Manila, June 23 -- The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's 2024 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict has confirmed that the Philippines will be officially removed from the list of situations of concern in 2025.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's report was released on June 20.

It marked a major milestone in the country's transition from conflict to peace and its expanding leadership in child protection, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a news release on Monday.

The Philippines was first listed in the annual report in 2003, amid documented cases of recruitment and use of children by armed groups in various parts of the country.

Consequently, the country implemented significant and sustained on-the-ground...