Third Committee, 13th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 81st session

Dear colleagues, if you'd be kind enough to take your seats. Thank you so much. The 13th meeting of the Third Committee at the 81st session of the General Assembly is called to order. Before proceeding further, I wish to return to the list of special procedures mandate holders. of the Human Rights Council and the chairs of treaty bodies or working groups mandated to report to the Third Committee. An updated version of the provisional list of special procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council and the chairs of treaty bodies or working groups mandated report to the Third Committee, with updates reflecting the decisions of the Human Rights Council at its 63rd session, was circulated on 8 October. You will recall that the committee approved the preliminary list, as contained in the conference room paper AC3/81/CRP.1, at its first meeting on 1 October, on the understanding that additional presenters mandated to report to the committee by the Human Rights Council at its 63rd session would need to be brought to the attention of the committee for its consideration at a later date. The list of additional presenters is contained in the addendum to the conference room paper, AC3/81/CRP1/Add1, which was also circulated on 8 October. May I take it that, as per past practice, the committee wishes to extend an invitation to the special procedures mandate holders whose titles are included in document AC3/81/CRP1/Add1, to present their report to and interact with the committee. I hear no objection. Therefore it is so decided. I have wonderful briefers here at the podium, so I apologise for taking that administrative step. Now we move to our substantive item, and it is my turn to welcome you. I invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 66, entitled Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children. The documentation under agenda item 66 is listed on iGov. I wish to remind delegations that the deadline for the submission of draft proposals under the item is 1 pm on Tuesday, 20 October. And this morning, the committee will hold a combined briefing on the rights of children. The committee will hear five introductory presentations before proceeding with a combined indirect dialogue during which delegations can make comments or pose questions to any or all presenters. And I'd like to welcome our distinguished speakers, whom all of you will know, I am sure. But in particular, my friend and colleague, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, you're very, very welcome. Great to have you here. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Dr. Najat Malallah-Majid, you're very welcome. Great to have you here. The Global Director of Public Partnerships and Resource Mobilization at the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, Ms. Mandeep O'Brien. You're very, very welcome. I think, and the chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Sophie Killadze, who will join us virtually, as well as the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, Mrs. I. Chiara Hunt. Participants wishing to make comments. Participants wishing to make comments and pose questions to the speakers are invited to press their microphone button within the next 10 minutes, after which the list will be closed and a time limit for each speaker will be announced before the floor is given for the first intervention. Thank you for your cooperation. And I just have a correction here. Ted Chabon, he's here for UNICEF. My apologies, I beg your pardon. You are one head along the podium, I'm afraid I didn't see it, so great to have you here, really appreciate that. Now, may I first invite the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, to make an introductory statement. Colleagues, if I can just forewarn you, I will have to leave for a brief period over the course of the morning, so my apologies if it happens to be while you're speaking. I just have a particular speaking commitment which I need to undertake for about 15 minutes, but I will return. So, Vanessa, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I address you today for the first time in my role as a Special Representative and to present the report A/81/263 regarding the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate and agenda implementation. The Mandate's contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security cannot be understated. Its function for 30 years continues to be ending and preventing grave violations against children. It is my vision to engage all parties to conflict towards the central and common aim of protecting children, rather than focusing solely on listing parties to conflict. And my office and I stand ready to support member states and those actors open to engage towards meeting the same. The monitoring and reporting mechanism remains the central Central to the mandate's implementation, as the credible UN-verified data it collects enables our engagement with relevant parties towards the development of the Security Council-mandated action plans. These time-bound action plans are a key tool that provide a structured framework through which parties to conflicts commit to ending and preventing grave violations, establish clear responsibilities, and adopt practical measures. To reinforce our engagement with parties to conflict, in my first year, I have prioritized travels to the situations covered by the Secretary-General's annual report, including Haiti, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, with more country visits underway. My objective as the Special Representative is to remain close to the realities on the ground and available to work with those actors to realize the rights of children affected by armed conflict. For 2025, on an unceasingly upward spiral, the United Nations Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism verified 38,558 grave violations against children, affecting 24,174 children. This is the highest verified number of children affected by violations in any year since the mandate's establishment. My trips to the front lines of some of these conflicts have shown me the reality behind the statistics. They have given me the resolve to use all our tools and political space afforded for us to address the situation of the affected children. I strongly believe this can be achieved through principled engagement, partnership and collaboration. Each year, we present you with emerging challenges for the implementation of this agenda, but we also monitor progress. For one, the rapid evolution of technologies used in warfare, including the expanded use of unmanned aerial systems and the growing integration of artificial intelligence into targeting processes, has placed additional strain on the effective compliance with the special protections afforded to children under international law. and contributed to a sharp increase in the scale of harm to children. Given the documented scale of evidence, the experience of violations and abuse in conflict situations has deepened psychological effects on all children. The mental health impacts of conflict on children is a topic that I would like to bring to your committee's negotiations of the biannual rights of the child resolution next year. Despite diminishing capacities and resources on the ground and working in ever-evolving and difficult contexts, the United Nations Country Task Forces on monitoring and reporting that collaborate with my office sustained their engagement with parties to conflict to adopt concrete measures and make progress to end and prevent grave violations described in the report. On the regional front, in July, in Cameroon, in partnership with the government and the United Nations and country, my office brought together in a conference the 11 Central African states, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, and partners that culminated in the technical level endorsement of the first ever regional prevention strategy on children and armed conflict, a historic milestone for the Central African region and for the mandate. Mr. Chair, in a context where violations continue increasing, let us pause to honour the mandate's 30th anniversary. I encourage you to maintain the political space and the capacities of my office. Additionally, I encourage the same for the entities supporting sustained engagement with parties to conflict to end and prevent grave violations against children. We must reinforce the monitoring and reporting mechanism by ensuring sufficient resources, safe access for monitors, and the protection of those who collect and verify information. Diminishing resources and capacities for this mechanism will dim our collective visibility on the suffering of children that is unfolding. Our advocacy for their protection is only as strong as our ability to engage and prevent through a thorough understanding of the situations where we are working. Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed, Vanessa. I now invite the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Dr. Najat Malallah-Majid, to make an introductory statement. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I am honored to present my annual report, which marks two decades since the United Nations study on violence against children. Twenty years ago, the United Nations study, which engaged children and young people as active participants, delivered a clear message: violence against children is never justifiable, and violence against children is always preventable. That message was later reflected in Agenda 2030. This landmark study, requested and endorsed by this Assembly, provided a clear roadmap for action through its recommendations, which included the establishment of this mandate. Yet, 20 years later, the world has changed. Existing threats persist, new risks have emerged, and multiple complex ongoing crises are exposing children to ever greater risks. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, which often outpaces our regulatory frameworks, has opened new avenues for online sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, deepfakes, privacy violation, trafficking, and enrolment in criminal activities. Children remain the first affected, paying a huge price with a long-lasting and often irreversible impact on their lives. Distinguished delegates, 20 years later, progress has been made through wide and increasing multi-stakeholder mobilization led by my mandate, uniting government and all stakeholders under one non-negotiable banner to end violence against children in all its forms and in all settings. 20 years of experience tell us that while violence against children evolves rapidly, preventing it is possible. This is my firm conviction, reflecting on over 70 country visits and thousands of engagements with Member States since I came into this role, as well as my cooperation with all key stakeholders, including children, youth and survivors across our region. We have more evidence and solution. We know that investing in child protection and well-being delivers lasting benefits for children, communities and societies. As highlighted in my report, there are many powerful examples of true leadership, effective legal and policy reforms, community engagement and child participation, as well as strengthened integrated child protection services. However, no single country has all answers, but every country has valuable experience to share. We have proven that when we act together, reforms are possible, protection systems can be built, and children's lives can be transformed. Excellencies, the question today is no longer whether violence against children can be prevented. The real question is, if we know that prevention is possible, why are we not acting together faster and at greater scale? To move ahead, we must deepen cooperation within and between countries, scale evidence-based solutions, and ensure that child protection and well-being are at the heart of our efforts to advance peace, humanitarian action, and sustainable people-centered development. Partnerships, peer exchange and learning, and effective multilateralism centered on children can drive transformative changes. This is the essence of the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children, which today brings together 55 countries with additional member states interested in joining. Across government, regional organization, civil society, faith-based organization, communities, the private sector, and the United Nations, dedicated people continue to drive this change, often under difficult circumstances. I pay tribute to all of them. Above all, I express my deepest gratitude to children. Over the past seven years, I have engaged directly with more than 47,000 children across all regions and reached 3 million children through consultation and polls. The involvement of children and youth is indispensable to designing effective, sustainable, and meaningful responses. Excellencies, children unite us in an increasingly fragmented world. Children remain our common ground and our greatest source of hope. The next generation is not waiting. Children are not a distant future to be protected tomorrow. They are the present. We owe every child a childhood free from fear and violence. This is my final statement as Special Representative. Representative, my tenure may be ending, but the urgent mandate to protect all children, leaving no one behind, can never expire. Let history record that this General Assembly continues to stand for and with children. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Majid. Greatly appreciated. I now pass to Mr. Ted Chaiban for UNICEF. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues, it's a pleasure to join you today in recognition that all children, regardless of origin, age, gender, nationality, religion, or any other status, are rights holders. Rights holders who are entitled to enjoy the full spectrum of their rights, for rights are not deserved, earned, or given as privileges. Children have rights simply because they are human. Yet children face intersecting crises, from conflict and displacement to climate shocks, poverty, inequality, and rapid and uneven technological change. The Secretary-General's report on a world fit for children offers an opportunity to take stock of progress, confront persistent gaps, and accelerate implementation. Since 2002, important gains have been made. Under-five deaths have fallen from almost 10 million to 4.8 million in 2024. Between 2015 and 2024, access to safely managed drinking water rose from 68 to 74 percent, and basic hygiene services from 66 to 80 percent. Child labor declined from 160 million children in 2020 to approximately 138 million in 2024. And education has expanded with 110 million more children, adolescents, and young people in school since 2015. These gains reflect what political will, sustained investment, and international cooperation can achieve. Progress is also evident in stronger legal protections, more inclusive policies, independent child rights institutions, and greater opportunities for children to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives. But progress remains unequal and insufficient. Nearly half of the world's children, or 1.1 billion, are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards. One in five children globally are living in conflict zones, and 49 million children were forcibly displaced in 2024. In 2024, 14.3 million children received no routine vaccinations, while 273 million children and young people remained out of school. In crisis context, 234 million children needed urgent support to access quality education. Two in three children regularly experience violent discipline at home. And in 2025, the United Nations verified over 38,500 grave violations against children situations of armed conflict. The message is clear. Progress is possible, but it is not reaching every child. We must confront discrimination and structural barriers and prioritize those furthest behind, ensuring every child can access essential services, protection and quality education. Excellencies, the Secretary-General's report on child, early and forced marriage provides a concrete illustration of of this implementation gap. Around 650 million women and girls alive today were married before the age of 18, and around 12 million girls enter marriage in childhood every year. Progress would need to accelerate 20-fold to meet the 2030 target. The first International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage on 27 November 2026 offers an important opportunity to turn this urgency into renewed political will and accelerated action to end child marriage by 2030. Child marriage is a violation of human rights rooted in intersecting inequalities, including poverty, gender discrimination, harmful social norms, and limited access to education and economic opportunities. compounded by conflict, displacement, and climate-related shocks. Legal reform is essential, including setting the minimum age at 18 years without exception and protecting against forced marriage. But laws alone are not enough. They must be accompanied by effective enforcement, access to justice and protection services, inclusive education, social protection, and economic opportunities. Married, pregnant, and parenting girls must be supported to continue to return to education, and girls themselves must meaningfully shape the solutions. Their agency and participation are integral to realizing their rights. Excellency, realizing children's rights requires resources. Governments need to sustain investment in basic social services essential for children. Official development assistance fell by 8.5% in real terms in 2024 and a further 23.1% in 2025, with another decline projected for 2026. These cuts impact the essential services and systems on which children depend. Investing in children's rights means investing in the systems and structures that make those rights a reality. As UNICEF marks its 80th anniversary, We must protect the gains achieved and accelerate progress for every child. As this third committee session progresses, UNICEF encourages member states to take three steps. First, keep every child as a full and independent rights holder, visible in every discussion and deliberation, including in discussions on women, youth, families, disability, and migration. Second, uphold the full spectrum of children's rights, civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights across the committee's entire agenda. And third, turn obligations into measurable action through laws, services, resources, policies, accountability, and meaningful child participation. Use disaggregated data to identify who is being left behind, address intersecting discrimination, and track whether action is closing the gaps. Excellencies, we stand ready to support Member States in meeting their obligations and improving children's lives. Let us turn the vision of a world fit for children into reality, a world in which every child, everywhere, and in every circumstances can fully enjoy their rights. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I now give the floor to the chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Ms. Sophie Kehlazay, who will be joining us online. Ms. Kehlazay, you have the floor. Can you hear us?

Yes, can you hear me?

Yes, perfectly. Thank you. Please go ahead.

Thank you very much. I hear my voice back.

You're very clear in the room here.

