11 Sep 2012

GENEVA / ZERROUGUI

The UN special envoy on children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui today told the Human Rights Council that the threat of being indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) might deter warlords from recruiting children as soldiers. CH UNTV

Posted at: September 11, 2012 1:00 pm

Duration: 03:10

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: GENEVA / ZERROUGUI
TRT: 3.10
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

FILE, 2011 PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, United Nations flag at the Palais des Nations

11 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Tilt up, from Special Representative Leila Zerrougui to meeting room 
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: 
"Last year witnessed some important positive developments for children affected by
armed conflict. Two verdicts passed by the ICC and the Special Court for Sierra Leone this year against the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga and former Liberian President Charles Taylor, respectively, set important international jurisprudence on the war crime of recruiting and using children. In Lubanga's case, it also made a significant contribution to the development of the right to reparations in international law. These two verdicts send a clear signal to commanders that child recruitment is a war crime and perpetrators will be held accountable. These cases influence and may alter the behaviour, decisions and orders of parties to conflict. Indeed, the possibility of appearing before the ICC is increasingly serving as a deterrent against child recruitment in places where armed conflict is occurring."
4. Cutaway, South Sudan delegate
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: 
"Reparations can provide more immediate accountability for children and enable reconciliation within communities and through them, the experiences of a significantly larger number of victims, and the loss and harm from a wider range of violations, including sexual violence, may be addressed."
6. Cutaway, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: 
"International justice cannot replace, but rather complement, national accountability mechanisms, specifically where national authorities are unable or unwilling to bring alleged perpetrators to justice. The challenge in conflict-affected developing countries is not always lack of will, but often one of capacity."
8. Cutaway, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the
UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: 
"In many contexts, children join armed forces or groups due to a lack of options. Conflict-affected countries continue to lag behind in the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, including on education, health and child mortality. Poverty often also means a lack of access to education and other basic services, and therefore the possibility of any other form of social mobility does not often exist. These factors lead many young people to see mobilization as their only opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. Initiatives to combat poverty and to provide children and youth with alternatives through quality education, both formal and informal, and national programs for job creation and income generation for young people should be top priorities in national prevention strategies."
10. Tilt up, from HRC room to ceiling

STORYLINE:

The UN special envoy on children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui today (11 September) told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the threat of being indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is helping to deter warlords from recruiting child soldiers.

Zerrougui said the two verdicts passed by the ICC and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) this year against the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga and former Liberian President Charles Taylor, respectively, "set important international jurisprudence on the war crime of recruiting and using children".
 
She was presenting the annual report of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, which covers the period from May 2011 to May 2012.

The special envoy said "initiatives to combat poverty and to provide children and youth with alternatives through quality education, both formal and informal, and national programs for job creation and income generation for young people should be top priorities in national prevention strategies."

Zerrougui called upon the international community to support conflict-affected countries, saying that "international justice cannot replace, but rather complement, national accountability mechanisms, specifically where national authorities are unable or unwilling to bring alleged perpetrators to justice.  The challenge in conflict-affected developing countries is not always lack of will, but often one of capacity."