Watchlist makes it possible for the various groups working on this agenda to speak together with a unified voice.

Transcription

1 2014 annual report

2

3 2014 annual report 1 FOREWORD 2014 was a devastating year for children. According to UNICEF, some 15 million children were caught up in violent conflicts around the world. Children have been killed while in their classrooms or in their beds, they have been tortured, maimed, abducted, recruited, and raped in wars in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and the State of Palestine, among others. In this increasingly challenging environment, Watchlist continues its efforts towards the protection of children in conflict, needed now more than ever. Highlights of the past year include a comprehensive report on the impact of Boko Haram s targeted attacks on schools, students, and teachers in northern Nigeria. Schools were pillaged, burned, and destroyed; children abducted. In Borno State, thousands of school-age children are out of school. The Security Council responded to our call for increased attention to this issue. During an Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict, 11 states condemned the mass abduction of over 200 children from Chibok, and four states raised the possibility of expanding the UN s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism s trigger violations to include abductions of children, thus paving the way for a Council resolution on the topic in Watchlist makes it possible for the various groups working on this agenda to speak together with a unified voice.

4 2 Watchlist on Children AND Armed Conflict In an increasingly complex external environment, our organizations benefit from the role that Watchlist plays in coordinating NGO advocacy with the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict issues. Watchlist s recommendations to the Security Council through its Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Updates have been particularly successful. Through this mainstreaming mechanism, Watchlist learned that a contingent of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), a perpetrator of grave violations against children, participates in the UN s Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic. Deeply convinced that armed forces that use child soldiers have no place in UN peace-operations, Watchlist published a widely disseminated paper, proposing a UN policy prohibiting listed Government forces from contributing troops to UN Missions. We continue to raise this point with senior UN leadership. In an increasingly complex external environment, our organizations benefit from the role that Watchlist plays in coordinating NGO advocacy with the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict issues. Watchlist enthusiastically welcomed Terre des Hommes International Federation, a family of organizations who bring a wealth of expertise helping children and young people affected by armed conflict, as a new member to our Advisory Board. In addition, we also welcomed Geneva Call, who joined us as an Associate Member in Last but not least, on behalf of the Advisory Board, we thank our partners and funders for their support. Now more than ever, children caught up in violent conflicts around the world need strong, independent voices to speak out. With your aid, Watchlist will remain the indispensable player it is, making a difference where it really matters. JO BECKER, Chair Watchlist Advisory Board representing Human Rights Watch DEBRA JONES, Vice-Chair Watchlist Advisory Board representing Save the Children

5 2014 annual report 3 Advocacy to Advance the Children and Armed Conflict agenda 1 In 2014, Watchlist s advocacy tackled both country-specific and global concerns on children affected by armed conflict. Mainstreaming CAC in the Security Council Watchlist makes recommendations to the Security Council by means of its Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Updates. Watchlist s recommendations aim to mainstream children and armed conflict issues throughout the work of the Security Council, including in all relevant thematic or country-specific resolutions, presidential statements and press statements, UN mission mandate renewals, relevant sanctions regimes, Security Council briefings and consultations, and Security Council visiting missions. In 2014, Watchlist covered children and armed conflict in 13 country situations on the Council s agenda in 12 issues of the Monthly Update, and put forward two special bulletins in March and September, to influence the Council s Open Debates on Children and Armed Conflict. To further assist Council members taking effective action on children and armed conflict concerns, Watchlist conducts reactive advocacy, highlighting urgent needs. For example, Watchlist learned from partners in Mali that a contingent of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was using a vocational school in Gao as barracks, disrupting education for hundreds of students. Watchlist brought the issue to the attention of the Security Council, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Secretary-General s Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict. After sustained advocacy, MINUSMA relocated the troops to an alternative site and rehabilitation of the vacated premises is underway. In another example, Watchlist issued a press release expressing concern on the inclusion of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), a perpetrator of grave violations against children, into the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic. Third, Watchlist s Smartphone application on Children and Armed Conflict continues to provide Security Council diplomats with immediate, updated access to resolution language on children and armed conflict. Currently, 4615 individuals use the application to access guidance without having to solicit lengthy reports. These individuals are located in 129 countries, of which 73 are developing economies (IMF definition), and 12 are least developed economies (UNDP definition). Security Council Open Debates on Children and Armed Conflict Meanwhile, Watchlist continues to push the Council to pursue normative work on children and armed conflict.