Okay, I hope I can now. Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Chair, excellencies, dear colleagues, and most importantly, dear children. It's a pleasure for me to present an oral report on the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. I'd like to congratulate, first of all, all the State parties that have achieved progress in implementing their rights under the Convention and its Optional Protocols. We see the progress made and would like to commend the Governments for the tangible results accomplished for children. However, we are deeply concerned about the severe violations of child rights and setbacks in different dimensions across all UN regions. These include violence against children online and offline, including sexual abuse, discrimination of the most vulnerable, children living in extreme poverty without access to quality education or healthcare, child marriage, and many other violations. The list is extremely long. We see the unimaginable suffering of millions of child victims of armed conflicts across the world. This violates all their rights enshrined in the convention and stem of childhood. Most terrifying is that the warfare itself is changing. Artificial intelligence can accelerate targeting and enable autonomous weapons to operate at machine speed. AI advanced in synthetic biology may also lower barriers to chemical, biological, and other weapons of mass destruction, bringing capabilities once concentrated in states closer to non-state actors and individuals. And if uncontrolled, these technologies can multiply the scale of suffering of children. Machines must never decide who lives and who dies, especially children. AI is developing in unprecedented scale and if not controlled and regulated, it can put the existence of children and the whole humanity under question. At the same time, it brings unprecedented opportunities and if used and safeguarded properly, it can be main tool to ensure that every child enjoys rights guaranteed by the convention everywhere. To address these issues effectively, We launched the joint statement on artificial intelligence and the rights of the child in January, 2026, a process collated by CRC, ITU and UNICEF, a co-signed by 13 UN entities and co-branded over 60 organizations worldwide. It is the first international soft law framework specifically dedicated to children's rights across the AI level. Following this work, the Committee decided at its 101st session that the topic of its next General Comment, No. 28, will be children's rights and emerging technologies. We would like to invite all of you to contribute to this process and look forward to close collaboration in developing guidance on emerging technologies, which includes AI, as well as other technologies in the context of children's rights. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, I would like to provide an update on the committee's activities over the past year. The cancellation of one of the committee's three sessions in 2026 significantly reduced its capacity to review reports, with only 15 considered compared to 24 in 2024. The last year, the committee held three sessions. The additional cancellation of two pre-sessional working groups further impeded efforts to address the existing backlog, which now stands at 57 reports. The Committee continued its work on improving its rules of procedure and working methods, also with a view to aligning them to those of the other treaty bodies. Under the Optional Protocol on Communications Procedure, OPIC, regarding individual communications, the Committee adopted 35 decisions during the last two sessions. Under article 13 of the same optional protocol, the committee is currently working on five inquiries and adopted its fourth inquiry report. Due to the United Nations liquidity and funding crisis, the committee was unable to carry out the country visit scheduled for this year. We reiterate our appeal to member states to provide specific funding for this mandated activity. At its 101st session, the Committee adopted the General Comment No. 27, dedicated to children's rights to access to justice and to an effective remedy. The drafting process included two calls for submissions on the concept and the first draft, with more than 500 submissions from States and all relevant stakeholders, and of course, children themselves. The General Comment will be made publicly available in November. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, the UN liquidity crisis and chronic underfunding of the treaty body system are seriously affecting the committee's ability to discharge its mandate, including cancellation of the third session in 2026. For children, delays have real consequences. A canceled session means delayed legislation, policies and programs, and delayed tangible results for children on the ground. Despite these challenges, I assure you the Committee on the Rights of the Child continues to do its utmost to fulfill its mandate and support States in implementing the obligations for ensuring children's rights. I thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Ms. Kaladze. I now pass the floor to Ms. Chiara Hunt to make an introductory statement in her capacity as Special Rapporteur on the sale sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. Ms. Kiha Hunt, you have the floor. Thank you.

Thank you. Chairperson, Excellencies, I was appointed this year and assumed my mandate in May 2026. I'm honored to present my first report, my vision report, as the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children. I begin by recognizing the important work of my predecessors. Their work has been vital in uncovering various forms of sale, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse of children, and has strengthened the international framework for protecting children. My report builds on that foundation and also seeks to ask a fundamental question. How do we turn our commitments into protection that children can actually experience? We have strong international standards. We have the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol, regional instruments, national laws and many practical tools. The challenge is increasingly one of implementation and of ensuring that protection systems are genuinely child-centred, rights-based and informed by children's lived experiences. We need to look at protection as a continuum: prevention, protection, disclosure and response, rehabilitation, justice, reparation and reintegration. First, we need to invest more seriously in prevention. Prevention cannot mean only telling children how to protect themselves. We must also address the conditions that make exploitation possible: poverty, displacement, discrimination, social exclusion, lack of education services, unequal power relationships, weak protection systems, and the absence of safe alternatives. This requires investment in families and communities, schools, health institutions, social protection, and other institutions close to children's everyday lives. It also requires recognizing that child protection is a shared responsibility. Governments have primary obligations, but businesses, technology companies, schools, health professionals, communities, and others also have important responsibilities. Second, we must continue strengthening accountability. Protection cannot be separated from justice. Children need safe ways to disclose harm. They need victim-centered and trauma-informed investigations and justice processes that do not punish or re-traumatize them, and they need effective remedies. Reparation remains one of the least developed parts of the child protection continuum. Meaningful reparation can be essential to recovery and to restoring children's rights. Third, we must respond to rapidly evolving technologies and methods of exploitation. This means through which children are reached, groomed, and exploited are changing rapidly. Technology increasingly enables perpetrators to identify, groom, and exploit children across platforms and borders, including through emerging forms of abuse facilitated by artificial intelligence. The challenge is to ensure that our capacity to detect, investigate and protect evolves as quickly as the means of exploitation or abuse. This requires cooperation among states, law enforcement, child protection authorities, technology companies, civil society and others, including effective cross-border cooperation and responsible use of technology in detection and investigation. At the same time, children must be able to benefit from technology without having their rights or privacy compromised. Fourth, we must do better in protecting children who are outside of our protection systems. Some children are especially likely to fall through institutional gaps: children without legal identity, children in street situations, children deprived of parental care, and children affected by migration, displacement and crises. How do we find and protect the children who are not in our systems? This question becomes even more urgent as exploitation increasingly takes place through digital and informal spaces that traditional protection systems may not see. It's particularly important for children affected by migration and crisis, where fear of detection, removal, and other consequences may prevent children from seeking help. Fifth, we need to look carefully into different forms of exploitation, power relationships, and abuse of vulnerability. In many cases, exploitation is facilitated not by overt force, but by abuse of trust, authority, dependency, or vulnerability. This requires us to look beyond individual acts and examine the relationships and conditions that make exploitation possible. It also requires us to examine carefully how laws, policies, institutions identify and respond to different forms of exploitation, including situations in which a child's apparent agreement is shaped by dependency, grooming, coercion, poverty, displacement, or other forms of vulnerability. Children must never be made responsible for the exploitation to which they have become subjected. Finally, we must make children's participation meaningful. Children, including children with lived experiences of exploitation and abuse, should not be regarded only as beneficiaries of protection. Their experiences are also knowledge. But participation must be meaningful, safe, informed and voluntary, and must follow the principle of do no harm. When adherence to this principle is possible, we should involve children in designing, implementing and evaluating the laws, policies and programs that affect their lives. Excellencies, the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children are complex, hidden and increasingly transnational. They cannot be addressed by one ministry, one profession, one institution or one country. And we cannot respond to 21st century forms of exploitation with systems designed for yesterday's realities. We need cooperation across sections and across borders. We need political commitment, sustainable investment, and accountability. Above all, we need to keep asking whether our systems are working from the perspectives of the child. My vision for this mandate is therefore both ambitious and practical. to help translate international human rights standards into real protection in children's lives. I invite Member States and all stakeholders to work with me critically, constructively and collaboratively. I hope we can work together in building protection systems that are preventive, accessible, coordinated and capable of adapting to changing realities, while remaining firmly grounded in the rights, dignity and lived experiences of every child. I thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Chiara Hunt. That concludes our briefings, and I now open the floor for questions and comments from delegations on the presentations just heard. As per past practice, we will limit delegation interventions to two minutes, and I think I'm correct in saying that the microphone will be turned off after two minutes, so I look forward to your cooperation on that. I have quite a long list here, and I'll read out little groups in advance so that you have some sense of how you're tracking. But the first group of countries I have on my list are Austria, Switzerland, Chile, Morocco, and Georgia. Austria, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Madam Special Representative, we would like to thank you for your latest report. which paints an alarming picture of the situation of children in armed conflicts. Protecting the rights of the child and strengthening the children and armed conflict mandate are strong policy priorities for Austria. We are gravely concerned about the 34% increase in the killing of children in 2025 compared to 2024. The targeting of densely populated areas and use of new technologies without sufficient regard for principles of distinction and proportionality is particularly alarming. As a youth delegate, I see and hear young people's disillusionment and desperation about impunity every day. Thus, I would like to ask you how both Member States and the United Nations system can work to ensure greater accountability for violations committed against children. How can we help encourage listed parties to sign up to and implement time-bound action plans to halt violations? Thank you.

Thank you, Austria. I pass the floor to Switzerland, to be followed by Chile. Switzerland, you have the floor.

Mr. President, As Switzerland's youth delegate, I would like to point out that the Convention on the Rights of the Child now has 196 States parties. This is evidence of a moral commitment and a global determination to protect the most vulnerable. It is hardly possible to list all of the violations of children's rights. In armed conflicts alone, more than 6,000 children have been killed and 8,000 were maimed in 2025, according to UNICEF data. The violations responsible for this, including in particular the recruitment of children and attacks on schools and hospitals, highlight the growing gap between the rights promoted by this Commission and the protection that should result from it. International obligations must be implemented. This requires respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights. Our commitments must lead to concrete measures and sufficient resources. We must support those who protect children on the ground, ensure access to care and to support, and also guarantee the continuity of their education, because protecting a child also means allowing them to rebuild their lives. Rebuilding your life also means having a voice heard. This means that we should involve children and young people in decisions that affect them. It is unacceptable for a child's rights to depend on the place where they were born or the conflict they are experiencing or even their gender. Child protection cannot depend on circumstances or political interests or affiliations. As a youth delegate, I call on member states to ensure that every child can grow up in dignity, safety and in confidence. I thank you.

I pass the floor to Chile to be followed by Morocco. Chile, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. Chile is grateful for the presentations to address the SRSG on the rights of the child and the SRSG on the sale and abuse of children. We reaffirm our support for the committee, and Chile is honoured by the election of Ms Dominguez. and we thank the States Parties for their support. We are committed to the rights of children and adolescents. We should base our efforts on the lived experience, and we are also concerned by abuse material generated by AI. We would like to ask what cooperation you would recommend in terms of cooperation with the technological sector in order to put an end to child abuse online. I thank you.

Thank you, Chile. I pass the floor to Morocco, to be followed by Georgia. Morocco, you have the floor. A microphone for Morocco, please.

The report is important for drawing our attention to the continuing unacceptable violations committed against children and the urgency to protect them from abuse, violence, and the devastating consequences of armed conflict. Allow me to express our particular appreciation to the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children for her dedication, commitment, and tireless efforts throughout her mandate. Mr. Chair, the situation remains deeply alarming, and Africa continues to a significant burden of these violations. The Kingdom of Morocco believes that addressing this challenge require a comprehensive approach grounded in prevention, accountability, protection, and sustainable reintegration. It is in this spirit that Morocco, together with a group of African states, has advanced the African Convention on the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of Child Soldiers, whose signing process was launched here in New York last month. It seeks to establish a common framework for African cooperation, prevent the recruitment and exploitation of children, and support their reintegration. The initiatives offer an important opportunity for African states to exchange national experiences, share good practices, strengthen their respective capacities, and develop responses adapted to the realities of our continent. Mr. Chair, protecting children is more than a moral imperative. It is an investment in peace, stability, and future. My delegation reiterates its unwavering commitment to working with the international community to enforce the protection of children affected by armed conflict and to promote their rights and sustainable solutions to the challenges they face. In this view, we would like to renew the call upon African states to build on the momentum generated by the African Convention, translating our shared commitments into concrete action. I thank you.

Thank you, Morocco. I give the floor to Georgia, to be followed by Bangladesh, Ireland, Israel, and Yemen. Georgia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We thank all the briefers for their reports and their presentations. As a member of the UNICEF Executive Board, Georgia remains committed to advancing international efforts to safeguard the rights of every child, including children affected by armed conflict and other humanitarian crises. Special Representative, Ms. Frazier. As we mark 30 years of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate, we must recognize that children continue to be a disproportionate burden of conflict. Georgia also knows from experience the devastating impacts of armed conflict. The illegal occupation of Abkhazia and the regions by the Russian Federation continues to affect children, including through restrictions on education in their native language. Furthermore, the ongoing war in Ukraine is a stark reminder of these consequences. In this regard, Georgia has ensured continued access to education for Ukrainian children residing in Georgia. Madam Special Representative, the findings of the latest report are deeply concerning, particularly the scale and severity of grave violations against children in armed conflict. They underscore the urgent need for stronger prevention and accountability. Your latest report highlights the importance of monitoring and reporting in identifying grave violations against children. What concrete steps can Member States take to ensure that verified information leads not only to accountability but also to early preventive action? Thank you.

Thank you, Georgia. I pass the floor to Bangladesh, to be followed by Ireland and then Israel. Bangladesh, you have the floor.

Mr. President, we thank the Secretary-General for his.

Report on the issue of child, early and forced marriage and for highlighting Bangladesh initiatives to address this issue. Legal measures in isolation are not sufficient to end child marriage. Because it is not merely a legal issue, it is rooted in gender inequality, poverty, insecurity, and most importantly, harmful.

Social norms and practices. Therefore, together with legislative measures, we need effective prevention, which requires a comprehensive community-based approach.

That can address the underlying causes and ensures that every girl can finish her education and make decisions.

About her own future.

In Bangladesh, our national action plan to end child marriage.

Education stipends and scholarships, law enforcement efforts, and initiatives led by women and girls reflect our commitment to this goal. In this regard, we underscored strengthening the implementation of existing laws through birth and marriage.

Registration, age verification, reporting mechanisms, and accountability.

Second, we need to keep girls in school by enhancing stipends and scholarships, prevent school dropout.

Improve access to safe transportation and sanitation, and provide opportunity for vocational training and decent employment.

Third, we need to address the economic drivers of child marriage through social protection, livelihood support for vulnerable.

Families, and financial assistance during economic hardship, including climate-related disasters and displacement. And finally, address harmful social norms through continued engagement with parents, community and religious leaders, teachers, boys and men, together with investment in women and girl-led advocacy.

I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Bangladesh. I pass the floor to Ireland, to be followed by Yemen, Cuba and Malta. Microphone for Ireland, please.

Thank you, Chair.

