Morocco Leads Historic African Moment in New York: Continental Convention to Combat the Recruitment of Children in Conflicts

ALDAR /

Nearly twenty African countries began on Wednesday in New York, at the level of foreign ministers, the process of signing the African Convention on the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Recruited Children, during a ceremony chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita.

During the ceremony, held at the headquarters of the Kingdom of Morocco’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Bourita stressed that the Convention represents “an embodiment of the strength of collective African action, which speaks with one voice and has confidence in its own capabilities.”

The minister explained that, through this Convention, “the African continent demonstrates its ability to establish its own standards, rather than continuing to import them,” noting that it constitutes the first African contractual instrument providing for regional cooperation to prevent the recruitment of children by armed groups and ensure their inclusion in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes developed across the African continent.

In this regard, he emphasized that the Convention is the result of an inclusive African process, prepared exclusively through contributions from African governments, experts and experienced field practitioners, as well as legal and political contributions from relevant stakeholders. The document therefore aims to strengthen collective capacities and develop African responses tailored to the realities of the continent.

This unprecedented legal instrument provides a framework for strengthening African cooperation by promoting the exchange of expertise among States, enabling them to share experiences and best practices and engage in mutual learning in the prevention of the recruitment and exploitation of children in armed conflicts, as well as their disarmament, demobilization and sustainable reintegration.

The Convention brings together issues related to peace and security and the protection of children in situations of armed conflict. It proposes measures for African States to address the scourge of child recruitment across the continent and calls for their sustainable reintegration into their communities.

The signing of the Convention is part of a comprehensive process launched in Rabat during the Ministerial Conference on the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Child Soldiers, held on November 20, 2025. The conference led to the adoption of the “Rabat Declaration,” followed by consultations with African experts specializing in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, as well as a process through which States were invited to present their views on the draft Convention.