§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the United Nations working group negotiating the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to raise the minimum age of recruitment into the armed forces. [40623]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe United Nations Working Group on Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict was unable to reach agreement on the next of the draft protocol at its fourth session from 2 February to 10 February 1998. The particular views expressed by delegations in the discussions are set out in the report of the working group, published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
On 22 April 1998 the UN Commission on Human Rights decided by consensus to encourage the Chairman of the Working Group to conduct broad informal consultations with the aim of promoting an early agreement on the protocol and to produce a report on the consultations by the end of 1998, including, if possible, recommendations on the best way for the formal negotiations to proceed. The Commission has requested the working group to meet early in 1999 to consider the chairman's report and to report to the 55th session of the Commission on Human Rights. The commission has also reaffirmed the aim of finalising the draft optional protocol by the 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1999.