Minister, Mrs. Vindhya Persaud, Minister of Human Services and Social Security of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,
Ms. President, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett,
Excellencies,
Ms. Sheema Sen Gupta, UNICEF’s Director of Child Protection Unit,
Ms. Sila, who will speak about her experience of a child affected by conflict,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank Guyana for convening today’s Security Council open debate on children and armed conflict. I express profound gratitude to my fellow briefers and to colleagues worldwide who risk their lives daily to shield children from the horrors of war, restoring hope amid the darkest of circumstances.
The findings I present today were documented amid extraordinary adversity and insecurity. The year 2024 witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence against children, as well as a devastating record of attacks on humanitarian personnel and United Nations staff on the ground.
Consistent with the Security Council mandate on children and armed conflict, all information in the Secretary-General’s annual report is based solely on rigorously United Nations-verified data collected under the established standards of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on Children and Armed Conflict.
The year 2024 marked a devastating new record: the United Nations verified 41,370 grave violations against children—a staggering 25 per cent increase compared to 2023. Behind these numbers are the shattered stories, dreams, and futures of 22,495 children, each of them profoundly affected by war, displacement, and the collapse of protection systems that should have served as their shield. In these figures, we witness a sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple grave violations—
3,137 in total—through the convergence of abduction, recruitment, and sexual violence, representing a stark reminder of the compounded vulnerabilities children face in conflict settings. All too often, children
continue to bear the brunt of relentless hostilities, indiscriminate attacks, blunt disregard for ceasefires, peace efforts, and shocking disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law. All of these, in a context of deepening humanitarian crises at unprecedented levels.
Let us discuss the six grave violations the Security Council entrusted to my office: In 2024, 11,967 children were killed or maimed—most often by explosive ordnance, crossfire, and anti-personnel landmines. The use of explosive weapons in populated areas, as well as indiscriminate attacks
against civilians and civilian objects, had a grim impact on civilians, including children. This year’s figures are the highest number of children killed and maimed since this mandate was established over two decades ago. Where explosive weapons do not kill, they inflict life-long injuries and disabilities that amplify trauma, stigma, and severely hinder recovery and reintegration, robbing children and their communities of a future free of trauma and hatred. Examples abound: Nine Palestinian children, aged
1 to 16 years, were killed by Israeli airstrikes on a school sheltering internally displaced families in Gaza City. And in Bethlehem, a 12-year old Israeli boy was shot and killed by an individual Palestinian perpetrator who opened fire on a bus outside an Israeli settlement. Each child struck by these attacks carried a story — a stolen life, a dream interrupted, a future obscured by senseless violence and protracted conflict.
Recruitment and use of children persisted at very high levels and amounted to 7,402 verified cases. In Nigeria, 43 children from Ngala were held and used by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and
Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS). The children managed to escape captivity. Yet, we also witnessed glimmers of hope: in Afghanistan, 58 boys previously recruited were released from Taliban ranks following United Nations advocacy, with 48 enrolled in United Nations reintegration programmes, demonstrating that constructive and principled engagement saves lives and restores childhood. Girls have not been as fortunate in Afghanistan as they continue to be deprived of
receiving an education beyond primary schooling.
Sexual violence against children increased by a stunning 35 per cent with 1,982 cases verified, with instances of gang rape rising dramatically, underscoring the systematic use of sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of warfare. In Haiti, two 15-year-old girls were raped by the members of an armed gang, while taking refuge with their family, after their parents were killed. Their childhood was brutally taken from them, forced to endure new trauma, stigmatisation, and fear in a place that should have been their sanctuary compounding the deep pain of their already devastating loss. The physical and psychological scars borne by survivors last a lifetime, affecting families, communities, and the very fabric of societies. The international community must confront this crime with zero tolerance and ensure survivors receive comprehensive, survivor-centred care.
Attacks on schools and hospitals surged alarmingly in 2024 to 2,374 cases, further endangering children’s right to education and healthcare. These attacks not only destroy critical infrastructures but also traumatize students, teachers, patients, and medical staff. In Cameroon, repeated attacks on hospitals have forced closures, cutting off vital medical services to vulnerable populations. Similarly, schools in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria have been targeted, turning places of learning into zones of fear. Consider the horror endured by children in Myanmar, where, during school hours, airstrikes by the Myanmar Armed Forces targeted a middle school in Kayah State sheltering internally displaced persons. Four boys were killed, several children severely injured, and the school buildings destroyed. This single attack reflects a pattern of disregard for protected spaces, which has now
become the norm in several contexts. Children no longer have protected spaces. They are floating in a sea of hatred and violence. We must urgently condemn and halt these assaults to protect children’s right to education and health and give them back the safe spaces they desperately need.
