The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict is expected to visit South Sudan between June 22 and 27.
Leila Zerrougui is scheduled to meet top government officials, UN partners and civil society to assess the impact of the conflict on children and follow-up on the implementation of the action plan signed to end and prevent the recruitment of children in the country’s armed forces.
She is also expected follow up on the May 10 commitment President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar signed in Addis Ababa to end all grave violations against children and cooperate with the UN and to provide humanitarian access and aid to child victims.
Ms Zerrougui would conduct joint visits and advocacy with UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova between June 22 to 24 on the right to education, ending and preventing attacks against schools and the military use of schools.
This mission also marks the beginning of the collaboration between the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation Forest Whitaker.