One in six children worldwide now lives in a situation of armed conflict, said Nada Al-Nashif, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations, on the occasion of the annual Children’s Rights Day.
Speaking at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, she stated that in 2024, armed conflicts directly affected about 470 million children, calling for urgent strengthening of prevention and protection mechanisms.
Bringing together states, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and children’s representatives, this meeting focused on violations against children in war zones, as well as ways to enhance their protection, reintegration, and support.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, emphasized that this debate coincides with the UN’s mandate on this issue marking its 30th anniversary. Despite some progress, serious violations against children remain at very high levels, she warned.
She recalled that children continue to be killed, mutilated, recruited, abducted, victims of sexual violence, deprived of humanitarian aid, or targeted in attacks on schools and hospitals.
Ms. Frazier stressed the need to fully integrate child protection into peace, security, humanitarian action, human rights, and development policies while strengthening international cooperation. She noted that more than 40 action plans are currently in place between the UN, governments, and some conflict parties to translate international obligations into concrete commitments.
On the other hand, Benoît Van Keirsbilck, a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, called for a priority effort in favor of conflict prevention, noting that the effects of conflicts extend across several generations, and in some regions, children have only known war since birth.
The head of the legal service of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Cordula Droege, emphasized that children currently benefit from comprehensive protection under international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law.
According to her, the current crisis is not due to a lack of standards but to a weakening of respect for the rule of law. She called on states to strengthen their political commitments to better protect civilians and children, especially in schools and populated areas.
All participants thus emphasized the existence of a strong international normative framework, while noting that its implementation remains insufficient. They called on states to translate their commitments into concrete measures, placing child protection at the heart of peace and security policies.
