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Marking the 10th anniversary of the United Nations report by Graça Machel, Impact of Armed Conflict on Children (A/51/306), a strategic review has been co-convened by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF. The 1996 “Machel Study” proposed a comprehensive agenda for action for the international community to improve the protection and care of children affected by armed conflict. Although progress has been made on some recommendations, children in situations of conflict remain vulnerable and more can and should be done. The Machel Strategic Review report on children and armed conflict will be submitted to the UN General Assembly for consideration in October 2007. An inter-agency, multi-stakeholder initiative is underway involving UN System bodies, NGOs and civil society to assess progress and identify gaps, taking into account the changing nature of conflicts and lessons learnt in the past decade. The review also presents an opportunity to identify current and future priorities for the Children and Armed Conflict Agenda. The voices of young people themselves are important in this process. Through responding to an online questionnaire or participating in focus groups, children and youth are encouraged to feed into the review. Submissions from young people who themselves have been affected by armed conflict are especially welcome. For further information on the Machel Strategic Review, please visit http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/home6.html and click on ‘Strategic Review’. The young person’s survey on children and armed conflict can be found here. For further information, contact Beth Verhey, Chief, at [email protected], Susan Nicolai at [email protected], Anne Makome at [email protected] or (1) 212 457 1778. Further information
Owner: UN Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict/ UNICEF