Morocco launches first African treaty to end child soldier use
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Twenty African countries signed the African Convention for the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Child Soldiers at a ceremony led by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the Moroccan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The event took place alongside the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. This treaty marks the first African effort to create regional cooperation for preventing armed groups from recruiting children and for reintegrating former child soldiers across the continent.
Bourita stated the convention demonstrates the strength of collective African action and the continent’s ability to develop its own standards. African governments, experts, field workers, and other stakeholders collaborated to create the convention, which also aims to strengthen cooperation between countries and share lessons learned. The signing followed a ministerial conference held in Rabat in November 2025, which resulted in the Rabat Declaration and further consultations with African experts on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs.
The convention includes provisions to support the lasting reintegration of former child soldiers into their communities.