Ireland aligns with the statement of the EU, which is to be delivered, and thanks the five briefers for their detailed presentations this morning. The Secretary-General's latest annual report on children in armed conflict documents the highest number of children affected by grave violations and violations since this mandate was created. We are appalled at the staggering increase in the number of verified killings of children and the extremely high numbers of grave violations verified in the report in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia. We are also deeply concerned that, for the first time, Government forces were responsible for most grave violations documented under this mandate. This should serve as a stark warning against the erosion of respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The report links the rise in killings to air strikes, artillery and explosive armed drones in residential areas. We echo the call of the panel on all states to endorse and implement the political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas. Special Rapporteur Fraser, in light of the continued record levels of grave violations and the growing role of state actors in committing them, what practical measures can member states take to strengthen national accountability and ensure better protection outcomes for children on the ground? Special Rapporteur Majid, your report shows that one of the most profound changes in the 20 years since the UN study on violence against children was first published has been the rapid expansion of violence against children online. which approaches have proven most effective in ensuring that technology companies build child safety and privacy into their platforms?

I thank you.

I thank Ireland. I have next Yemen, Cuba, to be followed by Israel. Yemen, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Republic of Yemen expresses its appreciation to the Griefers for their efforts in the protection of children and promoting their rights. Children in regions under the control of the Houthi terrorist militias continue to face grave violations. According to the Human Rights Ministry of Yemen, 100 children at least were killed and they were recruited by these militias in September alone. Perpetrators of these crimes must be condemned, and measures must be taken to enhance monitoring, verification, accountability. Children who are recruited must be released. They must be rehabilitated and reintegrated. We also express our concern as to the continued detention by the terrorist Houthi militias of more than 72 staff members from the United Nations and from organizations active in Yemen, as well as CSOs and diplomatic missions. This includes 10 staff members from UNICEF. We renew our call for their release, as well as ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid without obstacles in all governorates of Yemen. In this regard, we wish to ask two questions. First, to Her Excellency SRS G. Children and Armed Conflict. How can your office move from documenting and monitoring violations to elaborating measurable indicators as to the compliance by parties included in the report with the obligation to stop these violations and also assessing the real impact?

Of these efforts on the ground.

The second question is to the representative of UNICEF. With mounting humanitarian aid and declining financing, what are the strategies advanced by UNICEF, in cooperation with partners and other donors, in order to ensure the sustainability of food programs, as well as the continued life-saving interventions, while giving priority to the most vulnerable children. Thank you.

Thank you, Yemen. I'll pass the floor to Cuba, to be followed by the Permanent Representative of Israel, Malta, and then Montenegro. Cuba, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. The situation of children around the world is a source of despair. According to 2025 reports, more than 25 million, almost one in five children, lives in a conflict zone. It is calculated that 64,000 children have either been killed or maimed as a result of genocide against Palestinians. thousands of children under the age of 16 and 20% of the global number of children lives in extreme poverty. Overturning this reality depends on everyone's commitment, especially that of the richest countries, multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity. Chair, it is regrettable that UCMs continue to be applied against Cuba with a significant impact on children and adolescents. None of the children in my country escapes the impacts of the blockade imposed by the United States, which has been increased in the year 2026 to unprecedented levels with executive orders of the 29th of May affecting all economic activity in the country. energy stranglehold is affecting basic services, with the result that thousands of Cuban children are waiting for surgery that is impossible because of the energy stranglehold. The child mortality rate has gone from percent to 9.9 percent, an increase of 198 percent. The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen from 85 percent to 65 percent. These measures are a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law and a violation of the right to life and children's rights in Cuba. I thank you.

Thank you, Cuba. I pass the floor to the Permanent Representative of Israel, to be followed by the Permanent Representative of Uruguay, to be followed by the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic. Israel, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Israel is committed to protecting the rights of all children. But Special Representative Vanessa Fajardo has repeatedly demonstrated a blatant disregard for the truth. willingness to engage with anti-Semites, and a tendency to spread misinformation. Look at the report before us today, Mr. Chairman. The report cites over 12,000 violations in the Israel-Palestine conflict. But Hamas, the terrorist organization that uses children as human shields, recruits child soldiers, The organization that turns schools into military bases is not mentioned in this report, or in any of the other reports presented to this committee. Ms. Fraser, we have seen the videos from Gaza. We know the facts. Every day, Hamas exploits children in Gaza to carry weapons. that you stay silent. As long as you refuse to properly fulfill your mandate and be a real advocate for children in armed conflict, the findings in your report are meaningless. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Israel, and I pass the floor to the Permanent Representative of Uruguay, to be followed by the Permanent Representative of Syrian Arab Republic.

Uruguay, you have the floor.

Historically, Uruguay has been a firm defender of the rights of the child, and we are proud to facilitate this through the representation of GRULAC and the EU, and This year in Geneva, the resolution of the Council on the Rights of the Child to implement the rights of children affected by armed conflict was approved without a vote, reaffirming our collective commitment to the protection of children and highlighting the importance of guaranteeing accountability, access to justice, reparations, and also physical and psychological recovery, as well as social reintegration of affected children. This is increasingly relevant in the current context, where there are increasingly grave violations of armed conflicts, which have reached unprecedented levels, which we deeply regret. Beyond ratification and the almost universal accession to the Convention, we need greater political commitment to ensure real protection of children. Hundreds of millions of children continue to see their rights violated on a daily basis. Violence and abuse, including sexual abuse, as well as extreme poverty, malnutrition, and harmful practices such as early and forced marriage, have devastating consequences on children throughout their lives. Given this reality, Uruguay calls on all Member States to redouble their efforts to overturn the situation and to honor the promise to put an end to all forms of violence against children with the goal of achieving this by 2030. Uruguay is grateful for and profoundly values the work undertaken by all of the mandates represented here, and we recognize and congratulate Madam Nala Majid, and we thank her for her work in defending children.

I thank the permanent representative of Uruguay. I pass the floor to the permanent representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, to be followed by Malta and then Montenegro. Syria, you have the floor.

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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Syria has seen systematic violations of the rights of children. They were perpetrated by a brutal, inhuman regime. There had been children incarcerated, and the scale of suffering in Syria is even worse than that. The new Syria is well aware of this legacy. It's important to turn the page and to ensure the rights of children are upheld and to punish the perpetrators. We've started doing this thanks to procedures. We need to guarantee the rights of children. Here, I'm pleased to recognize that we made progress, progress in terms of our national plan for the promotion and protection in partnership with the Bureau of the Special Representative for Armed Conflict. She visited Syria last February. Together with the UN team, on communications. We thank everyone for their active participation with Syria's government to create a new story for the children of Syria. In closing, I simply must mention the effects of Israel's aggression on children. This includes the elements mentioned in terms of the abduction of Syrian Syrian children. I want to say that in this forum and others as well. Thank you.

I thank the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic. I pass the floor to Malta, to be followed by Montenegro, then Libya, and Panama. Malta, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Malta aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European Union and thanks the briefers for presenting their reports. Madam Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, The protection and promotion of children's rights remain a long-standing priority of Malta's foreign policy. Malta therefore reiterates its full support for your mandate and expresses its sincere appreciation to you and your office for your dedicated work and leadership. 30 years after the establishment of this critical mandate, its work has never been more vital. We remain appalled by the scale and severity of grave violations against children in conflict situations, with more children affected in 2025 than in any previous year since the establishment of the CAC mandate. We are particularly concerned that for the first time, government forces were the principal perpetrators of grave violations against children. Against this troubling backdrop, what should member states prioritize to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law and ensure greater accountability for grave violations against children? Madam Special Representative on Violence Against Children, In the same spirit, Malta reaffirms its steadfast commitment to ending all forms of violence against children and thanks you and your office for your continued efforts in this regard. We share your concerns about the emerging risks driving violence against children and are equally concerned by their profound and often lifelong impact on children. These risks are increasingly overlapping and mutually reinforcing, magnifying existing vulnerabilities and disrupting the services children depend on. While we note with appreciation the progress made 20 years on from the United Nations study on violence against children, we must also recognize that more needs to be done to translate commitments into concrete action. We therefore ask which specific measures should states and partners prioritize to ensure that these efforts translate into measurable reductions in violence against children over the next 10 years. I thank you.

Thank you, Malta. I pass the floor to Montenegro, to be followed by Liberia, then Panama. Montenegro, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Montenegro thanks all the briefers for their reports and valuable contributions. We remain deeply concerned by the challenges facing children worldwide, from violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse, to child early and forced marriage, as well as growing threats to children in digital environment. The record number of grave violations against children in armed conflicts verified in 2025 is deeply alarming. Montenegro strongly supports the CAC agenda and the work of Special Representative, and reiterates the importance of prevention, accountability, and full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law. As a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Montenegro continues to call for the safe return of all children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred. We are equally concerned by the growing use of digital technologies, including AI, to facilitate violence and sexual exploitation of children. We also stress the need for stronger efforts to eliminate child, early and forced marriage. Montenegro continues to strengthen child protection in cooperation with UNICEF, prioritizing violence prevention, early childhood education, and inclusion of children with disabilities. We are also implementing strategy for the prevention and protection of children from violence 2529 with focus on early identification, institutional coordination and support for child victims. In this regard, we would like to ask the briefers, what are the most pressing gaps in translating international commitments into effective national child protection measures, particularly in the face of emerging risks and increasingly complex crises? Thank you.

Thank you, Montenegro. I pass the floor to Libya, followed by Panama, Cameroon, Republic of Korea, and Cyprus. Libya, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have the honor to deliver this statement as a youth delegate. We thank the briefers for their reports. We stand ready to cooperate with the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, and we welcome the elements mentioned in that report in terms of the reintegration of child soldiers. With the military committee, we've established a law. It criminalizes the recruitment of children. We share the concern of the Special Representative about violence against children. Over 300,000 children fall victim to internet abuses, as well as being victims of images. It's important for families and young people to be part of decision making. Turning to Gaza, the largest number of violations was recorded. The occupying power has continued its violations, hampering the deliver of food and medication to a generation that has been deprived of its childhood. Israel must be held to account for these violations. Transit, in terms of transit countries, of which we are one, we're welcoming Sudanese refugees despite our scant resources. We thank Ms. Fraser. we'd like to ask you something. We've noted the increase in social networks and recruiting children. How can those emerging from conflicts prevent this trend? Thank you.

Thank you, Libya. I pass the floor to Panama, followed by Cameroon, followed by Republic of Korea, then Cyprus. Panama, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished panelists, delegates. What happened last Friday in my country, Panama, was a very strong earthquake of the magnitude 7.7, which affected our central provinces. And this reminds us that emergencies can occur when we least expect them. Fortunately, we have not had to regret human losses, although we have had material damage, including impacts on access to roads and access to hospital facilities, where we have had to adopt measures in order to ensure continuity of medical care. As a Panamanian, this situation affects me very closely, and I'm thinking especially of newborns, mothers, and children who depend on these services. This incident reminds us that in the face of any emergency, the protection of the most vulnerable should always be a priority. And although the circumstances are different, This reflection leads us to the theme that brings us together today. Today's interventions have reminded us that millions of children continue to face violence, exploitation, displacement, and serious violations of their rights, especially in situations of armed conflict and humanitarian crisis. For our delegation, the protection of children represents a responsibility that needs to be addressed in a coherent manner throughout the United Nations system. From our work as elected member of the Security Council and soon to be joining the UNICEF Executive Board, we will continue to help convert our commitments into concrete results for children on the ground. And this is why we would like to ask the panelists the following question. How can we strengthen coordination between the Security Council, UNICEF and the human rights mechanisms in order to prevent grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict and ensure a more effective response when these violations occur? Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you, Palmar. I pass the floor to Cameroon, followed by Republic of Korea. Cameroon, you have the floor.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.

My delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the African Group and thanks the briefers for their presentations.

In our national capacity, we thank S.R.

S.G. Frazier for her comprehensive report. Cameron was proud to host the landmark conference in Yaounde in July 2026, where Central African states endorsed the first ever regional prevention strategy for children in situations of conflict. Given that violence against children often crosses borders due to the displacements of families, how can your office assist Cameroon and ECAS in mobilizing international resources to transition this strategy from a policy framework into localized operational child protection infrastructure? Cameroon has committed heavily to DDR programs, explicitly recognizing children associated with armed groups, primarily as victims. A recurring barrier to sustainable peace is the deep-rooted trauma and societal stigma these children face when returning to their communities. In your global stocktaking, what evidence-based practices can your office share to help member states like Cameroon enhance community-based psychosocial rehabilitation and prevent the re-recruitment or re-victimization of vulnerable children?

Monsieur le President, I would-- Chairman.

We also welcome the Special Representatives and the first interactive dialogue and the presentation of the report on the strategic vision. In Cameroon, the situation of internally displaced persons has made children more vulnerable to exploitation, and we are bolstering our legal and protection framework to address this. Transnational organized crime remain a problem. What advice could your bureau offer to developing countries in order to, microphone has been cut off?

I pass the floor to the Republic of Korea, followed by Cyprus, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Qatar. Republic of Korea, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We warmly welcome Ms. Aye Karahunt as she presents her first report to this committee, and we congratulate the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict on the 30th anniversary of its mandate. Last year, my delegation raised concern over the growing use of digital technologies to recruit or target children. We therefore welcome the Special Representative's engagement with the technology sector on this issue. Protection, however, must not end when children are released or the fighting stops. In line with the Special Representative's core for long-term trauma-informed reintegration, the Republic of Korea launched the Resilience for Children Plus initiative with UNICEF in 2025 supporting psychosocial care, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and basic health services for children in crisis settings. Mr. Chair, 20 years after the United Nations study on violence against children, one in three internet users is charged. And as a special representative for violence against children rightly notes, online violence can no longer be treated as a separate issue. Since April, our National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response has deployed an AI-based system to proactively detect child sexual exploitation material and content. Last year, we also introduced a new independence allowance for young survivors of sexual exploitation as they leave shelters so that their recovery does not end at the shelter door. Against this backdrop, we would appreciate if the Special Rapporteur could elaborate on how she intends to address the widening gap between technological innovation and child protection safeguards identified in her report. I thank you.

