A/RES/60/231 Children affected by armed conflict 31. Strongly condemns any recruitment or use of children in armed conflict contrary to international law, as well as other violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict, and urges all States and other parties to armed conflict that are engaged in such practices to end them; 32. Reaffirms the essential roles of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Human Rights for the promotion and protection of the rights and welfare of children, including children affected by armed conflict, and notes the increasing role played by the Security Council in ensuring protection for children affected by armed conflict; 33. Calls upon States: (a) When ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, 15 to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment of persons into the national armed forces from that set out in article 38, paragraph 3, of the Convention, bearing in mind that under the Convention persons under 18 years of age are entitled to special protection, and to adopt safeguards to ensure that such recruitment is not forced or coerced; (b) To take all feasible measures to ensure the demobilization and effective disarmament of children used in armed conflicts and to implement effective measures for their rehabilitation, physical and psychological recovery and reintegration into society, in particular through educational measures, taking into account the rights and the specific needs and capacities of girls; (c) To protect children affected by armed conflict, in particular from violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law and to ensure that they receive timely, effective humanitarian assistance, in accordance with international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, 16 and calls upon the international community to hold those responsible for violations accountable, inter alia, through the International Criminal Court; (d) To take all necessary measures, in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law, as a matter of priority, to prevent the recruitment and use of children by armed groups, as distinct from the armed forces of a State, including the adoption of policies that do not tolerate the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, and legal measures necessary to prohibit and criminalize such practices; 34. Notes with appreciation the adoption of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) of 26 July 2005 on the protection of children affected by armed conflict and the efforts of the Secretary-General to implement the monitoring and reporting mechanism called for in that resolution, with the participation of and in cooperation with national Governments and relevant United Nations and civil society actors, including at the country level; 35. Recognizes the progress achieved since the establishment of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in paragraphs 35 to 37 of General Assembly resolution 51/77 of 12 December 1996, and, bearing in mind the report of the Secretary-General on the _______________ 15 16 8 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2173, No. 27531. Ibid., vol. 75, Nos. 970–973.