Watchlist Policy Report, 2006
Appalling abuses continue to be committed against children affected by armed conflict, despite the substantial strides made by the United Nations Security Council and the international community since the adoption of the Security Council’s six resolutions establishing an architecture for monitoring, reporting and eventually holding perpetrators of violations against children accountable. With the adoption of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1612 in July 2005, and the creation of the groundbreaking Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict within the Security Council, implementation must focus more than ever on the field, on the local communities under attack and on the most effective ways to operate the nascent UN monitoring and reporting mechanisms (MRM) mandated by Resolution 1612 Drawing on experiences working with field-based organizations around the world, the Watchlist on Children in Armed Conflict (Watchlist) network concludes that a monitoring, reporting and response mechanism will only succeed in halting violations against children if it is built upon genuine, collaborative, operational partnerships among diverse organizations.
