Children Affected by Armed Conflicts

Promotion and protection of the rights of the children is a priority of the GPS Unit as highlighted in Article 3(d) of the Treaty. GPS considers it of critical importance to address the issue of Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CAAC). This Programme engages with Member States and relevant stakeholders to raise awareness, provide support and resources and advocate for the rights and the protection of CAAC. To this end, GPS has developed several policy documents to guide our Member States and other actors namely: –

1. COMESA Strategy on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts
2. Technical Guiding Note for Troop and Police Contributing Countries on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of Children Formerly Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups in the COMESA region
3. Guidance Notes on Involvement of Children in Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development

These documents are intended to guide regional initiatives and provide an appreciation for effective delivery for CAAC within the COMESA region. The documents will also guide Member States, other RECs/RMs, the AU, and CSOs focused on CAAC. The desired outcome is that all CAAC initiatives within the region are informed by these policy documents to avoid ad-hoc engagements with regional child rights duty-bearers.