Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to thank Special Representative Gamba for her presence and presentation today. The plight of children affected by armed conflict remains a pressing issue for the OSCE region, in particular due to Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In the 1999 Istanbul Summit Declaration, participating States decided to “actively promote children’s rights and interests, especially in conflict and post-conflict situations”. We did this because we know that war has a disproportionate impact on children, who are uniquely vulnerable and are the primary victims of armed conflict. The impact of armed conflict on children has long-term consequences for peace, security and development. War violates the rights of children to a childhood free from fear and the threat of violence, to an education, to safety and even to life. Protecting children from the effects of armed conflict is a moral, legal and strategic imperative and essential in order to break the cycle of violence.
The UK is firmly committed to preventing and ending grave violations against children in conflict and to supporting, promoting and defending the United Nations Children and Armed Conflict mandate. The UK is also a strong and long-standing supporter of your office, Special Representative Gamba.
Madam Chair, Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion has devastated the lives of Ukrainian children – inflicting immense physical and psychological harm. Since February 2022, the UN has verified that over 2,100 children have been killed or injured across Ukraine and more than 1,300 education facilities have been damaged or destroyed. These are just the cases that the UN has been able to verify; tragically, the true figures are likely much higher.
Moreover, as we noted this morning, Russia has forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or the Russian Federation. There, without permission from their parents or legal guardians, they can be given Russian passports and be adopted as, and by, Russian citizens. An estimated 6,000 children have been relocated to re-education camps, where indoctrination practices systematically erase Ukrainian identity and instil pro-Russian sentiment.
As a result of these grave violations against Ukrainian children, in 2023 Russia became the first Permanent Member of the UN Security Council to be listed by the UN in its annual report.
The UK calls on Russia to end the suffering of Ukrainian children by ceasing its unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, and by immediately ending the deportation, exploitation and manipulation of Ukrainian children.
Madam Chair, we will continue to support the Government of Ukraine’s efforts to protects its children and bring them home after Russia’s forced deportations. To this end, the UK commends the Ukrainian government for voluntarily preparing the joint prevention plan with the United Nations to end and prevent grave violations against children in Ukraine. And we welcome the work of the OSCE’s Support Programme for Ukraine for its work to support the Ukrainian authorities deal with the consequences of Russia’s illegal war, including those which have severely impacted Ukraine’s children. Thank you.
