Political, legal, and practical measures are urgently needed to prevent and address the suffering of children affected by armed conflict. This could include actions that strengthen the protection against harm caused to civilians, including children, by military operations, that ensure accountability for violations of international law against children, as well as actions that significantly bolster the humanitarian response to protect children.

• Take all feasible and appropriate measure to strengthen the protection of children by parties to armed conflict

• Build capacity and ensure training of armed forces in protection of children

• Develop national, subregional, and regional approaches and plans to prevent violations of international humanitarian law against children in armed conflict

• Fund child protection capacity in UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in UN country teams to enhance protection of children and generate dialogue around prevention

• Work to ensure full accountability for violations of international humanitarian law as well as human rights violations and abuses against children

• Take all feasible and appropriate actions to ensure that children and other civilians continue to have access to essential services such as healthcare, food-systems, education, water, and electricity during and after conflicts

• Implement all feasible and appropriate measures to strengthen the safety and security of all humanitarian and health workers

• Take all feasible and appropriate action to strengthen safe rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to respond to the needs of children

• Take all feasible and appropriate actions to ensure that policies, plans, and resources are in place for emergency education for children affected by armed conflict

• Endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration and accompanying Guidelines for protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflict

• Implement Security Council resolution 2601 on protection of education in armed conflict

• Take all feasible and appropriate measures to ensure the continuity of health services and care to children during armed conflict

• Implement Security Council Resolution 2286 on protection of health care in armed conflict

• Take all feasible and appropriate action to ensure that all children affected by conflict in contact with the justice system are treated in a child-sensitive manner, consistent with their rights under the UN CRC and in line with international juvenile justice standards

• Take all feasible and appropriate action to ensure the prevention of displacement, to search, and account for the missing and to reunite children with their families

• Make family tracing programmes widely available to restore family links

• Support and fund inclusion of child protection capacity in national and international accountability mechanisms

• Offer political and/or financial support for the Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda, the mandate for the SRSG CAAC, the monitoring and reporting mechanism on violations of child rights, and the implementation of conclusions from the Security Council Working Group on CAAC

• Offer political or financial support for the implementation of UNICEF’s mandate for protecting children in armed conflict and for ensuring their rights

• Offer political and financial support for the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, the ICRC’s mandate under international humanitarian law and operational response to protect civilians, including children

• Offer political and financial support for the African Union’s work on children in armed conflict

• Offer political and financial support for children’s rights and humanitarian civil society organisations to respond to the needs of children in armed conflict

• Advocate for child protection to be placed at the core of the Centrality of Protection agenda in the humanitarian response

• Work to ensure meaningful protection outcomes for children in humanitarian action both through standalone programming and by integration across programme sectors

• Work to include the protection of children at the global refugee forum and the action plan for internal displacement

• Consult and include children and young people in the development of policies and programs related to peacebuilding (including peace processes), development and humanitarian action

• Engage inclusively with affected communities. Ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women, boys, and girls