Mr President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*,Albania*, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Georgia, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

The EU remains deeply dismayed at the unacceptably high levels of grave violations against children outlined in the report of the Secretary-General across a number of situations of concern.

We urge parties to conflict to cease violations against children, and call on the concerned States to bring to justice all those responsible for grave violations against children, and to join the efforts for an increased compliance with international humanitarian, human rights and child protection laws and norms. We encourage cooperation with international justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court.

The EU remains determined to address the impacts of conflict on children worldwide, but we wish to highlight a few situations in particular.

We are horrified by the impact on children of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Children have been killed and maimed, schools and hospitals have been attacked in blatant violation of international law. As a result of the Russian aggression, children are at particular risk of denial of humanitarian access, abduction, trafficking, forced deportations and illegal adoption, sexual exploitation and separation from their families. We are very concerned about the report of forcible deportation of children to Russia since the invasion. Schools across Ukraine have been hit by heavy artillery, air strikes and other explosive weapons, or used for military purposes. We welcome in this regard the decision to add Ukraine as a situation of concern with immediate effect, call for additional reporting and monitoring in accordance with the CAAC mandate without further delay, and urge the UN and all Member States to step up efforts to protect children impacted by Russia’s illegal aggression. Russia must end its violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as grave violations against children in Ukraine.

We continue to be particularly concerned by the situation in the Tigray region as well as in Cabo Delgado, and welcome here also the addition of Ethiopia and Mozambique as situations of concern with immediate effect.

The situation of children in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin regions and the inter-linked conflicts affecting communities is also of particular concern, as is the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. We urge full compliance by all armed forces in the Sahel with international humanitarian law , and the halting of indiscriminate attacks and of all violations against children’ rights, including their abduction. We also call on the security and armed forces in Myanmar to end the persisting practice of arresting the children, parents or close relatives of opponents.

We are alarmed by the increase of grave violations against girls, including sexual violence and abductions.

Mr President,

The EU has made the prevention and elimination of grave violations against children affected by armed conflict as well as their effective reintegration a priority, as recalled in the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child.

The EU reiterates its call to prioritise the protection of children in armed conflict and to ensure that UN mechanisms and peace operations are adequately financed and equipped. We urge the Council to engage closely and regularly with the Special Representative, including on specific country situations to reflect child protection as a crucial aspect in its deliberations. We thank all UN entities engaged in monitoring and reporting, especially UNICEF and OHCHR, whose reports contribute to further investigations and, ultimately, accountability for perpetrators.

We value the findings of the study on the evolution of the children and armed conflict mandate and the UNICEF report published in June. We welcome the steps taken by the Special Representative to implement the recommendations. In view of the persistent cases of denial of humanitarian access, we encourage the SRSG to develop a guidance note on monitoring, reporting, advocacy, accountability, and dialogue on denial of humanitarian access for children, in line with existing guidance notes. We welcome recent research in this regard by Watchlist and Fordham University to shed light on this issue. 

Providing every child access to quality and safe education, protecting schools and other educational institutions and supporting teachers and school personnel during armed conflict is a necessity. The EU prioritises education, including in emergency contexts, paying particular attention to inclusive access to education for girls and children in vulnerable situations, in particular refugee and internally displaced children, and children with disabilities. In this regard, we must once again condemn the Taliban’s continuing and unacceptable denial of second-level education to Afghan girls and urge the Taliban to ensure equal access to education.

The Peacebuilding Commission can play a key role in mobilising attention and resources towards addressing the needs of children in conflict and post-conflict settings, including efforts relating to the release and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups. Further strategic cooperation between the Peacebuilding Fund and UNICEF can also ensure that child protection provisions are integrated in peacebuilding efforts.  

Armed conflicts expose children to unspeakable physical and psychological suffering with long-lasting consequences. Preventing these violations, engaging with all parties to conflict, including child protection and child participation in peace negotiations, ensuring access to quality education, and strengthening long-term recovery and the reintegration of children enrolled by armed groups therefore remain crucial to peace and security for all.

Global initiatives, such as the Paris Principles and Commitments, Vancouver Principles, and the Safe Schools Declaration, provide additional tools to protect children’s rights and strengthen child protection, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. We call on all Member States to further their commitments by endorsing these initiatives.

The EU remains committed to do its part.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.