397 Maria Concepción Pérez Villalobos Military advisers for gender and for the protection of children in armed conflicts The NSS admits that armed conflicts continue to represent a major threat to security and that while they are currently mostly internal conflicts, they could both cause and exacerbate risks and threats to the security of the international community. Spain, in its role as a partner of the international organisations to which it belongs, should have the capacity to participate in the management of crises and conflicts, and in peacekeeping and civilian protection operations, as well as in other operations that affect our shared values or which arise from commitments that have been made, especially to the UN. The obligation to contribute to international security, fulfilling the commitments taken on by Spain, is part of the defence of constitutional principles and values referred to in this document. One of these is the defence of the rights contained in international Conventions and Treaties on human rights. The contribution of states to international security is firmly based on the respect of these rights and the guarantee that they will be fulfilled and protected on a global level. In order to do this, the UN Charter foresees diplomatic action (chapters VI and VII) and, where necessary, the use of force (chapter VII) – to which member states contribute with their military forces. Spain has participated very actively and effectively in UN peacekeeping and peace enforcing missions since 1989. These missions are one of the main instruments of the state’s external actions. The Spanish armed forces are a global benchmark for this type of action as regards the fulfilment of the United Nations Resolutions on human rights4. It is not surprising that on these missions soldiers are governed by three different types of regulations: from the application of ROEs5 subject to International Humanitarian Law, to the fulfilment of political and civil security functions, to the norms contained in the specific mandates for each mission. Each one of these regulatory areas requires specific training adapted to each hierarchical and operative level. Here we are referring particularly to two mandates that the Spanish forces apply in peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions: those related to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on gender mainstreaming and others referring to the protection of women in armed conflicts, and Resolutions 1261 (1999) and subsequent related resolutions concerning the protection of minors in armed conflicts. As regards the first, our country has been one of the pioneers in fulfilling and implementing international policies, enthusiastically developing the Security Council Resolutions, both in missions carried out under the auspices of the UN, as well as under other regional organisations to which we belong. We hope this development will continue. As regards the protection of minors in conflict situations, however, similar legal 4 CESEDEN: La actuación de las fuerzas armadas en la consolidación de la paz, Cuadernos nº 3, Spanish Ministry of Defence, 2006. 5 Rules of Engagement
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