I thank the Republic of Korea. I pass the floor to Cyprus, followed by Bulgaria and then Mexico. Cyprus, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On behalf of Cyprus, I would like to thank all briefers for their reports and their presentation before us today and to express our full support to their work. Cyprus aligns with the statement to be delivered by the European Union. Allow me to make some additional remarks in my national capacity. Cyprus reaffirms its strong commitment to the promotion and protection of children's rights, placing at the center of its policies the best interest of the child, reducing child poverty, ensuring equal opportunities, and promoting the meaningful participation of children in decisions that affect their lives. Cyprus has established an independent commissioner for the protection of the rights of the child, which plays a central role in monitoring legislation and amplifying children's voices. Moreover, we have established a project under the name Children's House with the objective to offer a coordinated and effective response to cases of children victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. Madam Special Representative on Violence Against Children, in light of the alarming findings of your report, how can member states better coordinate their responses to this rapidly evolving threat, and what concrete steps should be pursued at the multilateral level to strengthen prevention, accountability, and the protection of children from online sexual exploitation and AI-enabled abuse?

I thank you. Thank you, Cyprus. Bulgaria, Mexico, Qatar, and the United Kingdom. Bulgaria, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Bulgaria aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European Union, and I would like to add a few highlights in my national capacity. Since this is my first statement, allow me to also begin by expressing our appreciation for your work, Chair, and the Bureau's leadership in successfully steering the Committee's work. Turning to today's discussion, Bulgaria thanks all five briefers and reaffirms its strong commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of every child. We prioritize children's rights nationally and internationally, including through our work at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and in New York, where we serve as co-chairs of the group of friends of children and the sustainable development goals. We express our strong support for the mandates of the special representatives and the special rapporteur and for the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. And we also commend UNICEF's leadership in advancing children's rights and express our appreciation for its support as secretariat of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs. Special Representative on Violence Against Children, your latest report highlights promising practices and the importance of translating commitments into concrete action. At the same time, many member states face constraints in terms of resources and institutional capacity. How can your mandate help them identify, adapt, and scale up proven approaches to preventing and responding to violence against children, particularly in settings where child protection systems remain underdeveloped? In closing, allow me to reconfirm Bulgaria's commitment to working with all partners to ensure that every child can grow up free from violence and enjoy their rights in full. I thank you.

Thank you, Bulgaria. I pass the floor to Mexico, followed by Qatar, United Kingdom, France and Belgium. Mexico, you have the floor.

Chair.

Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the principle of the best interest of the child. We maintain that no multi-national initiatives that guarantee their rights will be effective if the voice of children and young people is not heard. This is why am addressing this committee as Mexico's youth delegate I would like to ask you the following question what do we mean when we talk about violence against children this issue is usually addressed through figures reports and indicators however behind every number there is a life that has been changed forever the most recent report of the SG on children and armed conflict confronts us with this reality in 2025 There were 38,558 grave violations and other violations also affecting 24,174 children. Violence against children is not limited to physical integrity, but also to the destruction of conditions necessary for them to live out a full childhood. When schools, hospitals, and food distribution centers are attacked, or access to basic humanitarian aid is denied or restricted, children are deprived of their most basic rights and the spaces aimed at protecting them. Other types of violence also require an urgent response from the international community. The digital environment offers extraordinary learning opportunities, but at the same time poses serious risks, such as online sexual exploitation, image manipulation, and cyberbullying. Protecting children's safety and privacy should be a an unavoidable responsibility of technology companies, as Mexico has advocated for the recent regional consultation on secure digital environments together with the Inter-American Institute of the Child. This is why my delegation wishes to put the following question to the Committee on the Rights of the Child: What specific mechanisms can States adopt to require technology companies to incorporate child protection from the design of their algorithms and artificial intelligence systems without limiting equitable access of girls and boys to the digital environment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mexico. I pass the floor to Qatar, followed by United Kingdom, France, and Belgium.

Qatar, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chairman.

We are.

Commemorating the anniversary of the mandate on children in armed conflict. At this time, we reiterate our commitment to supporting that mandate. Qatar welcomes the Analysis and Communication Center of the SRSG for children and armed conflict. This plays a vital role in strengthening efforts to protect children in armed conflict zones through research, training, and technical support. We note the report of the SRS G. It spotlights efforts to this effect. We express our concern. Our concern about the violations mentioned in the report. These violations have achieved an unprecedented level in 2025. Given these growing violations, we have a question. What additional actions and effective mechanisms could be put in place to translate commitments into concrete action to protect children. We also thank the SRSG on violence against children for their briefing and report, which spotlights the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, the crises which are worsening, In a world marked by complex interrelated crises, what support can Member States provide, and how can they move toward implementation to create a safe, conducive environment? We thank the representatives for their briefings, and we want to say that the protection of the rights of children is a priority for Qatar. Thank you.

Thank you, Qatar. I pass the floor to the United Kingdom, followed by France, Belgium, Japan, and Czechia. United Kingdom, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The UK thanks the Special Representatives for their reports and their ongoing commitment to protecting children.

We remain deeply.

Concerned by the scale and severity of violence against children, particularly in conflict settings, where grave violations continue to rise.

During conflict, children are uniquely vulnerable and disproportionately affected. The use of explosive weapons in populated areas, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian.

Access has a devastating impact on children and their futures.

The UK remains committed to ending.

Grave violations against children in conflict, holding perpetrators to account, and defending the children and armed conflict mandate. We also remain committed to tackling violence against children in all its forms, including sexual exploitation and abuse.

And online harms.

Protecting children requires sustained political will and coordinated action, while ensuring children's voices are meaningfully included in decisions that affect them. Special representatives, how can member states work more effectively together to prevent violence against children and strengthen accountability?

Thank you.

Thank you, United Kingdom. I pass the floor to France, followed by Belgium, Japan, Czechia, and China. France, you have the floor.

Thank you. Special representatives, executive director, chair, and rapporteurs, thank you for your commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of children in your respective mandates. Madam SRS G for children in armed conflict and executive director, we thank you for your work. France reiterates its full support for the mandate of children in armed conflicts. Its operational nature and efficacy have been demonstrated. Children are the number one victims of conflict throughout the world. France is deeply concerned at the alarming number of serious violations committed against children, which last year marked a grim record since the establishment of the mandate of the Special Representative in 1997. State actors are now responsible for the majority of violations. This includes attacks against schools, hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access. In this context, it is more necessary than ever to put the protection of children in armed conflicts on the top of the international agenda and to combat impunity. The protection of children in armed conflicts is a longstanding priority for France. In 2007, we launched with UNICEF the Principles and Commitments of Paris to free children involved in armed groups and forces from war. 115 states have joined it, and we call upon everyone who has yet to do so to join as well. France will convene with UNICEF in February 2027 a high-level conference to mark its 20th anniversary. It is our hope that this event will not be a simple commemoration, but it will be an opportunity for a renewed commitment to better protect the rights of children in the next decade. What do you think? Microphone has been cut off.

France, I have Belgium, Japan, Czechia, and China. Belgium, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Belgium thanks the panelists for their insightful briefings. 30 years after the publication of the Marshall Report and the creation by this committee of the mandate of the SRSG on CAC, we painstakingly witness a surge in armed conflict around the world and disrespect of international law. Other types of violence, violations, and abuses also remain prevalent despite the Convention on the Rights of the Child being the most widely ratified UN human rights treaty to date. A robust normative framework and institutional setup exist. What is lacking is political will, implementation, and accountability. The international community needs to recommit to the universal ratification of the CRC and its full implementation. We underline the importance of the Convention's three existing optional protocols and call on Member States to become parties to them. In addition, Belgium, together with the Council of Europe, Tunisia, Armenia and the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children are hosting a briefing today regarding the prevention of child sexual exploitation and abuse, presenting the Lanzarote Convention as a model for prevention-centered action. I thank you.

Thank you, Belgium. I have Japan, Czechia, China, Nigeria, and Mali. Japan, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the briefers for their valuable insight. In this combined session, Japan would like to address two mandates, violence against children and children in armed conflicts. We commend the Office of the Special Representative on Violence Against Children for their efforts to address changing forms of violence against children. We are particularly concerned by the increasing risks children face online, including technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse, and call for strengthened child protection systems and safer digital environments. As a pathfinding country, Japan remains committed to advancing children's rights and well-being under the leadership of the Children and Families Agency. We also commend the Office of the Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict. The latest report's findings are deeply concerning, with record levels of grave violations against children, including killing and maiming, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the denial of humanitarian access. We call on all parties to conflict to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to take concrete measures to protect children from grave violations. In this regard, I would like to ask the Special Representative's views on the most effective measures that Member States can take to strengthen prevention efforts and better protect children from emerging and evolving risks. Finally, Japan congratulates Ms. Aki Hata-Hunt, Professor at the University of Tokyo, on her appointment as Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children. We welcome her focus on addressing the evolving nature of child exploitation and look forward to working with her to advance prevention, accountability, and child-centered protection. I thank you.

Thank you, Japan. I have Czechia, China, Nigeria, Mali, and State of Palestine. Czechia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Madam Special Representative, distinguished mandate holders, the Czech Republic aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European Union. We thank the five briefers for their presentations today. Madam Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, we reiterate our strong support for your mandate. We thank you for the comprehensive report, and we commend your efforts to keep the protection of children at the center of the agenda. We are deeply alarmed by the record number of grave violations against children in armed conflicts worldwide. We condemn the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, as well as systematic militarization and ideological indoctrination of children on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

We support efforts to secure their return and ensure accountability.

Madam Special Representative, what further measures are needed to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children and ensure accountability for those responsible for the unlawful deportation? We also share your concerns about the risks posed to children by the use of AI and other emerging technologies in armed conflict, including for information manipulation and recruitment. Their use must remain fully consistent with international humanitarian law and human rights, with appropriate safeguards for human oversight and accountability. How can we better protect children from the risks posed by AI and other emerging technologies in armed conflict? Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

I pass the floor to China, followed by Nigeria, Mali, Syria, Palestine, and Greece. China, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I thank all the speakers for their remarks. The harm to children affected by armed conflict persists despite repeated efforts to stop it and remain deeply shocking. China strongly condemns all acts that target children and urges parties to conflict to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law. The international community should step up investigation into and accountability for incidents, harming children, and damaging schools, and work together to prevent further atrocities. China has been faithfully fulfilling its obligation under the Convention on the Rights of Child and its two optional protocols. We have submitted our latest periodic report on the implementation of the convention and looks forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with the Committee on the Rights of Child. China will, in light of its own context, provide greater support to UNICEF under the framework like the Global Development Initiative, support the cause of child development in the global South and call on developed countries to earnestly fulfill their commitment to ODA and humanitarian assistance and provide resources for UNICEF to fulfill its mandate. China upholds a zero-tolerance principle in preventing and combating violence against child and severely punishes, in accordance with law, crimes involving the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. On this occasion, we would like to draw the attention to all parties to the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which was open for signature last year and calls on all parties to actively promote its early interforce, strengthen international cooperation in combating the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. I thank you, Chair.

Thank you, China. I pass the floor to Nigeria, followed by Mali, State of Palestine, Greece, and Luxembourg. Nigeria, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. Nigeria aligns with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the Africa Group. Nigeria thanks the briefers for their insightful reflections. We express our appreciation to all of you for the continued attention to child protection across Africa, including Nigeria. In particular, we thank the SRSG on violence against children, Dr. Majid, for all her efforts. Nigeria launched its national plan of action to end violence against children, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening prevention efforts and protecting all children from every form of violence. Nigeria hosted the regional ministerial level meeting of the Pathfinding Global Alliance to End Violence Against Children. The meeting convened African leaders, United Nations agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to reaffirm their collective commitments to accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against children. Nigeria has demonstrated unwavering commitment to fostering sustainable child protection efforts in Africa and calls for all global commitments to prevent child exploitation, violence, trafficking, and abuse. We underscore the importance of protecting and empowering the girl child, who remains disproportionately affected by sexual violence, trafficking, barriers to education, and early and forced marriage. And in the face of prevailing financial constraints, and emerging challenges in the digital space, Nigeria calls for renewed commitment and strengthened international cooperation and support for developing countries to translate relevant global commitments into meaningful action at national and local levels, with particular attention to children in vulnerable situations. We would appreciate more reflections on any existing initiatives from the briefers in this regard moving forward. Nigeria remains committed to strengthening collaboration with all relevant stakeholders towards building a world where every child, irrespective of status or circumstances, is protected, empowered, and afforded the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.

Thank you, Nigeria. I pass to Mali, followed by State of Palestine. Mali, you have the floor. Microphone to Mali, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The African Group thanks all the briefers for their remarks. We remain concerned about continued violation of the rights of children in both situations of peace and armed conflict. Poverty, displacement, and conflict exacerbate children's vulnerability, exposing them to heightened risk of violence. Addressing these drivers remain essential to ensuring the protection and well-being of children. We are deeply troubled by technology-facilitated abuse, including reports that 1.2 million children had their image manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes. We would welcome the SRSG on Violence Against Children's reflection on efforts to strengthen online safeguards. We also wish to highlight the African Union's efforts to strengthen child protection, notably through the establishment of African platform on children affected by armed conflicts and the appointment of the African Union special envoy for children affected by armed conflicts. In light of the office of the SRG's engagement in 14 situation in Africa, we will ask insights on existing and potential avenues for collaboration with these African mechanism. With 412 million of children living in extreme monetary poverty, we are concerned about the heightened risk of exploitation and abuse. We welcome the Secretary General on how Mande supports member states despite budgetary constraints. To conclude, we would like to underscore the importance of collective and sustainable commitment to providing every child a strong foundation for the future for the benefit of humanity. I thank you.

Thank you, Mali. State of Palestine, followed by Greece, then Luxembourg. State of Palestine, you have the floor.

