United Nations Photo

Radhika Coomaraswamy (front, centre), Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, poses for a group photo at the signing ceremony in Juba, South Sudan, for an agreement by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the South Sudanese Ministry of Defence, the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to renew all parties' commitment to the protection of children. “This is an important day for South Sudan," said Ms. Coomaraswamy at the ceremony. "Not only does this Action Plan ensure the Government’s commitment that the SPLA will have no children within its ranks, but that all armed groups who have accepted amnesty with the Government must release their children".