Secretary-General’s report.
It is encouraging that the international community is paying greater
attention to the suffering of children caught in armed conflict. This has
resulted in achieving positive development in some situations. Yet, the
stark fact remains that in numerous cases, children are still facing dire
conditions. This is unacceptable and the international community needs to
take more vigorous action to improve this unconscionable situation.
However, to be effective in our action, we first need to have a clearer
grasp of what the reality is. As the Secretary-General’s report shows, we
have only limited information on the actual situations concerning the
recruitment and use of children for soldiers, as well as other violations
committed against children. Access allowed for aid workers is often limited
in conflict situations. Communication with the outside world is also
difficult as vital infrastructure is often destroyed. Also, armed groups
keep their activities secret. All these factors make the gathering of
information and its assessment extremely difficult.
This is why Security Council resolution 1539 requested the Secretary-General
to devise an action plan for a systematic and comprehensive monitoring and
reporting mechanism in order to provide timely, objective, accurate and
reliable information on the recruitment and use of child soldiers. My
government welcomes the Secretary-General’s action plan contained in his.
report, and extends its support to the establishment of a monitoring and
reporting mechanism. At the same time, upon setting up such a mechanism, my
country believes that it is important to take the following points into
account.
First, a collaborative and coordinated approach will be needed for such a
mechanism to function effectively. As stated in his report, there are many
bodies and actors that possess relevant information, which range from UN
entities, such as PKO missions, UNICEF, OCHA, UNHCR, and OHCHR, to national
governments, local authorities, and to local and international NGOs
operating on the ground. Therefore, the focal point of a monitoring and
reporting mechanism should ensure collaboration and coordination, utilizing
the resource base and the expertise of all these bodies and actors
concerned.
Second, such a mechanism will need to ensure that the voices on the ground
are adequately reflected in the compilation of information and evaluation
and assessment of situation. For example, we understand that the Government
of Myanmar has established a committee for the prevention of military
recruitment of under-age children and has drawn up an action plan to be
implemented by this committee. This is to be regarded as a positive step in
itself. Therefore, the mechanism should establish ways to reflect such
information, which is to be assessed and reflected in the
Secretary-General’s future reports. In this process, the UN country team’s
assessment of such an action will also need to be reflected with regard to
its actual effectiveness in preventing the recruitment of child soldiers.
Third, a monitoring and reporting mechanism, when it is established, should
be improved on a continuous basis. It should be subject to a full review
after its first report is submitted to examine the timeliness, accuracy,
objectiveness and reliability of the information gathered and contained in
the report. And efforts should be made to identify the ways and means to
further improve the workings of such a mechanism.
Objective viewpoints and reliable information in specific situations will
prepare the basis for appropriate actions that need to be taken. We share
the view expressed in the report that all relevant actors should be
encouraged to consider appropriate action to address any given situation;
however in most cases the most important actor will be the national
government itself. Among the UN bodies, the General Assembly and Economic
and Social Council, as well as the Security Council, should also come in, as
appropriate, to consider actions according to their respective mandates.
Mr. President,
In discussing the problem of children in armed conflict, we must refer to
the recent reported incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where
some UN peacekeeping personnel actually became abusers of children. These
misconducts are unacceptable and reprehensible. Needless to say, such misconducts cause suffering to children and, they seriously damage the
credibility of the UN and its entire efforts, not only in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo but also elsewhere. My government strongly supports
the United Nations’ zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse and believes that
robust measures need to be taken to achieve the actual compliance of this
policy. We welcome the efforts by the Secretary-General to this end. In
considering such measures, Japan, as chair of the PKO Working Group of the
Security Council, stands ready to work with interested Member States.
Mr. President,
Let me briefly mention some of the concrete programs that Japan has
participated recently in helping children caught in armed conflict. Last
March, my government contributed US$ 3.64 million to UNICEF to help
implement its disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration
project for child soldiers in Liberia. This project aims to help return an
estimated fifteen thousand children to their homes and communities. We also
supported the “Back to School” campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, run by
UNICEF, which help rehabilitate local communities, while at the same time
help alleviate the trauma of children afflicted by long armed conflict. All
these programs are based on the concept of “human security,” which Japan
upholds. We will continue to work closely with the relevant UN agencies,
funds and programs to promote the welfare and empowerment of the general
public based on the concept of “human security”, with particular emphasis
on children and women.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, we would like to underline the importance of strengthening
international cooperation toward the shared goal of helping children in
armed conflict. As the theme of today’s open debate suggests, the
suffering of child soldiers in Africa is particularly grave and of serious
concern to all of us. Yet the problem is not limited to Africa. We must
change the tragic reality around the world, of twelve-year-olds running
around with Kalashinikovs, without any access to education and, without ever
knowing that a different lifestyle that they have a right to exists.
For that reason, I commend you, Mr. President, for convening an open debate
to also listen to the views of non-Security Council members. Their views
expressed today should be duly taken into account in our deliberation at the
Council. I am confident that our collective wisdom will help us find
effective ways for the United Nations to better address the issue of
children and armed conflict. The time for advocacy is over and the time is
on us now for concrete action. We should all strive to implement concrete
plans for the benefit of our children around the world.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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