Speaking on Monday at the opening of the plenary session of the Oslo International Conference on “Protecting Children in Armed Conflict”, Hilale stressed that Morocco “has a committed vision to protect and promote children’s rights, thanks to the high guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and the personal involvement of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child, United Nations Ambassador for Children and laureate of UNICEF’s +The United Nations Champion Generation Unlimited+ Award”.
On this occasion, he noted that the Kingdom has undertaken a series of measures to meet its national and international commitments, adding that on the legal front, Morocco has adhered to the entire legal arsenal of international human rights law and international humanitarian law protecting and promoting the rights of the child.
The Kingdom was among the first countries to sign and ratify the three additional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the one on children and armed conflict, while committing itself to systematically harmonizing its national legislation with international human rights law, said the ambassador.
In terms of soft law, Morocco has signed and ratified the Paris Principles, the Vancouver Principles and the Safe Schools Declaration, he added, pointing out that Morocco’s national legislation regulates military enlistment in the armed forces, which is voluntary and set at the age of 18, in line with international law.
Regarding advocacy, Hilale pointed out that Morocco is actively working to ensure that children’s rights are effectively respected and promoted both in the Kingdom and throughout the world.
In this context, Morocco continues to advocate the protection of children in all situations, including humanitarian ones, he said, recalling that the Kingdom hosted, in Rabat on March 22, 2022, the International Symposium on “Protecting children during humanitarian crises”, marked by the “Rabat Appeal”, which contains concrete recommendations calling on the international community to step up efforts to protect children and share best practices to prevent and combat the military recruitment of children and all other forms of child exploitation in crisis zones, in the light of international humanitarian law and human rights.
The diplomat also noted that on November 21, 2022, World’s Children Day, Morocco organized a meeting in Geneva on “the recruitment of children by armed militias”, with the participation of representatives of governments, UN agencies and civil society.
The ambassador, Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN, also recalled the creation, in Rabat on February 12, 2022, of the Civil Advocacy Coalition for the protection of children in refugee camps, particularly in Tindouf, pointing out that Morocco is an active member of the Geneva-based “Group of Friends of Children Affected by Armed Conflict”.
On an institutional level, the diplomat pointed out that the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, is a flagship and effective institution charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a view to promoting their protection on a permanent basis, in all instances, all fields, and in all situations.
He noted that the Children’s Parliament in Morocco plays a crucial role in the participation of children as partners in development, adding that this inclusive institution underlines the importance of dialogue and communication among children on the one hand, and between children and the rest of the stakeholders on the other, and would raise awareness among future generations of the imperative to protect children’s rights.
Recalling the creation of the International Center for Research and Prevention of Child Soldiers, in Dakhla, on March 31, 2022, Hilale specified that the mandate of this structure is to collect and provide accurate, qualitative and quantitative data, in order to deepen research and knowledge on the phenomenon of child soldiers in armed conflicts, and enable targeted and effective responses to eradicate this phenomenon.
At the regional level, the ambassador highlighted Morocco’s active involvement in regional organizations to reinforce the prevention and fight against the military recruitment of children. At Morocco’s initiative, the Council of the League of Arab States adopted a resolution in March 2022 on combating the military recruitment of children and a “Comprehensive Arab Plan to Reduce the Recruitment of Children in Armed Conflict and by Terrorist Groups”, he said.
At the African Union, and during its presidency of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), Morocco put forward, in October 2022, a declaration on the “prevention of the recruitment and use of children in conflict situations”, the ambassador added, noting that the latter strongly condemns the continued recruitment and use of children by armed forces, armed groups and terrorist organizations on the African continent, and highlights the importance of holistic national action plans to strengthen efforts to effectively end the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups, demobilization, family reintegration and compulsory education.
The declaration also stresses the need to integrate child protection into early warning mechanisms and intervention processes for conflict prevention and resolution, peacemaking and peacebuilding, as well as post-conflict reconstruction and development, he added.
Finally, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN stressed that the Kingdom joins the global commitment to “do everything possible to ensure the protection of children in armed conflict and safeguard our common future”.
