NEW YORK, JULY 6 – Addressing an open debate at UN Headquarters on children in armed conflicts, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, expressed deep concern for the the rising trend of violations carried out by State actors, while States have the primary responsibility to protect, respect, and fulfill children’s rights, both in times of peace and in times of war. “In line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, regardless of their legal status, children must have the right to enjoy their childhood in stable and peaceful societies, where they can feel safe to learn and become actors of positive change, peace and sustainable development”, said Massari, noting the increasing number of verified grave violations in the 2022 Secretary General’s Report.
In the case of violations carried out by State actors, “the essence of international law and international humanitarian law is under deliberated attack and the international community must reaffirm its commitment to the respect of international law, human rights and humanitarian principles”, Massari told the Security Council.
In this framework, Italy recalled the Paris Principles, the Vancouver Principles (against the use of child soldiers) and called on all Member States to endorse and fully implement the “Safe Schools Declaration”, to mitigate the consequences of armed conflicts on education, and refrain from the military use of civil infrastructures.
“In parallel, we must not disregard those crimes largely under-reported, as sexual violence in conflict and rape used as tactic of war. We encourage the maximum collaboration across the different UN mandates to prevent and end this plague and ensure that the perpetrators be brought to justice”, added the Italian Ambassador reiterating Italy’s “staunch support” for the CAAC mandate, as a unique tool to mainstream child protection in the political agenda of the Council: “Italy is proud to have supported the UN’s Guidance Note on Abduction and stands ready to respond to the Secretary General’s call to address the specific needs of children with disabilities and support the SRSG Office’s ongoing efforts in this direction”.
Turning to Ukraine, Massari joined the concerns expressed by the Secretary General in his Report on the children transferred to the Russian Federation from areas of Ukraine. He encouraged all possible efforts aimed at facilitating family tracing and reunification and we call on all parties to the conflict to give child protection actors access to these children to facilitate this process, in line with the actual best interest of every child. (@OnuItalia)
