Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a strategy on children and armed conflict.

The latest UN Secretary General's (UNSG) report on Children and Armed Conflict is shocking. It shows that children are being harmed and denied lifesaving aid on an unprecedented scale.

As the UK made clear in our statement at the UN Security Council open debate on Children and Armed Conflict on 25 June, the UK calls on all parties to armed conflict to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children, and for perpetrators to be held to account. The UK also remains committed to promoting and defending the UN's Children and Armed Conflict mandate.

The Minister for Africa met Save the Children and War Child on 3 July to discuss the UNSG's report and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) approach to protecting children affected by armed conflict. The FCDO is currently reviewing our approach to children in conflict.