Calls to end the recruitment and use of children in armed violence globally were renewed this week as the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security held its 5th annual symposium in Kigali.

The Institute, founded by child protection advocate and former military general Romeo Dallaire, is a global leader in preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed violence.

The three-day symposium which began on Monday, November 27 with the theme "Placing Children at the Heart of Peace and Security: From Vision to Action,” featured discussions on various aspects and contexts of child recruitment, by academics, policymakers, experts, civil society leaders, security sector actors, and youth representatives.

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The delegates took stock of key international instruments meant for the protection of children, examined existing implementation challenges and successes, and deliberated on necessary measures to end the use of children in armed conflicts and violence.

"Children should have a voice in discussions about lasting peace; they should have a role in halting continued child recruitment and the creation of generational wars and conflicts that we see being played out today,” said Gen. Dallaire as he opened the symposium with a recorded message.

"As we work together to proffer solutions to this long-standing problem, we must remain cognizant of current realities – on the one hand, children are horrific victims of conflict and on the other hand, they are being used as instruments to sustain warfare, to the point that we see the impacts for generations to come,” he added.

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Dallaire, who was the commander of the United Nations mission to Rwanda during the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, noted the use of children in armed conflicts has an everlasting negative impact on their lives as well the security of the society they live in.

"Anyone who recruits and uses children is ensuring that there will be no peace, as recruited children become adults who bring into adulthood the scars of the horrors they have witnessed. Our task is to move the pendulum toward peace and ensure that children all over the world are protected,” he said.

Dallaire commended the Rwandan government for its continued support and partnership with the Institute and the hosting of its African Centre of Excellence.

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The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clementine Mukeka, said the government of Rwanda was proud to collaborate with the Dallaire Institute in advancing the children, peace and security agenda on the continent.

As the world faces challenging times of conflict, wars, pandemics, and climate crisis among others, which have caused devastating suffering and terrible consequences on the lives of children, Mukeka said, the Dallaire Institute remains one of the global champions voicing out loud the children’s peace and security agenda to be embraced in order to enable children to attain their growth and potential.

"Rwanda is committed to being a part of this global initiative to end the use of children in violence and we will continue to play our part by raising awareness on the realities of wars and conflicts and their effects on the lives of children. We are ready to share good and effective practices that can help us all to better engage in conflict prevention and peace processes to foster lasting peace.”, She noted.

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The key international instruments that inspired the discussions during the symposium include the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, the Paris Principles and Commitments on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Safe Schools Declaration, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Among the discussions during the symposium was the panel on the endorsement and implementation of key instruments to protect children in armed conflict and armed violence. There was also a panel on the integral role of security sector actors in preventing violations against children in armed conflict and armed violence, as well as a panel on the integration of community perspectives in security sector responses.

The Dallaire Institute’s Executive Director Dr Shelly Whitman urged the delegates to be bold and express their commitment to create options and find solutions that prioritise the protection of children as central to achieving global peace and security.

"The question is ‘how?’ That is why we have convened this gathering. Over the next three days, we will critically examine how the implementation of existing child protection instruments is tracked, identify the challenges to full domestication and implementation of these instruments globally, and outline strategies for improvement,” Whitman said.

During the symposium, the delegates also celebrated the 6th anniversary of the Vancouver Principles, which strongly encourage the inclusion of appropriate child protection provisions, including the prevention of recruitment and use of child soldiers in all United Nations peacekeeping mandates, including regional peacekeeping operations.

At the dinner commemorating the milestone, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Rwanda, Hon. Juvenal Marizamunda, also reiterated the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to the Dallaire Institute’s mission of placing children at the heart of peace and security.

In his speech he indicated that Rwanda was the first African nation to endorse the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers and has taken a leadership position on the issue, as it treats the recruitment and use of children as a security concern.

"Beyond the legal frameworks, nations that have worked hard to attain peace such as Rwanda, understand the gravity of war and its impact on civilians—particularly children. Our history of Genocide has taught us to value peace and share efforts that require the attainment of peace beyond our borders”. He observed.

"Our collaboration with the Dallaire Institute has facilitated the ministry of Defence of the Republic of Rwanda in championing the implementation of the Vancouver Principles through the integration of the Dallaire Institute’s training curriculum into our own training systems and the results have crossed borders to benefit countries where Rwandan troops are deployed for UN Peacekeeping missions.” He concluded.

The Dallaire Institute’s work in Rwanda is funded primarily by the Federal Republic of Germany through its Federal Foreign Office