New York (Union)
Yesterday, the UAE expressed its concern about the level of grave violations against children, most of which are committed by non-state armed groups, including terrorist groups, such as the “Houthis”, the “Al-Shabab” movement, and the “ISIS” organization.
In a statement before the UN Security Council delivered by Amira Al-Hafeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations, the country affirmed its commitment to protecting children, in accordance with international law and the frameworks of the Security Council.
“I take the opportunity to express our deep concern about the level of grave violations against children, most of which are committed by non-state armed groups, including terrorist groups such as the Houthis, Al-Shabab and ISIS,” Al-Hafiti said.
She stressed the need to encourage and support mechanisms in which the various actors involved in the protection and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict participate, to ensure a comprehensive approach to all segments of society, and to establish integrated programs to support peacebuilding efforts, while facilitating access to the necessary and sustainable funding for programs focused on survivors. It takes into account a gender perspective.
She explained that responding to the needs of these children in all peacebuilding efforts is essential to ensuring their reintegration into society and enabling them to build a promising future.
Al-Hafiti said, according to the statement, “We must continue to address the kidnappings of children in conflict areas,” noting that the recent report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations revealed that the verified incidents in 2021 increased by more than 20 percent over the previous year, despite the shortcomings. Strong reporting of these serious violations.
And she continued: “The process of collecting data disaggregated by age and sex should also be accelerated, to better understand the differential impact of conflict, at all stages, on children, male and female, as this will help stakeholders – such as regional organizations – to develop their strategies for information exchange, monitoring and reporting, especially on Grave cross-border violations.
In the context of the unprecedented rise in the number of forcibly displaced people, the Security Council must place the needs of displaced children at the center of its concerns, including by including the issue of the protection of displaced children in the mandates of peace operations, and re-affirming their right to access basic services such as psychological and health care.
She stressed, according to the statement, the importance of children displaced by armed conflict enjoying their basic right to education, just like other children, while ensuring that education is inclusive, responds to their needs and takes into account their well-being, cultural backgrounds and appropriate languages.
And she continued, “The actual commitment to protecting children requires conflict prevention in the first place, as it is unfortunate that the situation of children continues to deteriorate as it is directly linked to the increase in armed conflicts around the world,” adding: The Council must assume its primary responsibility in maintaining international peace and security, to end These conflicts and prevent more of them. She concluded the statement, saying: “The UAE will continue its cooperation and support for the necessary efforts to achieve these goals.”
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