Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
153. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the international community continues to intervene to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers at various global locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29032/23]
View answerThe recruitment of child soldiers, a grave human rights violation, remains a serious problem with tens of thousands of children recruited into conflicts around the world. Ireland is committed to the protection of children in armed conflict and in humanitarian settings, a shared priority of both the EU and UN.
At the 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council in March 2023, Ireland highlighted the continued vulnerability of children to violence, which has been exacerbated worldwide by multiple and intersecting crises. During Ireland’s term on the UN Security Council, we consistently engaged on Children And Armed Conflict (CAAC), including as an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on CAAC. We also co-sponsored biennial resolutions on the Rights of the Child at the 49th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and at the 76th UN General Assembly Third Committee in 2021.
Ireland is an active member of the Group of Friends of CAAC as well as the Group of Friends of the Reintegration of Child Soldiers. Through our development cooperation programmes, Ireland seeks to address the root causes of conflict and the socio-economic conditions that contribute to this situation – for example, through provision of core funding to UNICEF, as well as providing access to education, skills and livelihood opportunities. Ireland is a supporter of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies. Through this partnership, we support efforts to ensure continuity of education for children in crisis or who have been displaced, protecting those who are most vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
Ireland is also a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration which outlines a set of commitments designed to strengthen the protection of education from attack, restrict the use of schools and universities for military purposes and ensure the continuity of education in armed conflict zones.
