Geneva, 10 March 2025 – Just one day before the global launch of the Prove It Matters campaign, the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding (CCDP) welcomed representatives from the Office of the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) for an interactive Q&A session with graduate students at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Facilitated by CCDP representatives Claudia Seymour and Jennifer Thornquest, the session provided students with a rare opportunity to engage directly with experts on the Children and Armed Conflict mandate—an initiative established by the UN General Assembly in 1996 to safeguard children in war zones.

During the discussion, students raised pressing questions on child protection research, from safeguarding methodologies and disaggregating data by gender to addressing the intersection of disability and children's protections. Other key topics included the development of guidance notes for practitioners working with children in conflict zones and the challenges of incorporating children’s voices into policymaking.

The discussion also set the stage for the Prove It Matters campaign, which calls for a renewed global commitment to ensuring that children’s rights are upheld in conflict zones.

The CCDP remains committed to fostering critical conversations at the intersection of peacebuilding and human rights, providing a platform for the next generation of scholars and practitioners to engage with global experts.