Statement made by Senator Foreshaw, Parliamentary Advisor to the Australian mission to the UN, to the Third Committee in response to the launch of the 10-year strategic review of the Graca Machel study on the impact of armed conflict on children
17 October 2007
(As Delivered)
We agree with the Special Representative that all impacts of armed conflict on children must be addressed as a matter of priority. The gravity and scope of this issue requires both a systematic and sustained response from the international community as a whole.
We agree that the most effective way of protecting children’s rights is to prevent conflict and promote peace. Achieving universal adherence to international standards and norms is an important first step. In this context, we urge all States that have not yet done so to become parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
We urge all States to ensure international standards are translated into tangible gains for children through the introduction, implementation and monitoring of appropriate national child protection legislation.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia supports a number of practical measures to mitigate the impact of conflict on children. In Sri Lanka, for example, we are supporting UNICEF’s efforts to prevent and respond to all forms of conflict-related violence through community-based protection and child recruitment prevention efforts.
In East Timor, we have provided financial support for child protection officers to work in internally-displaced person camps to ensure the safety, security and well-being of children displaced as a result of conflict.
In the southern region of Mindanao in the Philippines, Australian funding to UNICEF is assisting conflict-affected communities ensure their children have access to immunisation, education and protection against abuse and exploitation.
Australia is encouraged by the significant developments, described in the Special Representative’s report, on ending impunity for crimes against children. We welcome, in particular, the role of the International Criminal Court in this regard.