Full, Safe & Unhindered Humanitarian Access Must be Safeguarded to Ensure Protection of Conflict-Affected Children

Full, Safe & Unhindered Humanitarian Access Must be Safeguarded to Ensure Protection of Conflict-Affected Children

2020-08-18T16:30:30-04:00Wednesday, 19 August 2020|

Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
on World Humanitarian Day 2020

“Full, safe and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance is fundamental for the protection of boys and girls in armed conflict and even more so as this year’s World Humanitarian Day is being marked against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba.

“Amongst the six grave violations against children my office reports on, the denial of humanitarian access to support children in armed conflict has shown the most dramatic increase in recent years,” she added.

The latest Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict outlines a rise of more than 400% in incidents of denial of humanitarian access in 2019 over the previous year, accounting for a total of more than 4,400 incidents. In addition to direct attacks or threats against humanitarian aid and child protection workers as well as obstructing their work, imposed restrictions of movement and the looting of supplies are increasingly disturbing the provision of vital assistance to these children.

“I call on all parties to conflict to allow humanitarian access to children in situations of armed conflict and to allow child protection experts and humanitarians to do their life-saving work. I further urge all parties to conflict to respond to the Secretary-General’s 23 March call for a global ceasefire and lay down their weapons, as that is the best way to ensure children are protected and assisted.”

“I commend the commitment, strength and courage of humanitarian and child protection personnel and call on the international community to continue to support their work. As the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic continues, let us honor the men and women who tirelessly provide relief and comfort to those in need, including millions of children,” she added.

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For additional information, please contact:

Fabienne Vinet, Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
+1-212-963-5986 (office) / +1-917-288-5791 (mobile) / vinet@un.org

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