The Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict and the Institute of Political Studies “S. Pio V”, supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation have organised a conference within the framework of the project ‘The National Action Plans (NAP) on UNSCR1325 and the impact of armed conflicts on children: a study and analysis of the International Universities Network”. The project aims to carry out qualitative and quantitative research and produce an insightful report, by geographical area, of the serious violations against children by armed conflict situations. The research also makes a valuable analysis of post-conflict reform, rehabilitation and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict and this is the critical path where UNSCR1325 can and should play a pivotal role.

Speaking about the objectives of this conference Laura Guercio, Professor of Sociology of Human Rights & International Cooperation to Development at the University of Perugia and a Professor of International Relations at the University Cusano Rome. A member of the Council of the European Law Institute in Vienna said, ” The NAP is to create a narrative and collate ideas on how Resolution 1325 can impact and support the global movement to reduce the direct and indirect impacts of armed conflict on children. To achieve this, we must expand the understanding and impact of Resolution 1325 from its gender perspective to reach children affected by armed conflict as well as create a wider umbrella of sustainable peacebuilding via the four pillars of Resolution 1325 – Participation, Protection, Prevention, and Relief and Recovery. The impact of armed conflict on children needs to deep dive into the areas.”

Participation – how can we create a dialogue from a gender perspective to mutually include the protection of children under Resolution 1325 and how should the National Action Plans reflect this?

Protection – how does the jurisdiction of the national and international communities work together to create a system of sustainable protection of children from armed conflict under the umbrella of Resolution 1325? (Considering that internal civil wars create a jurisdictional question for international community intervention)

Prevention – what specific areas of direct and indirect impacts of armed conflict on children can Resolution 1325 address?

Relief and Recovery – can Resolution 1325 play a larger role in the relief and recovery of children affected by armed conflict (as this is a critical impact point that tends to see a lot of children fall through the cracks)?

Accountability – how do we improve accountability measures to support children and women affected by armed conflict?

Armed conflict causes severe direct and indirect consequences for children and most often the indirect consequences are not addressed due to the grave nature of the direct consequences, which are broadly defined as death, injury, recruited as child soldiers and violence against children. The dire consequences of the indirect harm caused to children during the armed conflict have a lasting impact on these children due to the double-barrelled trauma such as gross violations of being abducted, forced removal from their families, illegal detention and recruitment as child soldiers. In addition, these children are also deprived of their fundamental rights to education, shelter, and the right to build a fruitful and holistic life.

Laura Guercio

The project will also include videos and a photo exhibition by two Italian photo reporters, Marzia Ferrone and Vittorio Alonzo, on the condition of children living in armed conflict and post-conflict.

This conference provides the opportunity to build a comparative analysis of NAP’s of selected Asian countries vis a vis the IV Italian Action Plan in accordance with Resolution 1325.

Background to Conference and Research Topic

The charter of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the maintenance of international peace and security. Security must be present, and its presence must be realised – this is a critical indicator of peace. As the popular saying goes, “The absence of war doesn’t necessarily mean the presence of peace”.

In 2000, The UNSC Resolution 1325 recalled 1261 (1999), 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000) and 1314 (2000) and;

expressed concern about the fact that the majority of people affected by armed conflict are women and children,

reaffirmed the role of women as “agents of lasting peace”: their equal participation in peacebuilding, maintaining and promoting peace and security and the increase in decision-making for conflict prevention are crucial for peace and security,

reaffirmed the need for humanitarian and human rights laws that protect the rights of women and children during and after conflicts.

The Beijing Declaration (1995) states the hard reality of women and children being most vulnerable during conflict and further states that women and girl-children are even more at risk due to their social status and sex.

In the presence of conflict, it is observed time and time again that women assume the key role of ensuring family livelihood amid armed conflict and destruction. Women are also seen as being active in cultivating peace and collaboration in their communities at a grass root level. A strong example of this is; during the armed conflict and post-conflict in Sri Lanka, we saw the transformation of battle-hardened women into successful entrepreneurs. What started as a desperate shift for survival has now mainstreamed and evolved into a community of businesswomen that challenged the patriarchal gender norms and changed the socio-cultural landscape. Therefore, the narrative must begin to reflect the strong agency women are competent, capable and willing to carry forward with the global community looking beyond the umbrella of protection of women per se. This is the narrative that will make UNSCR 1325 stronger and able to reach further to the protection of children.