Statement

by

Bandula Jayasekara
Charge d’ Affaires a.i.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
at the Security Council Debate on
‘Children and Armed Conflict’

United Nations, New York.
16th June, 2010

                                                                          
Mr. President,

My delegation wishes to convey its appreciation to you Mr. President,  for convening this debate and for your leadership of the Working Group on this issue.  We take note of the Secretary-General’s Report on children and armed conflict which provides useful insight on how we must move forward on this important issue. 

Mr. President, following the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka last year, the recruitment of children by armed groups has ended.  One of the ‘persistent violators’ the LTTE, terrorist group has been de-listed this year from Annex II of the Secretary-General’s Report following their defeat and the consequent end to their abominable practice of child recruitment.  The other former armed group the TMVP which entered into an Action Plan with UNICEF and our Government has released children in its custody and entered the democratic process.

Mr. President, at the end of last year at the invitation of our Government the SRSG’s Representative General (Retd.) Patrick Cammaert visited Sri Lanka and witnessed at first hand the progress following the end of the conflict. 

Mr. President,
It may be recalled that the Government of Sri Lanka voluntarily submitted the case of the LTTE over a decade ago for consideration of the Working Group.  We did so because our Government has a zero tolerance policy on child recruitment and we fully condemned the recruitment of children by the LTTE.  My delegation is pleased to inform you Mr. President, that by bringing an end to the armed conflict our Government was able to take into its care over 570 children, some as young as 14 years of age who had been recruited by the LTTE.  As elaborated in the Secretary-General’s Report these children have now been put through a comprehensive rehabilitation programme by the Government with assistance from UNICEF and they have been returned to their communities where they will resume normal life with their families and also continue to receive community based rehabilitation.

Mr. President, throughout the military operation that was conducted by our armed forces to liberate civilians that were held as a human shield by the LTTE terrorist group, our armed forces took care to ensure the safety and security of innocent civilians including children.  It was for this reason that the nearly 300,000 civilians fled from the clutches of the LTTE and sought the protection of the armed forces.  Since the end of the conflict our Government has provided food, shelter and medical care to these internally displaced persons including children with assistance from the UN and other donor agencies.  Special education facilities are provided to the displaced children,  nutritional food supplements have also been provided to infants.  Displaced children have been re-united with their families.  Children who have lost their parents have been entrusted to Government registered child care facilities.  UNHCR protection teams and UNICEF officials are given access to ensure the safety and security of children in the IDP villages.  As of today 90% of the IDP’s have been resettled and only a few children remain in the IDP villages along with their families.  Those who remain have freedom of movement. Demining and the completion of reconstruction work will enable these families to also return to their places of origin very soon. 

Mr. President, my government has demonstrated its serious commitment to a process of accountability to look into whether any violations of international norms might have taken place during the conflict and to work towards reconciliation through a process of restorative justice.  Last month we announced the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry comprising Eminent Persons who will look into all aspects of the conflict.  The Commission has since moved swiftly to get on with its task. 

Mr. President, our Government considers its responsibility for the protection of children and promotion of their welfare as a high priority.  It is imperative for the State to ensure that children are not in danger and to prevent them from being used as accessories for violence.  As a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the optional Protocols. Sri Lanka provides for the wellbeing of children with free education and free healthcare.  We have established a National Child Protection Authority with wide ranging powers to deal with all issues that affect the wellbeing of our children.  We also have a separate Ministry which focuses on providing the resources to implement programmes aimed at securing the rights of children. 

Mr. President, the Secretary-General’s Report in pursuance of Council Resolution 1882(2009) has outlined rather vaguely and incoherently the criteria for de-listing groups in the annexes.  Whilst the practice of recruiting children is an abominable one and is unreservedly condemned, it is important to give confidence and build trust in post conflict societies by de-listing groups that have released children in their custody rather than dawdling over technical aspects of the criteria.  Therefore, we suggest that the criteria for de-listing be clarified so that groups that have already complied with the resolutions or ceased recruitment can be quickly delisted. We recognize the need for continued engagement by the SRSG’s office in post conflict societies to ensure long term peace and stability and with a view to ensuring that there is no re-recruitment and resurgence of violence. 

Mr. President, we condemn in the strongest possible terms rape and other grave sexual violence against children in armed conflict.  There should be no place for such grave violations.  We must find effective means to ensure all actors abide by these principles.  Throughout the conflict in Sri Lanka our disciplined security forces ensured that there were no incidents of this nature.

Mr. President, it is pertinent to remind that the primary obligation for complying with these resolutions lies with the Member States themselves.  We need to set higher standards for ourselves in as much as we expect non-state actors to do so.  We urge all Member States to sign up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to comply with relevant UN resolutions. 

Mr. President, we urge the Security Council to consider targeted measures against ‘persistent violators’ of the grave violations.  The SG’s report highlights that ‘persistent violators’ need to be dealt with in order to enforce our commitment to protect children.  The initiatives of the Security Council to address the issue of children in armed conflict and efforts by this Council’s Working Group must be made to focus more on the real underlying issues of recruitment of children. Tangible international action as opposed to mere expressions of concern is needed. 

Mr. President,
My delegation appreciates the contribution of the Special Representative of the Secretary General Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy and her office.  We remain committed to continuing our close cooperation with the SRSG and other UN agencies including UNICEF.

Thank you Mr. President.