Tomorrow’s session is therefore expected to build on these previous sessions. In doing so, it would first offer an opportunity to assess whether and how the measures identified in these sessions on the subject of rehabilitation and reintegration have been implemented. Second, the session also helps to bring together into a single coherent text the steps identified in the outcome of the previous sessions on rehabilitation and reintegration of children affected by armed conflicts.

A critical point of departure for tomorrow’s session is to have clear data and analysis both on the state of engagement of children in armed conflicts and on whether and how the issues of rehabilitation and reintegration of children are addressed in peace agreements and in post-conflict and reconstruction processes. While there is no data specific to the situation of conflicts in Africa, according to the UNSG 2024 Children and Armed Conflict Annual Report, ‘22,495 children [were] affected by recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence and abduction.’ It recorded a 17 per cent increase in the number of child victims of multiple grave violations (3,137) involving the convergence of abduction, recruitment and use, and sexual violence, representing an alarming escalation in brutality.’ Indicating the persistence of the recruitment of child soldiers, the report pointed out that 7,402 children were recruited and used. Of the five countries with the highest numbers of children recruited and used, three were in Africa (the DRC, Nigeria and Somalia).

In terms of how rehabilitation and reintegration are addressed in peace processes, there are emerging practices in some settings despite persisting challenges. For example, according to the UN report, of the four countries in which 16,482 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups were provided with protection or reintegration support, two of them, namely DRC and South Sudan, are from Africa. In the countries affected by Boko Haram and its splinter groups in the Lake Chad Basin, the issue of rehabilitation and reintegration of children is integrated into the regional stabilisation initiatives including DDR processes at the national levels. It emerges from this limited available data that there is a need for monitoring and documentation, including the systematic collection of information. The development and implementation of tailored measures for rehabilitation and reintegration of children in each of the conflict settings has to be informed by the nature and scale of the problem of children associated with armed forces or armed groups.

Also of significance for tomorrow’s session is the review of lessons learned on rehabilitation and reintegration of children from the experience of countries that implemented or are implementing DDR and SSR processes in post-conflict settings such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and South Sudan or those pursuing stabilisation measures such as countries affected by the conflict involving Boko Haram. The experience of Liberia, for example, shows not only that child protection has to be thought of from the outset of the design of DDR processes, but also that dedicated attention has to be paid to the needs of the girl child who is associated with an armed force or armed group. Other useful insights include the necessity of community participation and the use of relevant rituals in the rehabilitation and reintegration of children.

Tomorrow’s session also affords an opportunity to discuss the challenges to an effective and rights-based approach to the rehabilitation and reintegration of children. Reintegration is at times hindered by community stigma, especially for girls who face rejection due to sexual violence or pregnancies resulting from their exploitation. Without well-resourced programs that also cater for their needs, families and communities, often dealing with their own conflict-related trauma, may struggle to support returning children. Structural barriers also limit this endeavour. For instance, the widespread poverty and lack of access to education drive child recruitment, as children join armed groups for survival or to support their families. In addition, political instability and ongoing conflicts disrupt rehabilitation efforts and increase the risk of re-recruitment. Funding shortfalls are also another challenge. Humanitarian operations, including child protection programmes, face severe underfunding. In 2024, only 50% of UNICEF’s thematic humanitarian funding went to four emergencies (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, Ukraine), leaving operations in high-need areas like the DRC, Burkina Faso, Mali and Somalia critically underfunded. This trend is expected to continue in 2025, impacting reintegration efforts. Its 2024 Annual Report noted that resources for child protection programmes continue to shrink amidst rising needs. A 20% projected budget reduction for 2026 suggests that 2025 funding for reintegration programmes remains constrained, particularly in conflict-affected regions.

Despite the policy advances made and the regularisation of the issue of child protection on the agenda of the PSC, systematic integration of the issue across the peace and security policy spectrum from early warning to PCRD remains a work in progress. For example, despite its mediation role during the negotiation of the Pretoria Agreement of November 2022, the AU did not include the issue of rehabilitation and reintegration of children associated with the armed forces or groups in the mediation process.

The expected outcome of tomorrow’s session is a communiqué. Council is expected to encourage Member States to adopt national policy and action plans as well as legislative measures that prevent the participation of children in armed groups. It may also reiterate its call for mainstreaming child protection into the early warning system both to facilitate measures for mitigating the risk of recruitment of children and to integrate child protection measures into mediation and peace-making processes for ensuring that peace initiatives and PCRD interventions ensure rehabilitation and reintegration of children based on the best interest of the child including through prioritising education and access to schools and skill development opportunities. The PSC may call on states to integrate child protection and reintegration into national DDR and peacebuilding strategies, with adequate resourcing for long-term, holistic support to affected children and communities that also counters the stigmatisation of children affected by armed conflicts. The PSC may call on the AU Commission to ensure that reports or briefings on specific conflict situations or peace processes include a dedicated section on child protection and how to advance rehabilitation and reintegration of affected children. The PSC may also call on the AU Commission and the ACERWC to identify and assemble lessons learned and best practices on rehabilitation and reintegration of children as an authoritative reference for guiding national actors, the RECs/RMs and the AU in designing and implementing rehabilitation and reintegration processes. The PSC may also call for giving particular attention to and ensuring dedicated support measures for girls in the design and implementation of rehabilitation and reintegration programs, having regard to the vulnerability and special needs of girls. The PSC may also emphasise the need for leveraging the cultural resources of the community that affected children belong to and ensuring community engagement in the design and implementation of rehabilitation and reintegration programs. It may also underscore the need for allocating adequate resources for rehabilitation and reintegration programs.