Population: 67,000 (12,000 under 18)
Government Armed Forces: none
Compulsary Recruitment Age: not applicable
Voluntary Recruitment Age: not applicable
Voting Age: 18
Optional Protocol: signed 30 April 2001
Other Treaties: CRC, ICC

The defence of Andorra was the responsibility of France and Spain; Andorra had no armed forces.

Government:

National recruitment legislation and practice

Andorra had no armed forces; neighbouring France and Spain had responsibility for its defence.1 There was no possibility that Andorran citizens would be recruited into the French or Spanish armed forces.2 Only the Andorran police and customs services were authorized to carry arms, and the minimum ages for recruitment into these services were 19 and 18 respectively. A special unit of forest wardens employed by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, who on occasion provided back-up for the police and the fire brigade, was also permitted to carry weapons in strictly limited circumstances. Those recruited to serve as forest wardens were between the ages of 18 and 35.3

Developments:

Following its examination in January 2006 of Andorra's initial report on the Optional Protocol, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the Andorran government adopt provisions that would allow extraterritorial jurisdiction for the crime of conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 into the armed forces or armed groups, or compelling their active participation in hostilities.4

1 UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Country Profile: Andorra, www.fco.gov.uk.

2 Report of the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child/Liaison Unit, Child Rights Information Network, www.crin.org.

3 Initial report of Andorra to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Optional Protocol, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/AND/1, 14 July 2005.

4 Report of the NGO Group, above note 2.

Disclaimer:

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.