United Nations peacekeeping operations have played a vital role in protecting children in conflict settings for over two decades. Yet, state and non-state armed actors continue to demonstrate disregard for children’s protected status under international law, and violence against children continues to surge to unmatched levels. For peacekeepers, the scale and escalation of threats against children continue to outpace capacity to respond and engage in remedial or preventive efforts, especially as cuts to funding impact the ability of UN missions to track and verify violations. Gaps remain in troop- and police-contributing countries’ (T/PCCs) preparedness for advancing child protection in peacekeeping, in areas such as training, early warning, monitoring and reporting, and supporting child-responsive disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes.
Amidst these challenges, the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers provide a practical framework for UN member states, including T/PCCs, to advance the protection of children in conflict settings. Endorsed by over 100 countries, including 25 from the African continent, the Vancouver Principles outline 17 areas for member states to champion and translate into action when addressing the recruitment and use of children in peacekeeping contexts.
This regional dialogue series on implementing the Vancouver Principles—led by Stimson’s Protecting Civilians and Human Security and Conventional Defense Programs—promotes enhanced understanding of the comparative advantages and challenges facing T/PCCs as part of the project on Advancing Child Protection Through Peacekeeping.
Left: Juliet Weis, Research Associate in Stimson’s Protecting Civilians and Human Security Program, moderates a dialogue session on contemporary threats to children and institutional responses. The dialogue featured simultaneous interpretation in both English and French. Credit: Stimson Center.
Right: Participants share reflections on framing the Vancouver Principles within UN peacekeeping and AU-led peace support operations. Credit: Stimson Center.
Kenya is a consistent contributor to UN and African Union-led peace support operations. In Nairobi, the Stimson Center partnered with the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), a premier training, educational, and research institution building the capacity of military, police, and civilian personnel to contribute to global peace and security. The conversations at the IPSTC placed particular attention on children’s vulnerability in various kinetic and operational contexts on the continent, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and best practices employed by African T/PCCs in interacting with children recruited by armed actors.
The event featured opening remarks from Colonel Emma W. Ngigi, Peace and Conflict Studies School Commandant, IPSTC; Colonel Todd Braithwaite, Defense Advisor, High Commission of Canada in Kenya; and Lisa Sharland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Protecting Civilians and Human Security Program, Stimson Center. Over 40 workshop participants took part, representing regional governments, deployed mission contexts, UN and AU entities, peacekeeping training centers, research institutions, and civil society organizations.
Left: Lisa Sharland signs the IPSTC’s official guest book alongside Colonel Emma Ngigi. Credit: IPSTC.
Right: National government and mission representatives from across Africa discuss domestic and regional approaches and challenges to implementing the Vancouver Principles. Credit: Stimson Center.
All dialogues in the series are held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution to encourage a robust exchange. A non-attributable summary of the sessions in Kenya, in addition to a cumulative report examining findings from the project’s three regional dialogues, will be published by the Stimson Center.
This workshop was hosted in partnership with the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) and made possible by generous support from Global Affairs Canada.
