The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development; and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, today issued the following statement:
"Every year, thousands of children are unjustly recruited and exploited in conflicts around the world. Tragically, some of these children are killed, while those who survive bear the devastating physical, psychological and emotional consequences of trauma for the rest of their lives. As highlighted in the latest UN Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, there were more than 8,600 verified cases of children being recruited or used in conflict in 2023. Each of these children has been denied their fundamental needs and human rights.
"Canada is committed to ending such violations. For example, it pledged up to $6.2 million in funding at the most recent UN Peacekeeping Ministerial conference to support the implementation of the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. As part of these efforts, Canada also provides funding to the UN Department of Peace Operations to integrate the Vancouver Principles into existing UN policy, guidance and training frameworks for military, police and civilian peacekeepers.
"Preventing the recruitment and use of child soldiers is critically important. Given the prevalence of unlawful recruitment and use across conflict areas, the Canadian Armed Forces [CAF] has taken concrete steps to implement the Vancouver Principles in all operations and activities. This work is enabled by the CAF's Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security, which has a mandate to provide research, expertise and capacity to address complex human security topics relevant to CAF operations, doctrine, training and education.
"In addition, Canada is contributing funding to the UN Institute for Disarmament Research's action-oriented studies on how to reintegrate former child soldiers into society in Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Iraq, Niger and Nigeria.
"Canada will continue working toward a world where no child is used in armed conflict and every child lives in dignity, freedom and peace."
