413 Maria Concepción Pérez Villalobos Military advisers for gender and for the protection of children in armed conflicts in the mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations, including the deployment of child protection advisers (CPAs) whose number and roles should be systematically assessed during the preparation of each operation. The resolution welcomes recent initiatives for the protection of children affected by armed conflicts from the side of supranational organisations, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union39. The resolution, picking up on what is stated in previous resolutions, expresses the determination of the Council to practise a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeeping personnel participating in peacekeeping operations. It insists on the importance of preventive measures which include predeployment awareness training. As regards child protection advisers, it states that there has been a comprehensive assessment undertaken on the role and activities of CPAs with a view to drawing lessons learned and best practices. Finally, it welcomes the progress made by some regional and subregional organizations by recognising the importance of including the issue of the protection of children into their advocacy, policies and programmes and by establishing monitoring and reporting mechanisms, as well as setting up, within their structures, specialised bodies which include trained child protection staff to carry out these roles in their peace and field operations. Resolution 1882 (2009), although it does recognise that some progress has been made thanks to the implementation of measures and mechanisms that have been developed since the adoption of Resolution 1261, also expresses the deep concern of the United Nations that after a decade “children continue to account for a considerable number of casualties resulting from killing and maiming in armed conflicts including as a result of deliberate targeting, indiscriminate and excessive use of force, indiscriminate use of landmines, cluster munitions and other weapons and use of children as human shields and … about the high incidence and appalling levels of brutality of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against children, in the context of and associated with armed conflict including the use or commissioning of rape and other forms of sexual violence in some situations as a tactic of war”. To deal with this situation, the Council reaffirms its confidence in the activities and recommendations of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; it also calls for the implementation of monitoring and reporting mechanisms, including the drawing up of lists of parties in situations of conflict that contravene international law applicable to this protection. Likewise, it gives priority to issues related to children in 39 EU: “Update of EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict”, General Affairs Council, 16 June 2008. The promotion and respect of the rights of children are a priority for EU policies in the area of human rights within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and for policies in the area of development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
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