The Annual Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, presented today to the General Assembly, reveals that the evolving nature, expansion, and increasing complexity of armed conflicts has led to a significant rise in grave violations against children.
The report, which covers the period from August 2023 to July 2024, highlights once again that children disproportionately suffered from the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law and severe breaches of international human rights law by parties to conflict.
Emergence of new challenges
In 2025, the General Assembly will renew the United Nations’ mandate on children and armed conflict. Since the mandate began, the increasing number of situations has paralleled the rise in conflicts, further complicated by the ongoing emergence of new issues that require urgent attention to prevent and address the grave violations it oversees.
Among emerging challenges are the risks faced by children in the digital spaces, including the tactics used by armed groups to recruit and exploit children. Increased awareness of such protection risks is needed, and as a result, the Office of the Special Representative developed a social media campaign in March 2024, reaching fourteen million people.
Furthermore, the report highlights that despite progress, with over 200,000 children separated from armed forces and groups since 1999 through dialogue and advocacy efforts by the United Nations, this practice continues, and the number of children recruited and used by armed forces and armed groups is growing, but concern lies in the fact that some verified violations are attributed to armed gangs.
“Amidst the evolving landscape of armed conflicts, the emergence of new issues and actors has exacerbated the impact on children, deepening their suffering and entrenching the six grave violations. These violations are increasingly intertwined with the complex realities of modern warfare, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive and adaptive protection measures that are viable and sustainable,” stated, Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
The way forward: investing in child protection
The report highlights the importance of developing comprehensive child protection strategies by relevant actors on the ground as well as investing in child protection capacities and trainings. Incorporating child protection measures and capacities into all relevant United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, in alignment with the 2017 Child Protection Policy and Security Council Resolution 2594 (2021) is critical. The report underlines that sustained political involvement, including through the Resident Coordinator Office is essential both during and after a mission’s withdrawal to uphold crucial child protection priorities.
‘While armed conflicts are expanding, the United Nations’ resources are shrinking due to austerity measures and the reduction of peace operations in several situations where the Security Council has explicitly mandated adequate resources for child protection. Dedicated child protection officers are essential for the implementation of my mandate. It will be critical for the General Assembly to take these structural and operational challenges into account during the renewal of the children and armed conflict mandate in 2025. If we want to protect conflict-affected children in a sustainable manner, there is only one way forward, investing in child protection”, emphasized the Special Representative.
Addressing the plight of conflict-affected children through partnerships
The report reflects also the continued engagement of the Special Representative with various actors to foster partnerships aimed at ending and preventing grave violations against children. These efforts resulted in several key agreements, including a memorandum of understanding signed in February 2024 with the Education Above All Foundation, to provide educational opportunities for marginalized children and youth globally, assist League of Arab States member states in adopting the Safe Schools Declaration, and conduct workshops on national action plans. Additionally, a collaboration with Princeton University was established to involve the global academic community in supporting child reintegration efforts in conflict-affected areas through research that informs best practices and field-level operational needs.
At regional level, among other activities, the Special Representative during the reporting period addressed the Council of the League of Arab States about combating violence against children and highlighted the challenges faced by children affected by armed conflict, briefed the Peace and Security Council of the African Union at its special open session and spoke at the European Humanitarian Forum. “ .
“Engagement with Member States of the same region, who often experience similar challenges, is fundamental and can contribute to the development of best practices for children especially on prevention, child-sensitive early warning and mediation. Regional organizations can act as true multipliers of the children and armed conflict agenda,” stressed Virginia Gamba.
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For additional information, please contact:
Ariane Lignier, Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (ariane.lignier@un.org)
Instagram: @nochildreninwar, Twitter: @childreninwar