"UNICEF Myanmar commends the Government of Myanmar for ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC). The ratification, which follows the enactment of the new Child Rights Law in July 2019, once again demonstrates Myanmar’s efforts to align national policies and regulatory frameworks with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that Myanmar ratified in 1991. Children bear the brunt of armed conflict worldwide, including in Myanmar. The presence of a dedicated chapter in the new Child Rights Law on the protection of children affected by armed conflict, coupled with the ratification of the OPAC, now provide a legal basis for the protection these particularly vulnerable children need. The ratification of the OPAC also marks another important step by the Government towards ending and preventing the recruitment and use of children within the national armed forces, a commitment already under implementation through the Security Council-mandated Joint Action Plan signed with the United Nations in 2012, and which has led to major progress towards this end. Welcoming the Government of Myanmar’s confirmation of the minimum age of 18 years for voluntary recruitment into military service, UNICEF calls on the Government to ensure that children enrolled from the age of 16 in military academies and vocational training programmes do not take any direct part in hostilities and do not commit themselves to long-term compulsory bonds with the military before reaching the age of 18. UNICEF stands ready to support the Government of Myanmar in translating the commitments into tangible measures for the protection of boys and girls, and remains committed to continue working together to end and prevent all six grave violations against children..."