Our thanks to the Chair and the briefers for their efforts. The highest numbers of grave violations in the world continue to be endured by Palestinian children. They remain at the mercy of Israeli occupation forces listed by the UN among parties committing grave violations against children and rape or other patterns of sexual violence. 22,000 Palestinian children were killed in the last three years. One Palestinian child is killed every single day since the ceasefire. Many more maimed, detained, abused. Schools and hospitals attacked. The UN verified cases of sexual violence against boys and a girl, as well as the use of children as human shields by Israel. Children also suffer attacks by Israeli settlers, terrorizing their communities, for which the settlers should also be listed. And Israel's problem is the SRSG report. documenting crimes also reported by international bodies, news networks, and denounced by countries around the globe. Every aspect of Palestinian children's life, their safety, physical integrity, their homes, their family, their liberty, their childhood, their education, their health, are attacked. Palestinian children are not collateral damage. They are primary targets in the attempt to uproot our people from their land. One generation after another, no Palestinian child is spared, no Palestinian child is safe. Given Israel's persistent assault on Palestinian children in full impunity and its despicable spying campaigns and attacks against those denouncing it, instead of repenting for its crimes, as we saw again today, there is a desperate need for international protection and accountability now to save Palestinian children's lives and guarantee them the life they deserve and continue being denied. And, Mr. Chair, a point of order. We ask the chair to enforce an environment in which briefers are not subject to personal attacks, attempts at intimidation, and incitement. We saw this before, and I expect we will see this again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, State of Palestine. I pass the floor to Greece, followed by Luxembourg. Greece, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Greece aligns itself with the statements to be delivered by the European Union, and thanks all briefers for their insightful presentations. Madam Special Rapporteur, I would like to thank you for your first report, setting out your strategic vision for the mandate. Greece welcomes your child-centered, rights-based, and implementation-oriented vision, which places the full protection continuum at its core and recognizes children, including victims and survivors, as partners in shaping the responses that affect them. This discussion is particularly timely as Greece holds the presidency of the Security Council and will convene a briefing on children and armed conflict on 26 October. As your report recalls, rape and sexual assault against children in conflict-affected settings occur at nearly double the global average, while shrinking humanitarian space erodes prevention and response, a clear sign that our collective efforts remain insufficient. In this context, how do you intend to ensure, in coordination in particular with the Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, that existing standards translate into effective safeguards, accountability and reparation for child victims and survivors in conflict-affected and humanitarian settings, including where abuse is committed by international or humanitarian personnel. I would equally welcome the perspective of the Special Representative for Children in Conflict on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Greece. I pass to Luxembourg, followed by Estonia. Luxembourg, you have the floor.

Chair, Luxembourg aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the EU and also by the Group of Friends of the Child and the SDGs and also children in armed conflict. Luxembourg underscores its tireless commitment to the rights of the child. Madam Special Rapporteur on violence against children, we thank you for your report and for your commitment against unacceptable violence that is committed against children. Last Saturday, the international community marked the International Day of Mental Health, and so we wish to recall that every child has the right to grow up in an that protects their well-being. In Luxembourg, young people between 12 and 16 spend on average more than four hours in digital spaces that were not designed for their security or for their well-being, four hours online. Cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and sexual exploitation and harmful content on social networks leave wounds on their psychology, children should be defended not only in the real world but also in the virtual world. For us, it is crucial that we ensure responsibility for platforms from their design. And we are convinced that It is down to companies to demonstrate that their services are safe for children. The burden should not be on children to prove that they have suffered some kind of prejudice. Madam Special Rapporteur, how can States strengthen the responsibility of technology companies so that we know that their services are safe for children? I thank you.

We pass to Estonia, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine. Estonia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic States. We thank all the briefers and their important work. We reaffirm our steadfast support for the CAAC mandate and underline its vital role in preventing and responding to grave violations

against children.

The latest report of children and armed conflict makes clear that violations against children in armed conflict have reached shocking levels. with an unprecedented number of children affected, the highest since the beginning of the mandate 30 years ago.

We strongly condemn these violations and call for their immediate and complete cessation.

Parties to conflict must fully respect their obligations under international law, refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas, end and prevent all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, ensure safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access, and cooperate fully with international accountability mechanisms, including the ICC.

We also underline that participation in UN peace operations must be consistent with the highest standards of international humanitarian law, human rights, and child protection.

Parties repeatedly listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General's annual reports on children and armed conflict

should be subject to robust scrutiny. and should demonstrate credible, concrete, and time-bound measures to end and prevent grave violations against children. Madam Special Representative, how can the United

Nations strengthen safeguards and accountability to ensure that parties repeatedly listed for grave violations against

children are held accountable, including in relation to their participation in UN peace operations?

I thank you.

Thank you, Estonia. I pass to Poland, followed by Portugal and Ukraine. Poland, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to all the briefers for their reports. It is my honor to address you today as a youth delegate of Poland. Every war is a war against children. As conflicts become increasingly protracted and internationalized, violence extends far beyond the battlefield. Attacks on schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure destroy the very spaces in which children should feel safest. their homes, schools, and their communities. By the end of 2025, an estimated 45 million children worldwide were forcibly displaced. Russia's war against Ukraine has made these realities particularly visible in Europe. At the same time, young people should not only be seen as victims of conflict. With young people making up roughly half of the global population, we possess unprecedented potential to address global challenges of our time. International frameworks increasingly recognize this role. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 2250, and the adoption of Resolution 2807 further reaffirmed the importance of meaningful youth participation in peace and security efforts. However, frameworks alone are not enough. We urge Member States to take practical steps, including through national action plans on youth, peace and security agenda that meaningfully involve young people as co-creators in crisis response and peacebuilding. Recognising the agency of young people and investing in our potential is key to empowering the next generation of changemakers and building a more peaceful and resilient future. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Poland. I pass to Portugal, followed by Ukraine and Colombia. Portugal, you have the floor.

thanks the briefers for their reports and for their continued efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of children's rights. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the children and armed conflict mandate this December, the persistence of grave violations against children is a stark reminder that the protection agenda launched by the General Assembly in '96 remains as urgent as ever. Portugal reaffirms its strong commitment to the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its three optional protocols. The reports before us make clear that children continue to face serious violations of their rights, both in situations of armed conflict and in other settings. Portugal is deeply concerned by the continued killing and maiming of children, their recruitment and use, sexual violence and abduction, as well as attacks against schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access. Children are entitled to the special protection afforded to them under international humanitarian and human rights law. Preventing violations and ensuring accountability must remain a priority. Excellencies, Portugal is particularly concerned by the changing nature of warfare and the growing use of new technologies. The increasing use of drones and the integration of artificial intelligence into targeting processes are creating additional risks for children. We also welcome the emphasis placed on prevention in the report on violence against children, particularly as we mark 20 years since the United Nations study on violence against children. Preventing violence requires sustained investment in child protection, education, health and social services. Dear Briefer, how can Member States further strengthen prevention and accountability for violence against children while ensuring that the rapid development and use of new technologies, including drones and artificial intelligence, does not weaken the protection of children in situations of armed conflict? I thank you.

Thank you, Portugal. I have Ukraine, followed by Colombia, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and El Salvador. Ukraine, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ukraine thanks all the briefers for their presentations and efforts, in particular to protect children affected by armed conflict. Russia's aggression against Ukraine continues to devastate Ukrainian childhoods. The UN has verified almost 4,000 Ukrainian children killed or injured since February 2022. Russian armed forces have been blacklisted for grave violations against children for four consecutive years in the annual SG report. More than 20,000 cases of deportation and forced transfers of Ukrainian children have been documented. Last December, the General Assembly resolution demanded the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children. We appreciate Special Representative Fraser's engagement on this issue. However, meaningful progress remains elusive because Russia continues to withhold information essential to identifying, tracing, and returning these children. Approximately 1.6 million children remain under Russian occupational control, subjected to suppression of their Ukrainian identity, indoctrination and militarization, combat training. By documenting these practices and concluding that they constitute crimes against humanity, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism has set the stage for stronger international action this year. We expect UN mechanisms to follow suit through systematic monitoring and reporting. In this context, our question is how can existing UN mechanisms for children's rights be used to more effectively to put pressure on the aggressor state to end the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children and ensure their return? Thank you.

Thank you, Ukraine. I have Colombia, followed by Sri Lanka, then Malaysia and El Salvador. Colombia, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. Colombia is grateful for the briefing by the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and also for the briefing on the reports of the Special Representative of the SG on children and armed conflict and by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children. Their mandates converge on a common goal, which is to strengthen the comprehensive protection for children and adolescents and guarantee full exercise of their rights. My country reaffirms its commitment to the promotion and comprehensive protection of children and adolescents. Doing so is a priority of our public policy and an essential condition for the construction of more just, peaceful and inclusive societies. In January 2026, Colombia appeared before the Committee on the Rights of the Child to support its sixth and seventh periodic reports. We are currently carrying out a follow-up process to the Committee's concluding observations, with particular emphasis on attention to the prevention of recruitment use and sexual violence against children and adolescents, protection of education, meaningful childhood participation, and risks associated with digital environments. Colombia reaffirms the validity and relevance of international humanitarian law, and in particular as regards six serious violations, and also the implementation of the 1612 resolution and the Safe Schools Declaration. At the same time, we reiterate that violence against children transcends the context of armed conflict. and persists in homes, communities, schools and digital environments. In this regard, Colombia promotes a strengthening of protection systems, prevention of all forms of violence and the construction of safe, protective and inclusive environments for all children and adolescents. Having hosted the first World Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children in 2024, Colombia will continue to promote international cooperation and the exchange of experience to turn global commitments into results. Thank you.

Thank you, Colombia. I pass to the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, followed by Malaysia, El Salvador and Germany. Sri Lanka, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sri Lanka takes note of all the reports submitted and commend the contributions of all the briefers. Child protection remains a key priority of our government, which maintains a policy of zero tolerance towards sexual and gender-based violence. As a member of the Pathfinding Global Alliance to End Violence Against Children, Sri Lanka continues to advance legal, policy and institutional reforms to strengthen the protection of children from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation. The current national policy framework identifies a number of priorities aimed at safeguarding the protection and well-being of children. I wish to recall the visits of Dr. Najat Malala, Majid SRS, G and the Executive Board of UNICEF to Sri Lanka in June this year. On behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, I thank the SRS, G and UNICEF for their visits that played an important role in fostering mutual understanding and strengthening cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Nations. We appreciate their support and look forward to sustaining these productive engagements. We appreciate the constructive interactions with the Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and other relevant ministers and government officials, and their visits to institutions, including courts of law, during their visits, which further strengthen the partnership in advancing child protection and welfare, as well as our collective efforts to prevent and address all forms of violence against children. We also recall the appreciation with appreciation the srs's valuable contribution to the South Asia ministerial conference on ending violence against children held in Colombo on 23rd and 24th June 2026 Sri Lanka remains firmly committed to upholding its International obligations and standards relating to the protection and promotion of the rights and well-being of children we look forward to.

Thank you, Sri Lanka. I pass for the Malaysia, followed by El Salvador and then Germany. Malaysia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Malaysia thanks the distinguished presenter for their insightful presentation to the committee. Malaysia remain deeply concerned by the continued grave violation against children, particularly in situation of armed conflict, including the situation of children in Gaza. These include killing, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals. Beyond armed conflict, children continue to face serious threats from violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse. The rapid expansion of digital technologies has also exposed children to evolving risks, including cyberbullying and online sexual exploitation and abuse. Mr. Chair, At the national level, Malaysia has taken concrete measures to strengthen child protection. Our National Child Policy and Plan of Action 2026-2030 provides a comprehensive framework, encompassing children protection, mental health, bullying, exploitation, online safety, and child participation, supported by 16 priority strategies and 141 actions. These efforts are complemented by legislation, including the Child Act 2001 and the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. Mr. Chair, our question to the briefer. How can the United Nations and member states better strengthen prevention and early intervention to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse, particularly in conflict-affected and digitally connected environments, while ensuring that child victims have meaningful access to psychosocial support, rehabilitation, and justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Malaysia. I pass to El Salvador, followed by Germany, Indonesia, and Italy. El Salvador, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. El Salvador is grateful for the briefings, especially that by the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and by the representative of UNICEF. We agree as to the importance of recognising that all children and adolescents are rights holders and guaranteeing their meaningful participation in matters affecting their lives. Our country reaffirms its commitment to comprehensive development through implementation of our Grow Together Law and to strengthening our national system for comprehensive protection of early childhood of children and adolescents by promoting access to healthcare, education, nutrition, and comprehensive care from the earliest years of life. We take note of the challenges identified in accelerating implementation of international commitments and ensuring effective realization of children's rights. We also share the importance of preventing violence in both physical and digital environments, and also of addressing the risks raised by emerging technologies, including AI. El Salvador is currently preparing for its participation in consideration of the seventh periodic report to the Committee and working on a country program document with UNICEF. These are valuable opportunities to share progress, address pending challenges, as well as strengthening national capacities through constructive dialogue with the Committee, together with technical cooperation. Finally, we wish to ask What priority measures would you recommend to prevent violence against children that is associated with the use of AI and other emerging technologies in order to guarantee safe digital environments and the participation of boys, girls and adolescents? I thank you.

Thank you, El Salvador. I pass to Germany, followed by Indonesia, Italy, Namibia and Pakistan. Germany, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Germany expresses its strong support to the Briefers' individual and collective efforts to shed light on violations, but also to highlight opportunities and approaches that can help Member States realize the rights of children. We rely on your continued advice and support. Madam Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, allow me to reiterate Germany's continued support to your mandate. In your report, you highlight the impact of small arms and light weapons, as well as the use of explosive weapons in urban areas.

Not just during, but also after conflict.

Madam Special Representative, humanitarian arms control instruments such as VPA, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, or the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have been created to protect all civilians, including children. From your perspective, are we facing issues of implementation or specific child-related gaps in humanitarian arms control instruments? On violence against children, we stress the importance of prevention, strong child protection systems, effective legislation and accessible support services. Particular attention must be given to emerging risks in the digital environment. Madam Special Representative on Violence Against Children, what do you consider the biggest challenges in protecting children from violence and exploitation online? Madam Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, Germany congratulates you on your appointment. The weaponization of modern technology by traffickers has enabled an expansion of cross-border trafficking with devastating effects, especially for women and girls. Madam Special Rapporteur, can you share suggestions how States can effectively counter technology-facilitated trafficking while maintaining adequate digital privacy protections? I thank you.

