STOP CHILD SOLDIERS

A major international conference entitled "Free children from war" was held in Paris on 5 and 6 February 2007. The meeting, co-organized by the French Government and UNICEF, was attended by 58 countries, including dozens of government ministers, donors, the heads of UN agencies and many non-governmental organizations.

At the meeting, the 58 governments endorsed, and pledged to respect, the principles contained in two documents: The Paris Commitments - consists of a set of legal and operational principles needed to protect children from recruitment or use in armed conflict. The "Paris Commitments" complement existing legal and political mechanisms already in place. The "Paris Principles" is a more detailed document which sets forth a wide range of principles relating to the protection of children from recruitment or use in armed conflict, their release and successful reintegration into civilian life .The principles also address the need for long term prevention strategies in order to definitively end children's involvement in armed conflict.

The meeting was the culmination of an 18-month process to review the "Cape Town Principles and Best Practice on the prevention of recruitment of children into the armed forces and on demobilization and social reintegration of child soldiers in Africa", adopted by non-governmental organizations at a conference in Cape Town in 1997.

The review process was led by UNICEF and drew upon a wealth of experience gained by UN field staff, NGOs and other practitioners in this field. The Coalition was closely involved in the drafting process of the Paris Commitments document.

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Paris Principles in English

Paris Commitments in English