In 2024, thousands of children were forcibly abducted, taken from their homes and families, often to be recruited, exploited, raped or used as human shields. These abductions inflict profound trauma, tearing apart families and communities while robbing children of their safety and dignity. Such acts of abduction are not only brutal crimes but also deliberate tactics to terrorize and control populations. They must be met with unwavering condemnation and urgent action to secure the safe release and reintegration into communities of all abducted children. I commend efforts by member states, international organisations and partners who have dedicated time and effort to ensure that children who are separated can be reunited with their families. Lastly, the denial of humanitarian access has now become one of the gravest obstacles to protecting children in conflict zones. In 2024, attacks on aid convoys, arbitrary detention of humanitarian workers, and bureaucratic barriers severely hindered the delivery of essential services
such as food, healthcare, and education. Recently, the Secretary-General called on the Houthis to release dozens of United Nations and humanitarian personnel arbitrarily detained in Yemen. The obstruction of
assistance exacerbates children’s suffering and undermines the basic principles of humanity and international law. When aid does not reach those in desperate need, the most vulnerable, especially children, are the ones who pay the highest price -as we see in places like Gaza, Haiti and Darfur- where children are trapped in conflict zones without hope or relief, without access to life saving assistance, endlessly shifting places to strive to survive but still abandoned by all.
Madame President,
These atrocities against children span the globe—from Borno State to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, from Port-au-Prince to Cauca, from Darfur to Gaza—demonstrating the universal and indiscriminate nature of these grave violations. The highest numbers of grave violations last year were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti. The sharpest percentage increases occurred in Lebanon (545%), Mozambique (525%), Haiti (490%), Ethiopia (235%), and Ukraine (105%).
We cannot continue to stand by and watch with no action what is happening to the children globally, and especially in Gaza. The scale of destruction and suffering borne by the children of Gaza defies and
contravenes every human standard. There is no justification for depriving children of access to the means for their survival, including access to food, healthcare, and security. I recently called on Israel to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to civilians in need in the Gaza Strip. I also called on all parties to the conflict in Gaza to expedite the distribution of aid because International Humanitarian Law applies to every party in every conflict—and it must be respected. And for this
reason, I also call on Hamas to immediately release all Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
Madame President,
In 2024, almost half of all grave violations were committed by non-State armed groups, particularly killing and maiming, abduction, recruitment and use, and sexual violence. However, government forces
remained the principal perpetrators of killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access to children. This is unacceptable. The involvement of militias and private security companies further complicates responsibilities and accountability, making safety and security for children even more improbable in situations of armed conflict.
In these violent and hopeless times, children were further punished for their actual or alleged association with armed groups; 3,018 children were deprived of liberty, often disregarding international juvenile justice standards. I emphasize that children are victims and must be treated and supported as such, never as criminals for the mere association with armed groups or enemies. Children’s rights to justice should be upheld. Children have a right to an identity, and in line with their best interest, they should
be repatriated when they are abandoned in camps and detention centres simply because no one cares what happens to them.
Madame President,
Despite the drawdown of United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, and a global decline in humanitarian and child protection funding, the United Nations was still able to verify this shocking increase in grave violations during 2024. The scale of brutality and the urgent need for system-wide responses backed by sustainable and predictable resources are already evident in the difficulties we experienced in the monitoring, verification, and reporting during 2024.
The reduction of child protection expertise will lead to the inability to verify violations and, more importantly, identify perpetrators of such violations. Any further reduction in human and material resources during 2025 will severely strain operations, limit protection capacities, and have devastating consequences for conflict-affected children. Additional reductions would further undermine the verification of violations and risk compromising engagement with parties to conflict to secure releases and sign action plans to improve the situation of children.
