The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Virginia Gamba, welcomes the adoption today of a new Security Council’s Resolution (2764) on children and armed conflict under the penholder ship of Malta, following the 15-member Council’s unanimous approval of the draft, along with 111 co-sponsors.
The resolution, the 14th Security Council Resolution focusing on children and armed conflict, emphasizes the need for sustainable child protection capacities in conflict and post-conflict settings, sending an important message at a time of increasing transitions to or from United Nations Peace operations.
“I would like to thank the members of the Security Council for their continued engagement and support for children affected by armed conflict,” said Virginia Gamba. “As an egregiously challenging year for conflict-affected children comes to an end, today’s resolution is confirming the important role child protection actors are playing in conflict settings and providing us with important tools to better and more urgently respond to the needs of those children.”
Resolution 2764 is also calling for strengthened child protection capacity in regional and subregional peace support operations and reaffirms the important role of the Special Representative in carrying out her mandate, especially when facilitating better collaboration and dialogue among United Nations partners. It further stresses the significant role the whole of the United Nations can play in the protection of children in armed conflict and emphasizes the importance of transferring core child protection tasks to the UN country team during transitions.
Children continue to bear the brunt of conflict. According to the latest Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (S/2024/384), the number of children victims of grave violations in 2023 has reached alarming levels with 32,990 verified grave violations. Preliminary numbers show that 2024 might have been even more tragic for children, likely reaching the highest numbers ever recorded through this United Nations’ agenda.
“The adoption of this resolution sends a strong message that despite challenges, we must continue to work together and find unity to ensure that our efforts are actually serving those that we represent and that need it the most: children,” said Virginia Gamba.
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For more 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
Fabienne Vinet, Political Affairs Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: vinet@un.org