6 4 Watchlist on Children AND Armed Conflict Following its publication, and as a result of Watchlist s advocacy, concerns over the participation of listed government forces were raised by Member States at the September Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict. In March, a first Open Debate took place under Luxembourg s Presidency of the Council, resulting in a resolution that was adopted by consensus on 7 March 2014 (S/RES/2143(2014)). Resolution 2143 (2014) addresses the implementation of the children and armed conflict agenda and introduced new elements such as birth registration, targeted and operational training for military, police, and civilian peacekeepers on child protection, and the military use of schools. The resolution also endorsed the Children, Not Soldiers campaign launched jointly by the SRSG- CAAC and UNICEF. In September, a second Open Debate took place under the U.S. Presidency of the Council, following the release of the Secretary-General s 13 th Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict. In the absence of an outcome document, Watchlist urged Member States to include its recommendations in their individual statements. In particular, Watchlist advocated for the expansion of Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) trigger violations to include abductions. Currently, only four violations (recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape and sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals) will get a party to conflict listed in the annexes to the UN Secretary-General s annual report on children and armed conflict. In light of the increasing global trend of abducting children in situations of armed conflict, Watchlist will continue its work to ensure that abductions are adopted as a trigger violation by the Security Council. Policy Research In June, Watchlist released Working Methods Strengthening the Impact of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. The note continues Watchlist s practice of providing updated analyses of the working methods of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. It examines and identifies trends in (1) the use of the Working Group s toolkit and (2) the time taken to adopt countryspecific conclusions. The note offers recommendations for strengthening the working methods of the Working Group in relation to both the use of the toolkit and adoption times. Watchlist s discussion paper A Policy Prohibiting Listed Government Forces from Contributing Troops to UN Missions, published in August 2014, urges the UN to develop and implement a policy prohibiting government security forces listed in the annexes to the Secretary- General s annual report on children and armed conflict from contributing troops to UN-mandated missions. In this note, Watchlist argues that positive advancements made by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to better protect children in conflict zones, still do not suffice. Governments, whose security forces perpetrate grave violations against children, should be barred from contributing troops to UN missions. Following its publication, and as a result of Watchlist s advocacy, concerns over the participation of listed government forces were raised by Member States in briefings on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and at the September Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict. Policy Workshops In July 2014, together with the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Watchlist convened a policy workshop, Addressing Child Protection in Conflict Mediation: Charting a Way Forward, at the Princeton Club in New York City. The objective of the workshop was to build upon and complement the existing efforts towards mainstreaming child protection in conflict mediation, while exploring policy linkages between the UN s Children and Armed Conflict mandate and conflict mediation. The workshop consisted of two main working sessions, the first of which covered an overview of the latest developments in the fields of child protection and mediation, and the second that offered an opportunity for exchange of participants practical experiences with child protection and mediation and/or humanitarian dialogue. The outcome document of the workshop, that will feature gathered recommendations, is pending review and publication in 2015.