Thank you, Germany. I pass to Indonesia, followed by Italy, Namibia, and Pakistan. Indonesia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Indonesia takes note of the reports and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to strengthening the protection and fulfillment of children's rights. Indonesia's experience demonstrates that child protection cannot be addressed through isolated intervention. It requires an integrated system connecting different sectors and level of governments. Furthermore, the pivotal role that the family plays in a child's holistic development remains paramount. Indonesia has advanced a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach, including by adopting the law on sexual violence crimes, which incorporates measures for victim protection and recovery, strengthening accessible reporting, referral, protection, and recovery services for victims of violence, supported by coordinated case management at the local level. deciding 19 as the minimum legal age of marriage for both women and men, complemented by prevention and empowerment initiatives, and establishing a comprehensive national strategy for child protection in the digital environment. Building on these efforts, Indonesia would like to seek the briefers' views on two issues. First, how can states further strengthen meaningful child participation in policies and decisions affecting them, including in developing responses to emerging risk and violence in the digital environment? And second, what are the briefest observation on the challenges on enforcing laws against violence against children in the digital environment? When, in your view, such conduct give rise to criminal liability, and what safeguards should states consider in addressing these cases?

I thank you.

Thank you, Indonesia. I pass to Italy, followed by Namibia. Italy, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me begin by thanking the Special Representatives and the Special Rapporteur for highlighting the need to strengthen prevention and protection for children in all domains. Italy is firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting children's rights. We take substantial and far-reaching action to combat all forms of violence against children, both at the national and the international level. Joining the pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children goes in this direction. In the current international context, threats to international peace and security and the erosion of children's rights are deeply interconnected. We are concerned by the unprecedented level reached by violations against children in armed conflicts, and we believe that children must have the right to enjoy their childhood in stable and peaceful societies, where they can become actors of positive change, long-lasting peace, and sustainable development. Madam Special Representative, could you please highlight which measures could be taken to mitigate the consequences of armed conflicts on education, health and livelihoods of children? At the national level, we are committed to protecting every child's rights, safety and well-being, recognizing that the protection of children cannot be separated from the environments in which children grow up. Prevention is central to Italy's approach, which means addressing vulnerabilities, identifying risks at an early stage, and ensuring age, gender, and disability-responsive child protection systems. Our national framework places the family at the center of prevention, and our National Action Plan for the Protection of the Rights and Development of Children and Adolescents strengthens cooperation between families, schools, and social and health services, including to address social isolation and to counter the growing risks they face online. Protection must also be accessible when risks arise. In this regard, Italy's national child emergency hotline provides a free, nationwide and child-friendly channel of assistance. Mr. Chair, we would welcome to brief us views on how States can further strengthen comprehensive and preventive approaches to child protection while ensuring responsiveness to emerging risks. Thank you.

Thank you, Italy. I have Namibia, Pakistan, followed by the Permanent Representative of Myanmar. Namibia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I thank the briefers for their presentations and commend their work to strengthen legal protections for children, to shield them from exploitation and conflict, and advance accountability. Namibia strongly condemns violations of children's rights in armed conflict. Conflict remains one of the gravest threats to children.

Undermining their protections guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and causing devastating, long-lasting harm. Namibia remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the rights and.

Welfare of every child through a rights-based approach to legislation, policy and implementation. Children's rights are protected by Namibia's Constitution, the Child Care and Protection Act, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Child Care and Protection Act also incorporates the Hague Conventions on.

Adoption, child abduction, child protection and child support, to which Namibia is working to accede.

Chair, our child.

Protection policy, national agenda for children and policy on orphans and vulnerable children provides a strategic framework for addressing persistent and emerging challenges. The National Plan of Action on Violence Against Children has strengthened protection systems, promoted access to quality services for survivors, and mobilized families, communities, and institutions to create safe and nurturing environments.

Lastly, Namibia is also advancing the Child Justice Bill, which will establish a distinct justice system for children in conflict with the law and protect their constitutional and international rights. I thank you.

Thank you, Namibia. I pass to Pakistan, to be followed by Myanmar. Pakistan, you have the floor.

We wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and all briefers for their insightful remarks. We echo the concerns shared regarding the well-being and safety of children, especially in the regions plagued by armed conflict. In recent years, children have emerged as a major victims of armed conflict and terrorism, reading in different parts of the world. Plight of children is most alarming in the occupied territories reflected in the annual report of Secretary General on CAC, which documented more than 1200 violations against Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territory. As an early signatory, to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Pakistan is fully committed to its obligations and has implemented extensive legal, policy and operational measures, including the establishment of a National Committee on Child Protection, the appointment of a national focal person and the endorsement of the Vancouver Principles to safeguard children. We also signed a roadmap with ICERD, GCAC and are working to implement it. Pakistan wishes to emphasize three points here. First, prevention must be translated into effective national action. Second, protection must keep pace with technological change. Technology companies must embed child safety and privacy in their platforms and services with effective accountability. Third, our commitment to protecting children must be universal, including those children living under foreign occupation. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the CAC mandate this year, Pakistan reaffirms its strong support for the mandate, which must remain firmly focused on situations where grave violations and atrocities occur with impunity. Like Pakistan is stand ready to continue its coordination with the Office of SRSG K and all relevant actors. Thank you.

Thank you, Pakistan. I pass the permanent representative of Myanmar to be followed by DPRK and then Algeria. Permanent representative of Myanmar.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Myanmar thanks the Briefer for their insightful presentations. In Myanmar, since the military coup in 2021, the military junta has drastically escalated its reliance on indiscriminate airstrikes, drones, and heavy artillery across the country. These perpetrators are deliberately attacking non-military targets, including civilian homes, hospitals, schools, religious buildings, markets, and IDP camps. Today, over 4.9 million children in Myanmar are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Mr. Chair, when we speak of children's rights, we bear a very heavy emotional burden. At the hands of this inhumane military hunter, our children are losing their lives. They are being torn from their families, separated in both life and death. Their homes are destroyed, their schools bombed, food is scarce, healthcare is out of reach, and their futures are being buried. May I ask our colleagues here, Must the children of Myanmar continue to live and die in this heartbreaking reality? For us, the democratic resistance forces of Myanmar, the answer is unequivocally clear. The junta leader and their military dictatorship in Myanmar are criminals. They are perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Whenever there is any engagement with the inhumane military hunter, it should be for the people and our children, not for protecting the military hunter, not for rewarding the military hunter of its international crimes, not for encouraging the military hunter to further commit crimes against humanity and war crimes against the people and children. The international community already have the binding principles mechanism to hold these perpetrators accountable.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Myanmar. I pass to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, followed by Algeria, Islamic Republic of Iran and Thailand. DPRK, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The fact that membership of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the largest among the key human rights treaties clearly demonstrates the unanimous desire of mankind for providing excellent environment for the development of the child. However, the world is still far from achieving this goal, as children have become the primary victim of hunger, poverty, violence, and armed conflict. Such reality calls upon all states to fully discharge their moral obligations for the promotion and protection of the rights of children on whom the future of entire humanity depends. Mr. Chair, the government of the DPRK always pays deep attention to well-being of the children and places the creation of better conditions and environment for their upbringing as its top priority. Since the adoption of new childcare policy, a well-regulated supply system has been set up throughout the country for daily provision of nutritional food to all children at the age of nursery and kindergarten, while the state assumes full responsibility for bringing up children without parents or with disabilities. Furthermore, the state provides all students with school uniform and other school supplies each year and takes every necessary measures to ensure advanced education under the universal 12-year compulsory education system. Since its accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the DPRK has faithfully undertaken its obligations specified in the Convention. The DPRK will continue to direct all its efforts to ensure rights and development of the children realized at maximum level and actively contribute to the international endeavors for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. Thank you.

Thank you, DPRK. I pass to Algeria, then Iran, then Thailand. Algeria, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Algeria thanks the briefers for their insightful presentations. Protecting children requires sustained international cooperation, effective prevention and protection mechanisms, adequate resources, and accountability. In this regard, we would welcome the briefers' further reflections on the following points. First, on children in armed conflict, Algeria is deeply concerned that the latest CAC report records the highest number of children affected by grave violations since the mandate establishment. In light of the UN 80 initiative, how might UN restructuring affect the monitoring and reporting mechanism and implementation of the CAC mandate, particularly where monitoring and verification capacity is limited? What efforts is the Office of the SRSG making to raise awareness and address mistrust and misunderstandings surrounding UN action plans with parties to conflict? Second, regarding violence against children, Algeria remains concerned about persistent violence across multiple settings, emerging forms of abuse, and evolving threats. Poverty, armed conflict, and displacements further heighten children's vulnerabilities. Despite expanded social protection, significant prevention and response gaps remain. Could the SRS on violence against children clarify how recommendations are monitored and followed up, and how country visits are selected and prioritized? Third, regarding sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, Algeria stresses the importance of prevention, awareness raising, and early intervention, alongside appropriate long-term victim support. How can the Special Rapporteur sustain monitoring, country visits and engagement with Member States amid the UN 80 Initiative? What approaches could ensure continuity and effective follow-up on recommendations?

I thank you.

Thank you. Algeria, Islamic Republic of Iran, followed by Thailand and then Slovenia. Iran, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Islamic Republic of Iran appreciates the briefers for their presentations. We reaffirm that effective protection of children against sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse requires a comprehensive preventive approach. In line with our commitments, we have acceded to the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child ***********. The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the acts of aggression by the Israeli regime and the United States against our territory, which resulted in the killing of innocent civilians, including women and children. During the 12-day aggression in June 2025, nearly 1,100 Iranian civilians were killed, including 47 children. In the 40-day aggression in February this year, nearly 3,500 civilians were killed, 383 of whom were children. The US attack on an elementary school in Minab in the first day of the war back in February, slaughtered 168 children. Children and youth were also brutally killed at a sports complex in Lahmerd. These war crimes were deliberately inflicted upon Iranian children and their mothers. We demand immediate and full international accountability without politicization or double standards, which is why I would like to ask your excellencies about the measures you have probably taken to hold the United States the Israeli regime accountable for blowing up schools and facilities full of children. Thank you.

Thank you, Iran. I pass to Thailand, then Slovenia, and then India. Thailand, you have the floor.

Madam Special Representative, distinguished delegates, it is an honor to address you as UNJ youth delegates. 20 years after the UN study on violence against children was published, Violence against children remains far too common and evolved into many different forms, but your report shows that progress is possible. We welcome the recent step made in Thailand to protect children, including the ban on all the physical punishment, stronger online protection laws approved by the cabinet, and a draft Child Protection Act. Alongside these laws, student and youth councils from the national to local level help making sure that young voices in Thailand are heard. My colleague will now continue.

Right.

Thank you. As a medical student myself, I see firsthand how unaddressed psychological distress turn into real clinical problem, from sleep problems to self-harm. That is why we welcome recent initiatives such as Kind Classrooms, where counsellors give first support backed by the 21st 24-hour hotline. We have two questions for you. First, your report shows that children's views shape laws in more than 20 countries. What is the most effective way to translate youth ideas into policy? Second, with one in three internet users in a child, how can countries make safety by design real online, and how can young people help? Thank you so much.

Thank you, Thailand. I pass to Slovenia, then India, then Senegal. Slovenia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Slovenia aligns with the statement to be delivered by the European Union. We would also like to thank the briefers for their reporting and for their hard work protecting children worldwide. Slovenia has historically been a strong supporter for the protection of all children. This commitment has been further strengthened and is actively advanced with our current membership to the Human Rights Council. In this context, we remain firmly committed to advancing the children on conflict and violence against children agendas. Slovenia opposes violence against children. Already in 2016, a national prohibition on corporal punishment of children was introduced through an amendment to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act. We will continue to advance these priorities throughout the remainder of our current term on the UNICEF Executive Board. Mr. Chair, we wish to ask the following two questions. First, Madam Special Representative Fraser, we are deeply concerned by the growing scale of grave violations against children in conflict and their devastating long-term consequences. Slovenia has a long-standing commitment to protect children affected by conflict including through psychological and physical rehabilitation. Given the rapid development of new technologies and the growing use of AI in warfare, what can the international community do to better protect children from its risks? And second, to Madame Special Representative Majid, 20 years have passed since publication of the UN study on violence against children. What key lessons can we draw from the progress achieved over the past two decades, and how can we build on these achievements to address the challenges that remain?

Thank you.

Thank you, Slovenia. I pass to India and Senegal. India, you have the floor.

Mr. Chair, India thanks the briefers for their presentations. We welcome Ms. A. Kihara Hunt, the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, as she starts her tenure. We look forward to constructive engagement with the SR. India appreciates that the Secretary-General's report on child, early and forced marriage, which recognizes a range of measures adopted in India in this regard. Measures like digitalization of birth and marriage registration acknowledged in the report enables reliable age verification. Large scale demographic and health surveys, scholarship conditional on school attendance and emergency accommodation for girls at risk have contributed to significant reduction in prevalence of child marriage through the Bal Vivah Mukth Bharat campaign India is working to completely eliminate it by 2030 in line with the UN sustainable development goal 5.3 the United Nations recently adopted the resolution on International Day to eliminate child early and forced marriage championed by Sierra Leon an acknowledgement of our Collective will to eliminate this practice the rights of the child are anchored in our Constitution which guarantees free and compulsory education under article 21a teams like Mishal Vatsalya potion 2.0 Samagra Shiksha and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, ensure protection of children, including in difficult circumstances, and their care and welfare through nutrition and education, with a special focus on girl child. The results are measurable and well documented. WHO and UNICEF recorded a one-quarter fall in 2025 in children missing all routine vaccines. Secondary school dropout has fallen to 7%, and 99.5% of our schools provide safe drinking water. Last month, India signed the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which criminalizes online sexual abuse of children. Mr. Chair, India remains committed to a world where every child is safe, healthy, and free to dream. I thank you.

Thank you, India. I pass to Senegal, Brazil, and South Sudan.

Senegal, you have the floor.

