North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Members
Key Information
Key information about the regional body.
Relevant Contacts
Contact information of the representatives of Permanent Missions and national Ministries.
SSD Endorsements
Endorsed
Not Endorsed
Examples of Good Practice
What, if anything, the regional body has done to protect education and/or implement any of the 8 commitments outlined in the Declaration.
At the Vilnius Summit (11-12 July 2023), Allies approved NATO’s first Policy on the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict, which references the Safe Schools Declaration as the highest standard to achieve in their operations abroad in terms of protecting education:
- Striving to achieve best practices and child protection principles is important to NATO’s efforts, in line with its values, to ensure full respect for the rights of children in peace, conflict and post-conflict environments. NATO will seek to integrate good practices and child protection principles into its training and operational considerations with an emphasis on practical protection measures. In integrating these practices and child protection principles, NATO will consider the best practices of all Allies, and will take note, as appropriate of international and regional initiatives on CAAC, including as applicable, the Paris Principles and Commitments on Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups; the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers; and the Safe Schools Declaration and associated Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, while noting that these are non-legally binding documents to which some Allies and Partners have committed. The integration of these practices and child protection principles will take into consideration, as appropriate, the differing socio-economic and gendered impacts on and roles of children in conflict.
- NATO will seek to adopt the highest standards in protecting schools, students, teachers and other important elements of educational processes in its missions, operations and activities, acting in a manner consistent with IHL and in line with international good practices. In doing so, NATO will consider the best practices of all Allies, and will take note, as appropriate, of international and regional initiatives on CAAC, including, as applicable, the Safe Schools Declaration and its associated Guidelines.