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Summary: United Nations, 6 August 2002 (New
York) - Following the completion of a
mission to Afghanistan (21-28 July
2002), the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General for Children
and Armed Conflict, Olara A. Otunnu,
called for major investments in the
children and youth of Afghanistan. United Nations, 6 August 2002 (New York) - Following the
completion of a mission to Afghanistan (21-28 July 2002), the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and
Armed Conflict, Olara A. Otunnu, called for major investments in
the children and youth of Afghanistan. He stated: “Apart from the
imperative of establishing durable peace and security, a special
and overarching challenge facing Afghanistan is the grave
situation of children and youth. Investing particularly in their
education, nutrition and basic medical care must become top
priority for both the Government of Afghanistan and the
international community.” He added, “investing in children is one
of the best ways to turn a new page in Afghanistan and to
secure a more promising future. It is also the best way to
prevent young people from being vulnerable to radical
indoctrination and manipulation for conflict.”
Apart from Kabul, Mr. Otunnu visited the Shomali Plains, Mazar-e-
Sharif, Kandahar and the Spinboldak-Chaman zonal area on the
Afghanistan -Pakistan border. In these places, he visited
schools, orphanages, projects for street children, hospitals,
prisons, and camps for internally displaced persons; he held
discussions with various groups of children, women’s groups and
teachers. Mr. Otunnu held wide-ranging discussions with senior
government ministers, governors and military leaders in the
provinces, members of the Human Rights Commission, national
and international NGOs, representatives of UN agencies as well
as the diplomatic community.
Mr. Otunnu observed, “I have seen first-hand the high price the
children and youth have paid during more than two decades of
war.” Indications of this heavy toll include:
- 1 out of every 3 children (over 1 million children) have lost one
or both parents;
- 20% of children die before their first birthday, mostly from
preventable diseases;
- 50% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition;
- About half the 200,000 landmine victims are children;
Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the
world (over 7 million landmines);
- An estimated 2 million children were uprooted by war;
- There is a significant number of working and street children,
mainly due to chronic poverty within the family; 50,000 street
children in Kabul are their family’s primary income earners;
- Children under 18 years of age have been used as combatants
by all warring groups over the last two decades;
- Over 8,000 schools have been destroyed; more than 80% of
schools remain without basic facilities;
- Under Taliban regime, less than 10% of girls were enrolled in
primary schools;
- More than 66% children have witnessed a violent death; after
decades of exposure to violence many children suffer from
psychosocial trauma.
At the conclusion of his mission, Mr. Otunnu outlined a set of
specific actions for the benefit of children; these include:
Providing education -- Rehabilitating schools, providing
educational materials and paying teachers.
Reversing malnutrition -- At the bottom of widespread
malnutrition is the chronic poverty within the family; to break this
cycle it is urgent to develop income-generating projects --
especially for women -- such as: cooperative ventures in
bakeries, carpet weaving, animal husbandry, as well as the
rehabilitation of defunct small industries.
Basic medical care for children and women -- It is crucial to focus
special attention on the basic health conditions of children and
women that remain particularly precarious. This should include:
extension and mobile medical services to monitor and meet the
basic needs of children and women, both in the urban and rural
areas.
National Commission for Children -- There is a need of an
overarching, crosscutting framework to give prominence and
focus, in a comprehensive way, to key issues concerning the
rehabilitation and development of children. A National
Commission for Children would play such a role, ensuring that the
concerns of children are translated into policy-making, priority-
setting and resource allocation at the highest political and policy
levels.
Child Protection Adviser in UNAMA -- A Child Protection Adviser
(CPA) should be included in the staff of the UNAMA, in accordance
with Security Council Resolution 1379, to ensure that the
protection, rights and rehabilitation of children and youth is a
priority in all aspects of UN activities in Afghanistan, and to help
place the concerns of Afghanistan’s children prominently into
national policy and reconstruction agenda.
Displaced children and their families -- The conditions of displaced
children, particularly in the Spinboldak camp and in the “no mans
land” between the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, are entirely
unacceptable, with little or no provision of schooling, food water,
or recreation. Their resettlement and provision of basic services
is an urgent challenge.
Eliminating landmines -- Commendable work on landmine
clearance is being done;
there is need for sustained support for these efforts, including
provision of prostheses
and landmine awareness campaigns.
Addressing the plight of street and working children --These
children are unable to attend school because they have to work
to feed their families. A “Food for School” programme (which
would provide the families of these children with the necessary
loaves of bread, thus freeing the children to attend school)
should be organized and targeted to this group.
Voice of Children -- The development of radio programmes --
“Voice of Children” -- specifically devoted to the needs and
interests of children that would serve to give voice to children’s
concerns, offer education, entertainment and health advice, while
promoting tolerance and reconciliation among young people.
Strengthening traditional values for the protection of children --
Afghan traditional values and practices place a particular premium
on the protection of children, even though these have come
under enormous pressure during the war; these values and
practices need to be supported and strengthened.
Participation of children -- The children and youth of Afghanistan
long for opportunities to participate actively in the rebuilding and
the healing of their country. To underscore this and to highlight
children’s agenda at the national as well as international levels,
Mr. Otunnu announced that plans are underway (in collaboration
with the Government of Afghanistan, UN agencies, local and
international NGOs) to hold a national conference of Afghan
children (a children’s Jirga) with broad-based participation.
Helping to build Afghan local capacities -- In commending their
excellent work, Mr. Otunnu urged UN agencies and international
NGOs to spare no efforts to ensure that their activities fall into
the framework of Afghanistan’s needs and priorities, and to
support building Afghan institutional capacities, particularly in
Government and with civil society organizations. “This is the best
way to ensure long-term sustainability,” he stated.
In expressing his appreciation to the donor community, Mr.
Otunnu appealed to them to invest in children and youth (beyond
provisions of immediate relief) and to expedite disbursement for
committed funds.
Concluding, Mr. Otunnu indicated that he was very impressed by
certain emerging trends that augur well for the future of the
country:
- the universal relief at the restoration of peace and freedom,
even though there are deep concerns about continuing incidence
of insecurity and the struggle of most families for sheer day-to-
day survival;
- the remarkable signs of recovery of daily life and commercial
activities in the main cities;
- the strength, forcefulness and determination of the Afghan
women;
- the resilience of the children and their thirst (both boys and
girls) for schooling.
The Special Representative serves as international advocate for
children affected by armed conflict by promoting standards and
measures for their protection in times of war as well as their
healing and social reintegration in the aftermath of conflict.