Presents information on actions taken by the United Nations and other organizations in compliance with the General Assembly’s adopted resolution 54/145, which directs the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect and assist unaccompanied refugee children. Among the activities reported in 2000 were: (1) efforts undertaken by UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and specialized nongovernmental organizations to strengthen the tracing and reunification of families, in countries including Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania as well as Kosovo and East Timor; (2) particular efforts to assist separated children in Europe, including conducting individual country assessments and gathering reliable statistics; (3) ongoing advocacy efforts on behalf of children forced into armed conflict, prostitution, or pornography; (4) missions aimed at the plight of internally displaced children, with attention to their special needs; (5) expansion of UNHCR’s field network of advisors and policy officers; and (6) finalization of a manual on the rights of women and children. Future challenges include finding adequate human and financial resources to address identified needs, promoting community-based strategies in humanitarian interventions, enhancing the legal protections of refugee children, and increasing monitoring to ensure compliance with relevant protocols.