7 2014 annual report 5 Field Monitors 2 In 2014, Watchlist conducted a research mission to Nigeria to investigate grave violations perpetrated against children, to devise recommendations to strengthen the child protection response, and to assist with the establishment of the UN-led Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM). Watchlist conducted qualitative interviews with 156 people, including 54 internally displaced people and refugees, federal and local government authorities, members of the military, police, and civilian self-defense groups, state emergency responders, teachers, UN and humanitarian agencies, and domestic and international NGOs. Watchlist launched its new report, Who will Care for Us? Grave Violations against Children in Northeastern Nigeria, at the UN s headquarters in New York, a few days before the Council s September Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict. Watchlist also presented the report at high-level meetings with the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (SCWG- CAAC), a group of countries friendly to the Children and Armed Conflict agenda, and the wider UN-NGO community working on child protection issues. Shortly after the launch, Watchlist conducted advocacy with key stakeholders in Nigeria and hosted two workshops to introduce the MRM to national and international partners. The report received notable international and national press coverage. Watchlist tracked appearances in 13 international publications including, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Watchlist also appeared in 8 Nigerian newspapers. In addition, Watchlist conducted one radio interview with their partner WRAPA on BBC radio, and also spoke on NPR and Voice of America. Watchlist further appeared on SABC News, Sahara TV, and Press TV. In addition to sensitizing key stakeholders, Watchlist helped to influence the statements made by UN Member States at the UN Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict. Eleven states, the European Union, UNICEF, and Leila Zerrougui, the UN Special representative on Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC), condemned the mass abduction of over 200 children from Chibok in northern Nigeria and four states raised the possibility of expanding the MRM trigger violations to include abductions. Watchlist also helped to mount pressure for the listing of Boko Haram for recruitment and use as well as the listing of a civilian self-defense group operating in northern Nigeria in the upcoming Secretary-General s Report on Children and Armed Conflict. Following

8 6 Watchlist on Children AND Armed Conflict some of Watchlist s preliminary advocacy on violations by civilian self-defense groups, UNICEF and the SRSG- CAAC engaged in discussion with the Nigerian Minister of Justice and Attorney General which resulted in an agreement to produce an advisory recalling the prohibition of recruitment and use of children by these groups. The advisory produced by the government only focuses on violations by Boko Haram, but Watchlist continues to raise concerns about abuses by civilian groups. In Nigeria, Watchlist s report highlighted gaps in the child protection programmatic response, which helped to raise funds for international organizations working on psychosocial support in the northeast. Watchlist helped to support the effective establishment of the MRM by conducting two workshops and several bilateral meetings to introduce key stakeholders to the mechanism. Watchlist also shared key debriefing documents to link actors with contacts on the ground and to highlight potential challenges and opportunities for MRM implementation. The support received from our partners and our funders enables Watchlist to remain the indispensable player it is in the area of children and armed conflict.

9 2014 annual report 7 Partnerships Program 3 In 2014, Watchlist s Partnerships program supported Child Rights activists efforts to monitor, report and respond to grave violations perpetrated against children in situations of armed conflict. Institutional Learning and Advocacy In March 2014, Watchlist launched The 1612 Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism. A Resource Pack for NGOs, available in English and in French, in an effort to offer NGOs a range of tools to help them define whether and how to engage in the MRM. The Resource Pack reflects many years of Watchlist s learning on the MRM, gained through sustained collaboration with civil society partners working on the MRM. It makes this knowledge available to all in an effort to strengthen the implementation of the MRM through meaningful participation of non-governmental organizations. In the latter part of 2014, working with UNICEF and other NGO partners, Watchlist disseminated the Resource Pack through field-based trainings in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria and South Sudan. Projects with Child Rights Organizations Watchlist has established a Watchlist Fund, which provides civil society partners with financial and technical support. Watchlist s goal is to ensure that local child rights defenders can safely monitor abuses and advocate on behalf of children. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Watchlist partners use information and communication technology to facilitate the transfer and dissemination of information on grave violations perpetrated against children. They also prepared a policy briefing on the status of implementation of the Congolese government s action plan to end and prevent recruitment and use of children, and sexual violence, by its armed forces. The briefing was presented to the Security Council to inform their negotiation of an outcome document on the situation of children affected by the armed conflict in DRC. In Colombia, Watchlist partners with COALICO, a civil society platform working to protect the rights of children affected by the armed conflict. COALICO participates as a member in the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting. It continues to strengthen the implementation of SCR 1612 through monitoring, reporting and response to grave violations. In addition, COALICO runs innovative projects such as a campaign to promote the protected status of schools in Colombia s war-affected areas. Watchlist also supports COALICO s efforts to improve youth participation in the peace dialogue between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

