With over 100 million children denied their rights to education, due to conflicts, economic barriers, natural disasters or discrimination, education remains a pressing challenge. In some conflict situations, attacks on schools and their military use continue to jeopardize children’s safety and right to learn. In 2023, the United Nations verified 752 attacks against schools and [...]
The alarming surge in violence caused by the rapid escalation of hostilities in Sudan has led to a detrimental impact on children. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Virginia Gamba, calls attention to the plight of children affected by the ongoing violence and strongly condemned the recent attacks in [...]
The year 2024 marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes its Optional Protocol to prohibit the recruitment and use as soldiers of all children under eighteen years of age. What should have been a year of celebration in advancing fundamental rights of children, including during situations of [...]
As Syria is at a crossroads and its future uncertain, the opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future must be seized by all actors. Children must be at the center of the country’s transition and reconstruction”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba. The Special Representative echoes [...]
Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain deeply impacted by conflict, facing an increase in grave violations, according to the latest report by the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the DRC. Covering the period from April 2022 to March 2024, the report reveals an 8% rise in verified violations [...]
Joint Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child As we mark the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), we come together to celebrate this milestone [...]
As the world’s leaders gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th UN Climate Change Conference, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Virginia Gamba, reminds that it is critical to pay attention to the interlinkages between climate, peace and security and the children and armed conflict agendas. A [...]
Children in Haiti have been facing increasing violations of their rights in recent months, as the country is witnessing unprecedented levels of brutality and lawlessness at the hands of armed elements. The armed violence in Haiti keeps intensifying and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, warns that [...]
The continued decrease in grave violations against children in the Philippines, coupled with the intended agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), offers a glimpse of hope for children affected by conflict a new report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the [...]
Annual Report of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to the General Assembly 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 [...]
