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The present report, which covers the period from January to December 2013, is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2068 (2012), by which the Council requested me to continue to submit annual reports on the implementation of its resolutions and presidential statements on children and armed conflict.

The report highlights global trends regarding the impact of armed conflict on children in 2013 and the main activities and initiatives with regard to the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions and the conclusions of its Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. In follow-up to the previous report (A/67/845-S/2013/245), it provides an update on the cooperation among partners to the children and armed conflict agenda, including within the United Nations system.

In line with the resolutions of the Security Council on children and armed conflict, the present report includes in its annexes a list of parties that engage in the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children, recurrent attacks on schools and/or hospitals and recurrent attacks or threats of attacks against protected personnel, in contravention of international law.

All information presented in this report has been documented, vetted, and verified for accuracy by the United Nations. In situations where the ability to obtain or independently verify information is hampered by factors such as insecurity or access restrictions, it is qualified as such. The preparation of the report involved broad consultations within the United Nations, at Headquarters and in the field, and with relevant Member States.

Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), and in identifying situations that fall within the scope of her mandate, my Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict is guided by the criteria found in international humanitarian law and international jurisprudence for determining the existence of an armed conflict. In the implementation of her mandate, my Special Representative has adopted a pragmatic and cooperative approach on the issue, with an emphasis on humanitarian principles, aimed at ensuring broad and effective protection for children affected by conflict in situations of concern. Reference to a situation is not a legal determination, and reference to a non-State party does not affect its legal status.