Statement by Under-Secretary-General Vanessa Frazier,
UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
“My role is not in an armed conflict.”
These words from a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are addressed to world leaders and were shared with us through the Prove It Matters Campaign.
In the DRC, but also in Gaza, Haiti, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine, and many other conflict contexts, children have suffered appalling levels of grave violations in 2025, as documented by the UN.
2024 was already the worst year for children affected by war, with the highest number of grave violations verified since the creation of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate almost 30 years ago. We cannot allow these horrifying numbers to become the new normal.
We cannot change 2025, but we can act and be resolute to change the situation of children affected by armed conflict in 2026.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate, I ask world leaders to do one thing: Listen and take action.
Listen to children who are affected by armed conflict. Hear their stories, pay attention to their voices; their words are powerful and must help us shape the future they want. Let their messages inspire you. On behalf of all children whose voices have been silenced by violence and hostilities, whose stories have been erased by bombs, who have lost schools, families, and hope: take your responsibility and do the right thing. Protecting children in conflict is not simply a moral or political choice; it is a matter of international law. Violating children’s rights in an armed conflict may constitute war crimes.
Maintain – and even strengthen your funding and support for child protection capacity and relief. Monitoring, reporting, response efforts, and justice all rely on such financial support, and children affected by conflict need it urgently. Invest in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and long-term recovery.
We all have the power to act.
For all parties to conflict: uphold obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, notably the special protections afforded to children; stop violations; release children; bring perpetrators to justice. Ensure that the promises made to children in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict are upheld, including every child’s right to life, to survival and development, and to be heard. The right to childhood.
In the words of another child affected by conflict to world leaders: “A protected child is a secure future.” Let us look ahead and take resolute measures to ensure that we build the future we want and need, in which all children have a real chance to live in peace, learn, and thrive.
Children have rights, children want peace: Listen, and take action.
Prove It Matters.
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For more information:
Fabienne Vinet, Political Affairs Officer / Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: vinet@un.org