Despite the ongoing reductions and challenges, my office was still able to engage with parties to conflict, and the UN on the ground was able to release more than 16,482 children formerly associated with armed
forces or groups who also received protection or reintegration support from our partners, mainly UNICEF. The Children and Armed Conflict mandate has, over the past 25 years, led to the release of more than 200,000 children and prevented untold numbers of further killings, maimings, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals. The signature and implementation of more than 40 action plans by state and non-state actors—including several that have since been completed— have resulted in the delisting of parties and demonstrate the effectiveness of the tools at our disposal when political will exists. Some prevention plans were put in place since resolution 2427 was adopted by the Security
Council in 2018. Those prevention plans and measures have led to significant decreases in violations against children and even allowed some situations to be removed from the CAAC agenda altogether.
The way forward is clear: We must call on all parties to conflict, particularly the armed forces and armed groups listed in the annexes to the present report, to engage constructively with the United Nations to develop, sign, and fully implement action plans that end and prevent grave violations against children. We must urge all parties named in the report, even if not listed, to adopt robust and effective prevention measures without further delay. The United Nations stands ready to assist all of them in this endeavour.
All parties to conflict should immediately cease grave violations against children, comply fully with international humanitarian and human rights law, and guarantee rapid, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access for all children—regardless of age, gender, nationality, or status. The deliberate targeting and military use of schools, hospitals, and essential water and sanitation infrastructure must end.
Member States should uphold the full range of international legal instruments and political commitments governing the protection of children, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, the Paris Principles, the Safe Schools Declaration, and the Vancouver Principles, as well as the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. We must also strongly urge the ratification and implementation of treaties prohibiting certain weapons, including the Arms Trade Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Ottawa Convention on landmines. These weapons have a devastating impact on children and will continue to do so for decades to
come. We should recommit to these conventions and treaties without delay.
Madame President,
We must invest in long-term, inclusive reintegration programmes— including for survivors of sexual violence, children with disabilities, and those from marginalized, displaced, migrant, or refugee communities. The denial of humanitarian access on such an alarming scale and the unprecedented targeting of humanitarian workers demand our unified condemnation and decisive action. In line with Security Council Resolutions 2730 and 2601, all parties must fully comply with their obligations to protect humanitarian personnel and ensure the safety of schools and medical facilities. Lastly, children associated with armed groups must be recognized first and foremost as victims, with deprivation
of liberty applied only as a last resort, for the shortest possible time, and always in line with international juvenile justice standards and the best interests of the child. The United Nations and child protection actors must be granted systematic and meaningful access to detained children.
Madame President,
As United Nations peace operations transition, reconfigure, or withdraw, we must ensure that child protection frameworks are preserved and transferred in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2764. The Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on CAAC requires reinforcement and support through predictable, flexible, and multi-year funding. Child protection must be mainstreamed across all mandates and processes—from early warning and mediation to transitional justice, security sector
reform, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
Member States and civil society must also continue to mobilize political commitment for conflict-affected children through advocacy, including joining initiatives such as the Prove It Matters campaign, which
I invite you all to endorse and support. Let us renew the global consensus on child protection and uphold every child’s fundamental right to life, health, education, and a safe future. Governments that have not yet done so should reaffirm their commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensure its full implementation through awareness-raising at every level. We cannot afford to return to the dark ages, where children were invisible and voiceless victims of armed conflict. The CAAC office and its mandates have striven for thirty years to bring these children to the light. Please do not allow them to slip back into the shadows of despair.
Madame. President, Excellencies,
Wars and armed conflict are inflicting excruciating levels of violence on children. As conflicts rage across the globe, children around the world are being killed, maimed, starved, or raped. It is as if parties to
war and conflict, and we -the international community- choose to settle our disputes through military means at an enormous cost for our children, rather than choosing to negotiate peace for the benefit of all
children.
This is why, until such a time as peace prevails for the sake of children, the Children and Armed Conflict mandate remains a cornerstone of the United Nations’ peace and security architecture. It has proven its
value—saving lives, restoring hope, and holding perpetrators accountable. Above all else, this mandate has been a vehicle for constructive engagement with parties to conflict and has often led to a change in the behaviour of parties to conflict, putting in place measures to better protect children even under extreme situations. The Children and Armed Conflict agenda has refocused its attention on children by asking Member States to demonstrate that the rights and protections of children are important. Let us prove that it matters – that they, our children, matter.
Let us act with the urgency, courage, and unity this moment demands. Let us ensure no child is again left invisible in conflict, and that the world’s children will never again be used and abused by, in, and for armed conflict.
Thank you.
