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Hailing thesigned by 15 warring parties in the Central African Republic (CAR), the UN Children鈥檚 Fund () stressed on Monday that 鈥渘ow is the time for action鈥� and outlined concrete steps that armed groups, judicial authorities and the Government can take so the future of millions of children听can be safeguarded.

鈥淭he peace agreement signed by the Government of the Central African Republic and other parties to the conflict is a welcome step towards lasting peace and the hope of a better future for the country鈥檚 children,鈥� said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore in a statement.

鈥淲e particularly welcome commitments to protect children鈥檚 rights and put an end to grave violations against children, but commitments are not enough. Now is the time for action,鈥� she added, regretting that 鈥渇or too long, violence, instability and chronic underdevelopment have devastated children鈥檚 lives in the Central African Republic鈥�.听

She listed three 鈥渃oncrete steps that can help translate the peace agreement into meaningful action for children鈥澨齛ffected by six years of brutal conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis:

• parties to the conflict to release all children who were enrolled or associated with armed groups;
• the judicial system to treat children arrested or detained due to their association with armed groups as children and victims first, and to ensure that their rights are upheld;
• the Government to adopt as soon as possible the Child Protection Code and to align the country鈥檚 juvenile justice system with international standards.

Since conflict began in CAR in 2012, due to fighting between the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia and the mainly Muslim S茅l茅ka rebel coalition, thousands of civilians have been killed and two out of three people became dependent on humanitarian aid. Children have been听, according to the UN children鈥檚 agency: one in four is displaced within the landlocked country or in neighbouring countries, and millions remain out-of-school, malnourished and vulnerable to disease, abuse and exploitation.

Peace talks started on 24 January this year and an agreement was reached 10 days later under the auspices of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR, led by the African Union (AU), with the UN鈥檚 support. The deal was听听on 6 February.

鈥淯NICEF stands ready to support national efforts to help children affected by the conflict and is hopeful that this agreement will be a fundamental step towards long-lasting peace for the country鈥檚 children,鈥� said Ms. Fore.