Mr. Chair, Senegal thanks the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children for the annual report presentation, and we underscore our commitment against all forms of violence against children. We share the concerns addressed in that report, in particular with regard to conflict, poverty, the displacement of populations, and the expansion of violence facilitated by digital technology. We reaffirm that the protection of children requires a comprehensive approach with prevention, strengthening frameworks, prevention and accompaniment of victims. In Senegal, this priority is illustrated through concrete initiatives. In particular, we've strengthened the legal protection and social protections with the creation of one organization for that. We also have awareness raising campaigns. in all regions of our country to better protect children against the risks related to the digital environment. Also, our efforts to address the most vulnerable children encompass programs to assist children on the street and ensure their social and family reintegration. The protection of children requires stronger prevention and accessible mechanisms, as well as the sustainable accompaniment of children who are victims or exposed to violence. We thank the Special Representative for their visit to Senegal, which allowed for a dialogue and discussions about the national efforts to protect children. We remain committed to cooperating with the United Nations and the African Union. so as to bolster the sharing of experiences and the effectiveness of our interventions. Thank you.

I pass to Brazil, followed by South Sudan. Brazil, you have the floor.

Mr. Chair, the full content of this speech will be available on UN Journal. We thank UNICEF and all mandate holders for their presentations.

Brazil takes this opportunity to reiterate its strong support for the mandate of the Special Representative on Violence Against Children

and underscores the importance of ensuring its continuity. Protecting and promoting the rights of the child remains an absolute priority for Brazil, and eradicating all forms of violence against children is our foremost commitment. Since the Special Representative's visit to Brazil in 2024, we have further strengthened our programs aimed at preventing and combating all forms of violence against children. We welcome the vision report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children, and highlight Brazil's commitment to combating online sexual violence against children, including by holding technology companies accountable. Against the backdrop of a historical high number of armed conflicts, Brazil presented at the 61st session of the HRC, as a member of

GRULAC and together with the European

Union, the resolution realizing the rights of the child affected by armed conflict, which was adopted by consensus. Brazil has also co-sponsored the seventh HRC resolution on child early and forced marriage and the GA resolution adopted last month establishing the International Day for the Elimination of Child Early and Forced Marriage. At the international level, Brazil is further engaged in negotiations towards the fourth optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Madam Special Representative on Violence Against Children, as we approach the next Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, how do you envision the roadmap for the Pathfinding Global Alliance to help achieve the SDG target to end all forms of violence against children by 2030? I thank you.

Thank you, Brazil. I pass the floor to South Sudan, followed by Russian Federation, then Nepal. South Sudan, you have the floor.

Chair, South Sudan align itself with the statement delivered on behalf of Africa Group. the government of South Sudan protecting children is a national priority we recognize the years of conflict displacement poverty food insecurity and limited access to basic services have placed significant burdens on children and families addressing these challenges requires both strong National commitment and meaningful International solidarity South Sudan remains committed to strengthen the legal and institutional protection of children in line with the convention on the rights of the child and the Africa Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. We are also committed to preventing and addressing grave violations against children, including their recruitment and use by armed actors, killing, abduction, and attacks on schools and health facilities. Madame Rapporteur, education is particularly important. It provides children with opportunities, strengthens communities, and helps break cycles of poverty and conflict. Therefore, government call for continued investment in safe, inclusive and accessible education, especially for girls, displaced children, children with disabilities and those living in vulnerable communities. We stress that international assistance should be based on partnership, national ownership, capacity building and respect for our sovereignty. Sustainable progress requires predictable resources and coordinated support to strengthen national and local institutions. South Sudan reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that every child can grow, learn, thrive in an environment of peace, security, and respect for human rights. I thank you.

Thank you, South Sudan. I'll now give the floor to the Russian Federation, followed by Nepal and the European Union. Russian Federation, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. At the outset, we want to thank Ms. Fraser for her thorough presentation of the annual report. We're closely tracking the work of her office with its international and regional partners. We note the fact that the report mentions the visit to Russia in April of this year. We trust that it laid a strong basis for a balanced approach to shedding light on this aspect of the Ukrainian crisis and that there will be a gradual rectification of the imbalance in the UN system on this front. We noted the brief mention in the document of the return of Ukrainian children on equal footing with the release from armed forces and the reintegration of minors in other country situations. We disagree with a direct Security Council mandate on six serious violations being mixed with irrelevant issues. We still have some questions about the concepts and the balanced nature of this report, but we're prepared to engage constructively with the Special Representative on this and other issues. We hear a myth mentioned about abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation. And this document does not attribute the abduction of children to Russia. This is manipulated, unverified information. We call upon the SRS to ensure the importance of eradicating such information. We, in terms of the participation of children in decision making, this needs to be in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the leading role of children in considering the developing capacities of the child. Thank you.

Thank you, Russian Federation. And I'll now give the floor to Nepal, to be followed by European Union and Tunisia. Nepal, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, Nepal remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of children's rights in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nepal thanks all the briefers for their insightful presentations. The Constitution of Nepal guarantees children's rights as fundamental rights and provides protection against violence, exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful practices. These constitutional guarantees are reinforced through the Children's Act 2018, the National Child Policy, and other legal and institutional measures aimed at safeguarding the well-being, dignity, and development of every child. The National Civil Code Act 2017 explicitly prohibits marriage below 20 years of age. Nepal welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the issue of child, early and forced marriage, with particular appreciation of the references to Nepal's community-based child protection mechanisms. including village level child protection committees, adolescent girls groups, mobile outreach services, youth leadership programs, and vocational skills initiatives that contribute to preventing harmful practices, including child, early, and forced marriage, and supporting vulnerable children. While Nepal has made important progress, challenges persist due to resource constraints, climate-related vulnerabilities, emerging forms of online threats, among others. Nepal remains committed to strengthening child protection systems to create safe, inclusive, and enabling environment for every child. I thank you.

Thank you, Nepal. I'll now give the floor to the European Union, followed by Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. European Union, you have the floor.

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states.

Madam Special Representative for CAC, we reiterate our full support for your mandate.

We are deeply concerned by the record number of children affected by verified grave violations committed with near total impunity.

For the first time, government forces were responsible for the majority of these violations.

Madam Special Representative on Violence Against Children, we strongly support your mandate.

We welcome the report's focus on translating commitments into sustained action and stronger national child protection systems. Can you share positive examples of measures to address online violence?

Mr. Deputy Executive Director, we commend UNICEF's leadership in protecting and promoting the rights of children.

And the attention to those in humanitarian and crisis settings, including children with disabilities. We are concerned by the increasing threats against child rights standards, as well as regressions in some areas.

We reaffirm the need for sustained, predictable and flexible investment in children. Are there positive examples of measures to ensure that children with.

Disabilities are systematically included in child protection, education and social protection systems.

Madam Chair, we reiterate our full support to the work of the treaty-based bodies.

We underline the importance of ensuring equitable access to early childhood intervention, education and care, including for children with disabilities.

Madam Special Rapporteur, we welcome your appointment and underline our full support for your mandate. The EU commends your emphasis on the participation of children, including victims and survivors, as well as your focus on emerging forms of exploitation, evidence-based approaches and capacity building for frontline professionals.

Thank you.

Thank you, European Union. I'll now give the floor to Tunisia, to be followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt. Tunisia, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, I would like to thank all our distinguished speakers for their very insightful presentations and reports. Excellencies, Vanessa and Najat, it's always a pleasure to listen to you. And Ms. Najat, as you mentioned that this may be your last interactive dialogue with us in this capacity, let me congratulate you and thank you for all the work you have been implementing for children around the world and express also support for your mandate. You all mentioned that we already have the knowledge, the tools, and the experience to prevent violence against children, yet violence continues, and in some parts of the world, it's even getting worse. What is holding us back? And what should we do differently to turn our commitments into real protection for children? Then, according to UNICEF, More than 21,700 children have been killed in Gaza since 2023, and thousands and thousands before the state, and thousands more have been injured, displaced, and deprived of their basic rights and needs. In your views, what should we do and what should be the most urgent priorities for the international community to better protect Palestinian children, particularly in terms of humanitarian access, education, and psychological support. On a different note, let me mention that today we have an excellent side event in the Belgium Permanent Representation. It's going to be on the prevention of child sexual exploitation and abuse shortly at 1:15. Please join us. Thank you.

Thank you, Tunisia. I'll now give the floor to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by Egypt.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, my country, has advanced through many stages in order to guarantee the protection of children on an institutional level and on an educational and legal level. The DRC thanks the representative of the Secretary General for their briefing, and we continue to be deeply concerned by the scale and persistence of the situation concerning children. Allow me to draw the attention of all delegates to one fact. Despite the considerable efforts undertaken, the persistence of terrorist and criminal activity by armed gangs, continues to gravely hamper the protection and promotion of the rights of children in the DRC. The systematic violation of their rights is undermining children's access to healthcare, education and undermining their security. The DRC is continuing its efforts and strengthening protection mechanisms. Nonetheless, the scale and persistence of violence committed in conflict zones requires increased international mobilization. My country, therefore, calls on the international community to offer greater support in order to bring an end to these violations and to guarantee a dignified future to Congolese children. By way of conclusion, I would like to pose a question to the representative of the Secretary General on children. Which concrete measures can the Bureau take in order to strengthen and to ensure accountability for perpetrators of attacks against schools and to guarantee that children living in conflict zones can continue their education?

Thank you, DRC. I'll now give the floor to the representative of Egypt. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to deeply thank the panelists for their insightful presentations. Egypt wishes to align itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African Group. Firstly, Egypt highly appreciates the relentless efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict within her respective mandate in documenting the grave violations and abuses committed against Palestinian children and other children living under foreign occupation. Secondly, Egypt accords high priority to the protection and promotion of children's rights and the realization of their best interests, while ensuring their full protection against all forms of violence, with a special focus on the digital environment. In this regard, Egypt has undertaken a number of measures to support and advance children's rights through the Strategic Framework for Childhood and Motherhood under Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Human Rights Strategy. Egypt's child protection system has undergone a notable transformation in its capacity to identify risks and respond effectively. This progress was driven by the continued development of psychological, legal, and social support mechanisms and enhanced coordination with national and international partners and Egypt's commitment to eradicating all forms of violence against children. and female genital mutilation and child marriage for which penalties have been strengthened. And pertaining to the Special Representative of Secretary General on Violence Against Children report, in view of the rapid expansion of violence against children in the digital environment, in light of this and all the different legislation implemented to protect children against violence, to what extent they can address all these challenges and how children can cope with this, especially those with disabilities? Thank you.

I thank the representative of Egypt. I regret that due to the strong interest in the discussion, it was not possible to take up requests from observers and states who inscribed after the list has been closed. I now invite the presenters of the combined briefing to respond to the comments and questions from the floor. I first give the floor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Vanessa Frazier. You have the floor.

Thank you. I would like to start by taking this opportunity to clarify a few points raised by the distinguished representative of Israel. I wish to reiterate that the CAC mandate is implemented in an impartial, independent, and objective manner in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. As the representative is well aware, the UN has consistently and repeatedly sought safe and unimpeded access to Gaza to enable UN monitors to independently verify reports of grave violations committed against children by all parties to the conflict, including Hamas and other armed groups. What the representative failed to say today is that, despite repeated requests and correspondence, such access has not been granted and continues to be denied. If his concern on the need to record these violations is indeed genuine, then he has a role to play also, to advise his state to allow safe and unimpeded access to UN monitors. Likewise, we are under discussions with the Russian Federation. I was recently there and I was given access to the front lines of the Russian war in order to understand the situation better on the ground. And we are under discussions with them for a verification, for terms of reference for a verification mission. In general, I will say that states who refuse access for verification to UN monitors should refrain from criticizing the report and the mandate for not including violations. They themselves are blocking us from recording. Now, most of the most of the focus was on accountability, gaps in international law and AI assisted weaponry, use of social media for recruitment and use. I will try in the short time that I have to try and address these. With regards to accountability, I have said in numerous places, accountability is very important for prevention. We have accountability mechanisms. We are not an accountability mechanism, but there are accountability mechanisms which exist, International Criminal Court, ICJ and others. Even the report of the Secretary General, the annual report of the Secretary General on children and armed conflict, has an annex to it wherein parties to conflict who are systematically show a pattern of patterns and trends of violations against children are listed in this last report, there were nine state actors and 67 non-state actors listed. Unfortunately, it was the first time in the 30 years of this mandate that the state actors are actually now the greatest violators of child rights. What did I say at the Security Council when I presented this grim milestone that we have reached? There is an abandonment of international law. Parties to conflict are just not abiding by international law. Why? Because there is a sense of impunity. Why? Because there is a lack of accountability. For accountability to be upheld, it is the states, you, all. that need to ensure accountability. We provide you with the data of what is going on on the ground. Accountability and triggering accountability lies in your hands. At the Security Council, I quoted the Liberian foreign minister, who, in an earlier meeting at the council, said that children are suffering the devastating consequences of our decisions. I pleaded with the security council members and all those present so that, next year, when I present the next annual report, we will be able to say that children are thriving because of the decisions that we have taken. The decisions are in your hands. The majority of you focus on accountability. Accountability belongs to you, the Member States. You have tools. When a party to the conflict is listed in the annex of the Secretary-General, it can trigger national and international and regional tools. It's in your hands. We do the work. We provide you with the information. There are no gaps in international law. International law is robust and international law exists. And there's no gap in it. We talked, some delegations asked also about prevention. I'm very proud of the prevention plan. that we have managed to finalize with 11 Central African states. And I intend to use it as a model for other regions. But accountability is also a very important preventative tool. What else is there? Yes, AI-assisted weaponry goes hand in hand with what we have been talking, because this gap in-- this inhuman gap that there is with using AI-assisted weaponry And, you know, and other types of weaponry, which was mentioned here, landmines and cluster munitions, really should not should not provide a gap in international law and accountability. Somebody is putting in the instructions to the AI assisted weapons on who they should target. There needs to be more human oversight. site. I'm sorry, I need to conclude in the interest of time. I thank you all, and I'm really impressed by the amount of youth delegates that were here. Thank you for the countries that send their youth delegates. We really believe in youth voices and elevating their voices at discussions such as this. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madame SRSJ. And I will give the floor next to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Dr. Majid.

