On 28 August 2026, Defence for Children International (DCI) convened a policy workshop in Geneva on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC): Turning Commitments into Action. The workshop was organised in partnership with the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict.
The workshop was supported by the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva and co-sponsored by the Office of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations in Geneva.
The meeting took place at a critical moment for the CAAC agenda. In 2025, the United Nations verified 38,558 grave violations against 24,174 children—the highest number recorded in a single year since the establishment of the CAAC mandate. Against this backdrop, the workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved over the past three decades, while identifying the political, institutional and operational measures needed to respond to the escalating threats faced by children in conflict settings.
The event brought together representatives of Member States, members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UN offices and agencies, civil society organisations, experts, and scholars. Conducted under the Chatham House Rule, it enabled participants to engage in open and candid discussions on how to strengthen prevention, protection, and accountability.
The discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities for advancing the CAAC agenda in light of the thirtieth anniversary of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the recently adopted Human Rights Council resolution 61/21 on realising the rights of children affected by armed conflict. Participants also considered emerging protection priorities, including access to health and education, the protection of civilian infrastructure, family tracing and reunification, child-sensitive justice, accountability, long-term recovery and reintegration, and the meaningful participation of children in decisions affecting them.
A central theme of the workshop was the need for stronger coordination among human rights, humanitarian and child protection actors. Participants emphasised that commitments made in different international forums should be connected and translated into practical action at national and local levels, rather than remaining fragmented.
The workshop forms part of DCI’s continued advocacy to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict. In the coming months, DCI will continue to engage with the UN Human Rights Council and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, while working with partners to promote stronger accountability, more effective protection measures and sustained political action for children living in situations of armed conflict.