UN Secretary-General Report on Children and Armed Conflict: Ukraine Is Situation of Concern

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine underscores that Ukraine, as a party to the main international documents on the protection of children’s rights, supports all efforts aimed at developing and ensuring social protection of children, promoting children’s rights and well-being, and accelerating progress in prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children, protecting children’s rights amid armed conflicts and under conditions of temporary occupation.

The Ukrainian side consistently called on the UN to properly reflect the violations against children committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine since 2014 in its reports.

“We welcome the fact that the Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict published on 11 July indicates Ukraine as a situation of concern. Thus, gross violations against children become the subject of daily monitoring by the UN system and will be regularly considered by the UN Security Council, while the Russian Federation will not have any leverage to block such discussions, which in turn will contribute to the inevitability of punishing those guilty of committing these crimes,” reads the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Background

The mandate of the Special Representative of UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict was approved by 13 UN Security Council resolutions that identify six grave violations against children in times of war: killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups; attacks on schools or hospitals; rape or other grave sexual violence; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access for children.

Natalia Tolub