United Nations Security Council Resolution 1314
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1314, adopted unanimously on August 11, 2000, after recalling Resolution 1261
(1999) on children and armed conflict and other resolutions including 1265
(1999), 1296
(2000) and 1306
(2000), the Council expressed concern at the impact of conflict upon children and the use of child soldiers
, and expressed willingness to consider further measures under the United Nations Charter
when dealing with situations of children in armed conflict
.
Unlike Resolution 1261 on the same topic, Resolution 1314 established more targeted measures to protect children during and after conflict.
adopted the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
. The Security Council underlined the need for all parties to comply with the principles of international law
, including the principles contained in the United Nations Charter, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
and Ottawa Treaty
. Regional initiatives were also taking place.
ren during armed conflict and the impact of such conflict on children. It was the responsibility of all states to end the impunity
of those guilty of genocide
, crimes against humanity
and war crime
s. All parties involved in armed conflict were urged to uphold international law, particularly with regard to the Geneva Conventions
and Additional Protocols, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Optional Protocol.
Parties involved in conflict were called upon to provide protection and assistance to refugee
s and internally displaced person
s, particularly women and children, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid
. The Council expressed concern at connections between the illicit trade in natural resource
s and armed conflict, and illegal arms trafficking and armed conflict; in this regard, it announced its intention to consider further measures. The deliberate targeting of civilians, including children, constituted a violation of international humanitarian
and human rights
law.
The resolution called for provisions to protect children including the disarmament
, demobilisation
and reintegration of child soldiers and inclusion of child protection advisers in peacekeeping
operations. Special importance was needed towards the vulnerabilites of girls affected by conflict. The Council reiterated its position that children should have access to basic services throughout conflict and post-conflict periods. It also indicated its willingness to consider unintended consequences on children of measures adopted under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter.
The Council welcomed initiatives by regional and subregional organisations to protect children in armed conflict, and were urged to:
consider establishing child protection units; consider including child protection staff in their peace and field operations; undertake inititatives to end cross-border activities harmful to children; allocate resources for the benefit of children during armed conflict; include a gender perspective into all child protection policies and programmes; consider regional initiatives towards the full implementation of the prohibition of child soldiers.
All countries were urged to seek the release of abducted children
and encourage the involvement of young people in peace initiatives. Finally, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
was requested to continue his reports and submit a report on the implementation of the current resolution and Resolution 1261 by July 31, 2000.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1314, adopted unanimously on August 11, 2000, after recalling Resolution 1261
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1261
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1261, adopted unanimously on August 25, 1999, in the first resolution to address the topic, the Council condemned the targeting of children in armed conflict including the recruitment and use of child soldiers....
(1999) on children and armed conflict and other resolutions including 1265
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1265
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1265, adopted unanimously on September 17, 1999, in the first resolution to address the topic, the Council discussed the protection of civilians during armed conflict.-Observations:...
(1999), 1296
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1296
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1296, adopted unanimously on April 19, 2000, after recalling Resolution 1265 , the Council discussed steps to enhance the protection of civilians during armed conflict.-Observations:...
(2000) and 1306
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1306
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1306, adopted on July 5, 2000, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone, particularly resolutions 1132 , 1171 and 1299 , the Council decided to prohibit the direct or indirect import of rough diamonds from the country...
(2000), the Council expressed concern at the impact of conflict upon children and the use of child soldiers
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
, and expressed willingness to consider further measures under the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
when dealing with situations of children in armed conflict
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
.
Unlike Resolution 1261 on the same topic, Resolution 1314 established more targeted measures to protect children during and after conflict.
Observations
On May 25, 2000, the General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
adopted the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Annex I of a resolution on 25 May 2000.The protocol came into force on 12 February 2002....
. The Security Council underlined the need for all parties to comply with the principles of international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, including the principles contained in the United Nations Charter, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999
The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental...
, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court . It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of 13 October 2011, 119 states are party to the statute...
and Ottawa Treaty
Ottawa Treaty
The Ottawa Treaty or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, officially known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, aims at eliminating anti-personnel landmines around the world. , there were 158...
. Regional initiatives were also taking place.
Acts
The Security Council reaffirmed its condemnation of the deliberate targeting of childChild
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren during armed conflict and the impact of such conflict on children. It was the responsibility of all states to end the impunity
Impunity
Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress...
of those guilty of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, crimes against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
and war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s. All parties involved in armed conflict were urged to uphold international law, particularly with regard to the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
and Additional Protocols, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Optional Protocol.
Parties involved in conflict were called upon to provide protection and assistance to refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s and internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s, particularly women and children, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
. The Council expressed concern at connections between the illicit trade in natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
s and armed conflict, and illegal arms trafficking and armed conflict; in this regard, it announced its intention to consider further measures. The deliberate targeting of civilians, including children, constituted a violation of international humanitarian
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
law.
The resolution called for provisions to protect children including the disarmament
Disarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
, demobilisation
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
and reintegration of child soldiers and inclusion of child protection advisers in peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
operations. Special importance was needed towards the vulnerabilites of girls affected by conflict. The Council reiterated its position that children should have access to basic services throughout conflict and post-conflict periods. It also indicated its willingness to consider unintended consequences on children of measures adopted under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter.
The Council welcomed initiatives by regional and subregional organisations to protect children in armed conflict, and were urged to:
consider establishing child protection units; consider including child protection staff in their peace and field operations; undertake inititatives to end cross-border activities harmful to children; allocate resources for the benefit of children during armed conflict; include a gender perspective into all child protection policies and programmes; consider regional initiatives towards the full implementation of the prohibition of child soldiers.
All countries were urged to seek the release of abducted children
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
and encourage the involvement of young people in peace initiatives. Finally, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
was requested to continue his reports and submit a report on the implementation of the current resolution and Resolution 1261 by July 31, 2000.
See also
- List of international instruments relevant to the worst forms of child labour
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1301 to 1400 (2000 – 2002)