10 8 Watchlist on Children AND Armed Conflict Organizational Update 4 Formed in 2001 by a group of leading human rights and humanitarian organizations, Watchlist was proud to celebrate its thirteenth year of existence in Since 2012, Watchlist is a fiscally-sponsored project of Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the largest fiscal sponsor in the US. Watchlist does not receive direct financial support from Tides Center. Watchlist s programmatic content is set by an Advisory Board composed of international non-governmental organizations. The Advisory Board shares fiduciary responsibility for Watchlist s staff, programs, fundraising, and finances with Tides Center s Board. In 2014, Terre des Hommes International Federation, a network of ten national organizations working for the rights of children, joined Watchlist. Terre des Hommes joins Human Rights Watch, Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children International, War Child International and World Vision International as a member of Watchlist s Advisory Board. Beyond its Advisory Board, Watchlist s network also includes Associate Members who share our commitment to protect the security and rights of children affected by armed conflict. In 2014, Watchlist enthusiastically welcomed Geneva Call, who joined Child Soldiers International, and The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, as its Associate Members. In 2014, Watchlist continued to enjoy the support of several donors. We are especially grateful for the support received throughout 2014 from the Government of Germany, the Government of Liechtenstein, the Government of Norway, the Government of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Government of the United States. In addition, Watchlist is grateful for support received through charitable foundations and a major anonymous donor. Our partners and funders are critical in their patronage to Watchlist s programs and activities. Their support enables Watchlist to remain the indispensable player it is in the area of children in armed conflict, making a difference where it really matters.

11 2014 annual report 9 Financials 1/1/2013 through 12/31/2013 1/1/2014 through 12/13/2014 REVENUE Public Support Grants & Contributions $301, $521, Government Grants $356, $531, Total Public Support $658, $1,052, Other Revenue External Revenue $7, $0.00 Total Other Revenue $7, $0.00 Gain/(Loss) on Realized/Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Realized ($95.34) $0.00 Total Gain/(Loss) on Realized/Unrealized ($95.34) $0.00 Net Assets Released from Restriction Release of Net Assets $0.00 $0.00 Total Net Assets Released from $0.00 $0.00 Total Revenue $666, $1,052, Expenses Operating-Personnel Wages/Salaries $329, $332, Payroll Taxes $30, $30, Benefits $59, $93, Total Operating-Personnel $419, $455, Operating-Non-Personnel Professional Services $115, $82, Rent $67, $65, Utilities $13, $17, Other Occupancy Expense $1, $2, Equipment Rental & Maintenance $1, $2, Postage & Express Services $5, $3, Supplies $9, $14, Printing & Reference Materials $1, $2, Insurance $59, $83, Travel & Conferences $0.00 $11.00 Total Operating-Non-Personnel $276, $272, Grants & Awards Grants & Awards-External $26, $42, Total Grants & Awards $26, $42, Fees Internal Fees $67, $103, External Fees $0.00 $ Total Fees $67, $104, Other Expenses Depreciation Expense $1, $1, Communication & Outreach $2, $ Board Expenses $0.00 $82.50 Other Expenses $ $3, Total Other Expenses $3, $5, Total Expense $793, $880, BEGINNING NET ASSETS $352, $224, NET SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) ($127,910.09) $172, ENDING NET ASSETS $224, $397,369.44

12 Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict 122 East 42nd Street, Suite New York, NY Phone: Fax: watchlist@watchlist.org Access reports at: