International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers - Virtual Event titled “Early Warning to Early Action: Implementing the Vancouver Principles to Prevent and End the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers” Statement by H.E. Mohan Peiris, PRUN
I wish to thank the Permanent Missions of Canada, Rwanda and Uruguay as well as the UN Department of Peace Operations and the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security for organizing this important event. Particularly, today, as we mark the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers. I cannot but recall the words of Kofi Annan the former Secretary-General when he said “if there is any lesson that we can draw from the experience of the past decade, it is that the use of child soldiers is far more than a humanitarian concern; that its impact lasts far beyond the actual time of fighting; and that the scope of the problem vastly exceeds the number of children directly involved.” I was further encouraged by the reassertion of this thought when the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau the Prime Minister of Canada stated ‘the use of child soldiers have no place in our world ..... by bringing countries together and putting the Vancouver Principles together we can make sure children remain children and build a safer and more just future for all.”