Under-Secretary-General Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Concludes First Official Visit to Lebanon

During her visit, she met with the Minister of Social Affairs and senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside UN partners, civil society, the diplomatic and donor community.  The visit aimed to reinforce partnership and identify opportunities for sustained collaborations in addressing child protection concerns.

 “I welcome the fruitful engagement with the Government of Lebanon for the protection of children,” she said. She welcomed progress made, such as the endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration and the draft law raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, which is pending Parliament’s approval. She called for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) and the endorsements of political commitments such as the Paris and Vancouver Principles as well as the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas Declaration.

USG Frazier raised her concerns regarding the recruitment and use, as well as incidents of killing and maiming of children. She underscored the importance of supporting landmines and explosive ordnance clearance as well as explosive ordnance risk education efforts to prevent further harm to children and communities. She reiterated that children allegedly associated with armed groups should not be detained and treated primarily as victims and promptly handed over to appropriate child protection services for care and reintegration support.

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