Population: 35,000
Government Armed Forces: none
Compulsary Recruitment Age: not applicable
Voluntary Recruitment Age: 21 (to security forces)
Voting Age: 18
Optional Protocol: ratified 13 November 2001
Other Treaties: GC AP I, GC AP II, CRC

Monaco had no armed forces.

Government:

National recruitment legislation and practice

The Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 17 July 1918 established the responsibility of France for the defence of the territorial integrity of Monaco. There were no armed forces; the only security forces within Monaco were the Prince's Guard and the fire brigade. Volunteers for these forces had to be at least 21 years of age, in keeping with the provisions of Sovereign Ordinance Number 8017 of 1 June 1984, and with Monaco's declaration on ratification of the Optional Protocol in November 2001.1

Developments:

In June 2007 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that Monaco "consider establishing extra-territorial jurisdiction over war crimes which involve conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen into the armed forces, or using them to participate actively in hostilities, if such crimes are committed by or against a Monegasque national or a person who otherwise has a close link with the State Party". The Committee urged that "given the potential connection between the sale of children and their recruitment into armed groups ... the State Party proceed to ratify the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, which it signed on 26 June 2000".2

At a February 2007 ministerial meeting in Paris, Monaco and 58 other states endorsed the Paris Commitments to protect children from unlawful recruitment or use by armed forces or armed groups and the Paris Principles and guidelines on children associated with armed forces or armed groups. The documents reaffirmed international standards and operational principles for protecting and assisting child soldiers and followed a wide-ranging global consultation jointly sponsored by the French government and UNICEF.

1 Initial report of Monaco to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on implementation of the Optional Protocol, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/MCO/1, 1 March 2006.

2 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Consideration of report submitted by Monaco on implementation of the Optional Protocol, Concluding observations, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/MCO/CO/1, 8 June 2007.

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