The protection of children and youth affected by armed conflicts concerns us all

New York, March 2, 2026

Madam President, First Lady of the United States,

Allow me to thank you, welcome you, assure the United States of our support at the dawn of their presidency of the Security Council, and applaud the decision to dedicate this first event to children in armed conflicts from a technological perspective.

France reaffirms its constant commitment to the protection of children and the full respect of their fundamental rights, including in the digital space.

We commend your personal efforts, as First Lady, with the launch of the “Fostering the Future” initiative and the adoption of the “Take It Down Act” against the non-consensual dissemination of personal images, of which children are all too often victims. France also thanks you for your mediating role in the return of several Ukrainian children, forcibly transferred or deported to Russia.

We thank the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, for her enlightening remarks.

Madam President,

The topic that brings us together today lies at the heart of the Security Council’s action; it requires enhanced coordination around the three pillars of our organization.

1/ Firstly, this Council must act to prevent and put an end to the use of new technologies against international peace and security.

The malicious use of digital technologies exacerbates the violence of armed conflicts; children are the first victims. In Ukraine, massive and repeated attacks by Russian drones kill, injure, and also have a profound impact on the daily lives of children:

– At school, where classes are interrupted every day by air raid alerts; – At home, where children spend part of their evenings and nights in cold, damp shelters due to Russia’s attacks.

In other conflicts, social networks are used to spread propaganda targeting minors, to facilitate their recruitment by armed groups, and to exploit their vulnerability.

The Security Council, in close coordination with all stakeholders, must continue its action, particularly within the frameworks of the “Children and Armed Conflict” and “Youth, Peace, and Security” agendas, in which France is fully invested.

By strengthening child protection capacities in peacekeeping operations and special political missions, and supporting the monitoring and reporting mechanism established by resolution 1612 of 2005, the Council allows for the collection of information on serious violations committed against children in conflict zones. This mechanism is an essential lever to reinforce prevention and combat impunity.

2/ Next, action must be taken in service of Human Rights, the second pillar of our organization.

It is our collective responsibility to protect our youth by promoting a secure digital space in line with international law. In this regard, France has been a pioneer, at both national and European levels, particularly through the adoption of the law aimed at securing and regulating the digital space in 2024, a law that reinforces child protection against online pornography. Like an increasing number of partners, France has decided to regulate access of under-fifteens to social networks, to better protect them.

Because the digital space has no borders, France launched in 2021, with UNICEF, a Call to Action to defend children’s rights in the digital environment, and then in 2022, an Online Child Protection Lab, to develop innovative solutions to better protect children online.

3/ Finally, concrete action must be taken to bridge the digital divide to offer all our youth equal access to new technologies: this is the third pillar, related to development.

Used with pedagogy and within a regulated framework, the internet and artificial intelligence significantly facilitate universal access to education, the fight against exclusion, and the formation of critical thinking: as you said, all of these are barriers against hatred and for preventing future conflicts.

France supports concrete actions initiated by the United Nations, particularly UNESCO and UNICEF, to mobilize technologies in the service of child protection, through anticipating conflict risks, mapping more precise needs, providing broader access to health services, among others.

France, which currently presides over the G7, has made child protection one of its priorities this year.

Madam President,

In conclusion, the protection of children and youth affected by armed conflicts concerns us all. The commitment of the United Nations, and especially the Security Council, remains essential in this regard.

Your presence is an encouragement, much like the contribution of another First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a few decades ago.

Thank you.