Many questions. First, I want to tell you many thanks for all the trust, all you know what we built together since seven years and almost half. And I just want to respond to two big blocks. It was one big block regarding AI and all the internet and technology. And I think, to be very frank, many things are going on regarding technology and regarding AI. And we know that the number of crime, 300 child sexual abuse material online per year. We know that, you know, you have 1.2 million of children who are seeing in 11 country, her own images, you know, through deep fakes being sexually explicit. And we know it's growing. The problem is What is happening currently is that we have many responses from various states. Some are reducing the age of access. Some are, you know, doing, you know, age verification. Some are blocking some social media. And currently with AI and all the algorithms, it's become crazy. So the problem is there is no one solution. To be very frank, there is no one. And I think we have to be very careful about what is going on. Since many years, we were all of us requesting child safety by design and child privacy by design in the first many years ago, and I am speaking when only internet was existing. We lost the battle with social media and we are losing the battle with, you know, AI. And we have all the open AIs that currently with algorithm are really generating more and more and they are going very quickly. And I appreciate the response of the young boy telling that the burden has not to be taken by children or by youth. And I agree with you because currently many countries are working on digital literacy, training families, the issue of, but the problem is why, and here we come back to global governance because it's cross-border. And we have, if all of us, regarding, and the big states who are behind that are not seeing it as mandatory, and to be a kind of internet regulation with accountability mechanism, with monitoring mechanism, and with criminal liability, because I remind you, these are crimes against children. These are not only small, small violence. So we have to be very, very careful and I just want to let you know that you have many allies currently going on by civil society, by many states. I think we need to bring all these allies together on board and having the same language. So this for me is really very important. But in the same time, I just want to let you know that the online is not here and the offline is there. They are connected. We are currently, we start forgetting that we are still violence at home, still violence in church, still violence in sport, still violence in culture places, still violence in and around schools without armed conflict. So we have to be very careful about what is going. And here, it allow me to respond to your question, what can we do? And I can tell you, building on all what I see since this year, we have huge number of paper, policies framework, legal framework, strategy framework. You have plan of action on violence against children, one on child marriage, one on online, one, and we know that it's not working. The problem is we know all, all here knows the vulnerabilities. Why these children are more vulnerable to be risk at violence. And we know poverty, dysfunctional family, discrimination, bad living condition, no access to quality education, no access to inclusive education, no safety road, and so on. And this is not taking into account that we have really to make sure that this all social risk are taking into account, is the same time we know that The responses cannot be dealt only with one ministry, and it's always under one ministry, Ministry of Social Affairs, Family, and so on. The problem is cross-sectoral and justice, education, social protection, health, Ministry of Social Affairs, labor, tourism and travel, communication, and so on. most important one is Ministry of Planning Budget Economy, because it has to be seen as an investment, a smart and economic investment, and not as additional expenses because it's social. And we know that the cost of violence against children, direct and indirect costs, can reach up to 11% of the GDP. In some country, it's six times higher than the budget allocated to health. And we know that when we identify the services, this package of integrated services that need to be really delivered at local level where children are living and their community, the cost of, you know, delivering this, the cost of VAC is 85 times higher than this package of services. And the last but not the least, we need to be, to switch from demand driven donor driven to demand driven. We need to strengthen the system. We need to stop following because at each time you have the minister change and the policies change. So if we are strengthening the system, if we have this bottom up approach, we can make it. And it is why the pathfinding alliance, because I have question which currently have 55 member, it's a platform, a cross-collaborative platform, and the rules when ministries are discussing together, when, you know, key stakeholders discussing what works, but what was the process, and what are the difficulties. And this is very important. And this is the last global meeting. We have, you know, all the country, 151 people discussing 79 bilateral. It's a way to build another kind of concrete multilateralism, around and for children. So for me, it's possible to make it, to be very frank. So I want to tell you many thanks. I know that I've finished. Many thanks, and I hope seeing you in another time, but I'm leaving only until 31 December. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madame SRSJ. I'll next give the floor to the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Mr. Ted Chiben. You have the floor.

Thanks to all the distinguished delegates for their very important questions, which indicate the breadth of interest, and specifically for the number of youth delegates that have been with us here today. Like my colleagues, I'll try to prioritize in the interest of time. the many points that have been raised. Let me compliment with my colleagues have said about AI and first to say we need to recognize that there are opportunities in the digital space as well as in AI. And we should first focus on those opportunities in terms of learning, in terms of participation. But there are of course risks and we recognize those risks a while ago. There's a partnership called the Reprotect Global Alliance that was set up in 2020 to look at risks for children online. And that has continued to develop model national responses covering 42 countries to address the adverse impacts of online risks to child rights. As UNICEF, we have engaged with different technological companies and we'll continue to do so. In December, we will hold a consultation on AI and risks of child sexual abuse online, and we'll continue to work to strengthen the protective environment for children in the digital space. This requires us looking beyond children's behavior as addressing Issues like privacy and data protection, safety by design, age appropriate design, platform accountability, protection from sexual exploitation, abuse, and digital literacy. So there's a number of pieces of work that are being done in this regard. Second, I want to address directly a point made by the distinguished delegate from Yemen. and appreciate the fact that she raised the point that 72 UN colleagues are wrongfully detained in the north of Yemen right now, including 10 UNICEF colleagues. And she is right in pointing out that several humanitarian responses around the world, including that of Yemen, is under-resourced and risks being forgotten. We need to continue to work together to put together resources from the government, from its partners to address needs in Yemen and indeed secure the release of our UN staff. Thirdly, I want to thank the delegate from France for mentioning the Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, 20th anniversary this coming year. And we commit to continuing to advance those principles and the work on the children affected by armed conflict agenda. The SRSG has addressed a number of questions related to accountability that were raised by delegates, but let me just say that an additional area of support that is required is a focus on rehabilitation and reintegration plans. It's not sufficient to monitor and report grave violations. We need both to work on prevention, but also on addressing those grave violations when they have occurred, on supporting children that have been taken by armed groups and supporting their reintegration into their communities and families. And so we need to go back to the full spectrum of actions when it comes to children affected by armed conflict. Lastly, several of you pointed to the risk of leaving children behind. Nigeria asked about what more could be done to support the girl child. The EU asked about disabilities. And again, time does not permit here, but we can take some of these issues offline. I do, however, want to come back to the question raised by the Thai delegate when it came to examples of youth engagement and turning policy into practice, which is critical. It's not sufficient to have policies. It's important to turn them into practice. And there are, again, a number of really good examples of that. I mentioned a couple here. Firstly, is the area of Bangladesh when there was a, excuse me, the Dominican Republic when there was an initiative on road safety that the Ministry of Transport led and the whole program and the design of new road safety measures was informed by youth engagement in the design of the policy. And second, I want to give an example from Ukraine, where there's a program called Teenage Island, which basically took a number of activities around mental health and psychosocial support that were designed by adults and made them much more youth friendly. So it was a new approach to MPHSS that really benefited from the engagement of young people. I think what's important is to see further examples in all of your countries of that kind of youth engagement. but also to recognize that that youth engagement is not just at national level. It's important in local government, it's important in school governance, in feedback on the quality and responsiveness of basic social services when it comes to children and young people. Thank you and back to you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Didi. And I'll now give the floor to the Chair of the Committee of the Rights of the Child, Ms. Sophie Killadze.

Chair. It's I sorry, again, here my voice break, maybe technical issue. Yeah. Thank you very much. Now it's good. I would like to thank all the state parties for their comments and questions. Especially, I'm happy that the states Mexico, El Salvador and Colombia are working on the concluding observations because these states were recently under the review of the Committee and it's very important for the children on the ground that the state is, or that the the States are working towards the implementation of the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. There were different issues raised, but I would like to focus myself in the sake of time for the artificial intelligence and emerging technologies and digitalization, which was raised by many of State parties. And the question from many of you came What can we do? And the question or the answer on this question, the 13 UN entities will lead down in this joint statement what I mentioned earlier in my speech, namely the joint statement on artificial intelligence and the rights of the child. collated by the CRC, ITU and UNICEF, but all the colleagues SRSGs joined this. This is the common understanding from the UN family, what state parties can do in order to protect children. And colleagues SRSGs have already mentioned different dimensions, but I would like to draw attention that This joint statement entails 11 set of recommendations where we provide our guidance what state can do. First of all, it's a robust legislation and the appropriate system with monitoring mechanisms and sufficient resourcing of this. And then we have how we should ensure the child safety. Then we have different recommendations on awareness raising, education, et cetera. So it's a very comprehensive view, the how the system by states could be shaped in order to protect children in the risks regarding the risks coming from artificial intelligence. And here the implementation by the state is the most important issue. So I would like to once again highlight to look in this joint statement and you will see a lot of very substantive recommendations, what you can't your state in order to protect children from risk, but also to accelerate the opportunities for them. Another important issue I'd like to highlight is that all of you, or we will be very thankful to you if you could provide your inputs and encourage also, first of all, children from your countries to be part of the next General Comments 28, which is dedicated to emerging technologies, which include also the artificial intelligence, but goes beyond it, which will include all the emerging technologies, biotechnology, nanotechnology, et cetera, which is also something we need to take into account to actively protect children. So once again, it's very important that all of you will be involved in and make the inputs. We will, of course, come to you in order to technically ensure that you are able to participate in, especially once again, children. So this is something we are looking very much forward to, and this will be your contribution in order to come up with concrete solution all together in order to protect children in the age of emerging technologies. Once again, I would like to thank you very much, and I will stop here in the interest of time. Thank you.

I thank the chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. I now give the floor to the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. Ms. Aki Harahanti, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for congratulating us for my appointment. I'm very excited to be here. I would like to respond to a few of your questions. One is a very straightforward question about how I coordinate with other mandates. who are presenting here. It is given in my mandate that I coordinate with their mandate. So first thing I did was to ask their reports. I went through all the reports. I had coordination meetings with them. I have a full intention to work with them in coordination and in thinking about where to do a country visit, what themes to build on their already done research, recommendations that they have already made, as well as my own predecessor's previous important work. How to make effective protection through my mandate? I think it is to make it as easy as possible for the States to implement your obligations and your commitments. by interpreting, by sharing views, by sharing good practices, and to coordinate and identify the way forward. Another question that I would like to address was what are the risks that I see as remaining and possibly growing, and what are effective measures? I would like to say that there are three forms that I see that are happening. And I would like to start with the traditional forms of sale, sexual exploitation, abuse, because we talk a lot about the emerging and increasing threat by online and AI instigated forms of sexual exploitation, abuse. as well as a sale, but the traditional forms of sale, sexual exploitation, abuse have not gone away. It's changed the form in different, built on different power relationships, new ways of enablers to groom and exploit children. The thing that would put, get children into the sexual exploitation and abuse is not only money, services, access, but also accommodation, trust or affection, and it's often hidden and it's transnational and it's very difficult to detect. So I do intend to continuously tackle the issues of sale, sexual exploitation, abuse in the traditional forms, in offline forms as well. Online forms, however, is a challenge, as most of you have already discussed. One thing that is already discussed, but it would need to be emphasized, is the companies and private sectors. A lot has been talked about holding private companies and tech companies accountable for what they do. I would like to go a little bit further to say that those companies and tech private sectors have a very important role to play in the detection, in the investigation, in the prevention, and providing even sometimes a safe space for children to report abuse and exploitation and abuse. So I would like to find a way and to work with the companies and private sectors in finding ways forward. Now, having said that, offline and online forms are continuous, and there are no offline abuse and sexual exploitation and online sexual exploitation and abuse. It can go back and forth, and it can happen simultaneously, and it can instigate one form, can instigate another form of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. So, offline protection, the protection systems that are designed for offline need to be able to address online forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, the risks to children. That means that it will involve law enforcement, security forces, people in justice sector, but also people who are in direct touch with children. That includes family, communities, educational sectors, health institutions, law enforcement, tourism sectors, social welfare, child protection and more. So I think that is one of the areas I would like to see and I'm intending to look at one of the institutional settings to see how it works. Now, another thing that I would like to emphasize is child involvement and child participation. I think it is very important for me to have a youth advisor. My mandate as Special Rapporteur on sale, sexual exploitation, abuse is the only Special Rapporteur who has youth advisor to advise me on the youth perspectives on sale, sexual exploitation, abuse. It is very important for me to hear how children see online world, how they connect to internet world, how important they see as their digital world is for their lives, and to listen to them and to let them lead the design of how I would address the harm to children and to suggest prevention measures for children from these harms. Especially, I find it very important to identify how children find space to report safely. When children are groomed into risks, What kind of platforms do they find safe and what kind of platforms do they actually find risks? How would they find information when they find risks to them? Where to ask, whom to ask? What is useful as a prevention and a reparation? What do they find effective in reparation for them? So one of the areas that I am intending to put a big effort in, in delivering my mandate, is to find the effective way to listen to children's voices, including where possible and where I can do so in a safe way, to listen to child survivors and child child victims of those harms. I think then the last thing that I thought I would address from your questions is the cooperation with regard to abusive materials online. Abusive materials online by children, it's a direct responsibility of companies, but it is very important that there is a cooperation in terms of implementation when we say safety by design or age-appropriate design of materials and the prevention of those materials, prevention of harms to children. is throughout the research I have done and also through my work, I've come across a lot of very encouraging regional, national and international, of course, commitments in this regard. There are, for example, one in Europe in Lanzarote Committee, but in African common position on a child online and safety and empowerment policy. ASEAN in Southeast Asia has regional platform plan and action. Latin American Caribbean has a similar framework. And all these frameworks are working alongside international frameworks like ours. And I'm intending to work very closely with those regional and further national initiatives. So, thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Madame Special Rapporteur. I once again thank all our speakers for joining the combined briefing, which served to increase the depth of our discussions, demonstrate the linkages among their mandates, and further enhance the work of the Committee. 00 p.m., the Committee will begin its consideration of agenda item 67, rights of indigenous people. and its sub-items A and B, followed by the joint consideration of items 110, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and 111, International Drug Control. The Committee will hear the introductory statements and hold interactive dialogues under the items. Following the interactive dialogues, the Committee will resume its general discussion on agenda item 59, report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons, and humanitarian questions, followed by the general discussions of item 65, report of the Human Rights Council. Before concluding, I would like to remind delegations that the deadline for the submission of draft proposals under items 24, 110 and 111 is 1:00 p.m. tomorrow, 13th October. Information on the work of the committee, including the scheduled meetings, is available on iGov. The meeting is adjourned.