‘Shocking Increase’ in Denial of Access to Life-Saving Humanitarian Aid for Children in Conflict Zones Worldwide, Security Council Hears, as Delegates Discuss Solutions
Presented with data pointing to a spike in warring parties intentionally depriving life-saving humanitarian assistance to children living in conflict zones worldwide, speakers in the Security Council today proposed solutions to ensure aid reaches children in need, including in Gaza.
The United Nations documented 3,931 verified instances of denial of humanitarian access in 2022 — mostly by Government forces — with the highest figures verified in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali. Data for the forthcoming 2024 report shows “we are on target to witness a shocking increase” in the denial of access globally, warned Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. She stressed that “All parties should be held […] accountable when preventing children from receiving life-saving assistance, which threatens their existence”.
The denial of humanitarian access is one of the six grave violations monitored by the UN-led Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict established by Council resolution 1612 (2005). She underscored that such denial — linked to restrictions on humanitarian activities and movements, interference with aid operations and discrimination of recipients, attacks on civilian infrastructure, violence against and killing of humanitarian personnel, and looting of aid — violates children’s right to life, education and the highest attainable standard of health.
“We cannot prevent denial of humanitarian access to children unless we understand it and reinforce our capacity to monitor and prevent its occurrence,” she asserted, noting the critical importance of the UN’s engagement with parties to the conflict.
Detailing the critical situation in several contexts, Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that, in Gaza, widespread destruction of logistical infrastructure, a quasi-blockade on the north of the Strip, repeated denials for or delays in granting access for humanitarian convoys, and electricity and telecommunications blackouts have been devastating for children. Dozens of children in northern Gaza have reportedly died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks.
On the world’s worst child displacement crisis — Sudan — he said the blatant disregard for permission to allow aid delivery — essential to protect children from the impact of conflict in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum — has greatly intensified their suffering. As well, in Myanmar, the intensified conflict and increased restrictions on aid have hindered critical assistance, with access to safe water being a major challenge for children living in hard-to-reach areas.
“Children are the first to suffer and the ones who will carry the longest lasting humanitarian consequences,” he said, imploring the Council to strengthen carve-outs designed to protect humanitarian access, press States and non-State armed actors to end denial of such access to children, and support the UN’s efforts to implement monitoring on the ground.
Atim Niger-Thomas, Executive Director of Authentique Memorial Empowerment Foundation, said that — despite striving to remain impartial — humanitarians face the risk of attack and denial of access by both Governments and non-State armed groups. Calling on States to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to support children, she urged the Council to invite more local civil society leaders with hands-on practical experience to brief and incorporate monitoring and reporting data on denial of humanitarian access into its broader discussions. As well, she called on the Council and the UN to strengthen their engagement, ensuring safety nets are carved out for local civil society organizations — “the first and last respondents on the ground”.
In the ensuing discussion, Council members voiced concern over the consistent denial of humanitarian access for children, detailing the alarming situations for children in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Haiti, Yemen and Myanmar. Many also paid tribute to the World Central Kitchen staff members killed by an Israeli strike yesterday in Gaza, recalling that humanitarian personnel should always be protected under international humanitarian law.
“Denying much-needed humanitarian access to children, as a war tactic, is unacceptable and violates children’s rights under international human rights and international humanitarian law,” said the speaker for Mozambique. Instead, warring parties must implement all relevant resolutions, including resolution 2664 (2022) and the recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; enhance cross-border cooperation to ensure safe passage for humanitarian aid; and prohibit denial of access. “Addressing the root causes of conflict is a more sustainable approach to addressing grave violations against children,” he stressed.
Underscoring that “any threat to peace and security is a threat to children,” the representative of the United States said that children in conflict zones everywhere require the essentials of life. In Gaza — where children are suffering war wounds and dying from acute malnutrition — “humanitarian assistance is desperately needed now, and it must be facilitated to mitigate the impact of an impending famine,” she stated.
Adding to that, Malta’s delegate said that without an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, “the denial of essentials such as food, medicine, and clean water is accelerating acute malnutrition and mortality”. She also spotlighted the deteriorating situation in Haiti, where the escalating violence and displacement have deprived more than 3 million children of essential services.
The speaker for the Russian Federation observed that “not a single child in Gaza has access to education,” urging the Special Representative to prioritize a visit to the Strip to assess grave violations against children and calling on Israel to provide her with access to the region immediately.
Relatedly, the representative of Algeria said he is “astonished” that in her briefing, Ms. Gamba did not say “a single word” about the dire situation of the children in Gaza.
Also sounding the alarm over the “catastrophe” unfolding in Gaza, China’s delegate said that children there have been forced to move from one place to another under fire, “never to find a safe haven”. Calling for full implementation of resolution 2728 (2024), he said the blockade of Gaza must be lifted immediately and violators of children’s rights must be held accountable.
Echoing his call for accountability, Guyana’s delegate stressed that the impeding of vital humanitarian support to children must never be condoned. Denial of humanitarian access for children should be considered as a trigger for listing in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual report, she asserted. Sierra Leone’s representative agreed, noting it is currently the only one of the six grave violations that is not regarded as such.
Drawing attention to the grim situation for children in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the delegate for the Republic of Korea said that the minors in that country face egregious human rights violations, including the death penalty for distributing South Korean dramas. Moreover, children there face a devastating humanitarian crisis as Pyongyang relentlessly pursues its nuclear and ballistic missile programme. He cautioned that 17 per cent of the country’s children reportedly suffer from growth stunting due to rampant undernourishment.
Stressing that the denial of humanitarian access for children is cruel and inhumane, the representative of Slovenia declared: “This has to stop. How can we consider ourselves a civilization if we are able to inflict so much pain on our most vulnerable members?”
Briefings
VIRGINIA GAMBA, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, underscored that while the Council condemned the denial of humanitarian access to children as one of the six grave violations, parties to conflict continue to impede it. According to the last Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict, the UN verified 3,941 cases of denying humanitarian access — making it one of the highest verified violations in 2022. Data for the forthcoming 2024 report shows “we are on target to witness a shocking increase” in the denial of access globally, she said. In 2022, the highest figures were verified in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali. “All parties should be held […] accountable when preventing children from receiving life-saving assistance, which threatens their existence,” she stressed.
She said cases of denial of humanitarian access — linked to restrictions of humanitarian activities and movements; interference with aid operations and discrimination of recipients; direct and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure; disinformation and detention, violence against and killing of humanitarian personnel; and looting — occur in rural and urban battlegrounds as well as internally displaced persons camps. This denial has long-lasting effects on children’s well-being and development and may lead to violating their fundamental human rights, including the right to life, education and the highest attainable standard of health. Also, as seen in Sudan and the Sahel, such denial deprives children of access to safe spaces.
She further observed that the denial is gendered. Restrictions to girls’ movement challenge their access to aid in areas where it may be distributed, including in internally displaced persons camps. Teenage boys could be perceived as associated with an opposing party and, therefore, denied that access. Bans or restrictions of female humanitarian staff in several situations, including Afghanistan and Yemen, have immediate life-threatening consequences, preventing needs assessments and assistance to women and children and severely harming the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian action. “Denial of humanitarian access acquires catastrophic proportion among the most vulnerable of all children, those with disabilities,” she cautioned.
Accordingly, she called on all parties to allow and facilitate safe, timely, and unimpeded humanitarian access and refrain from the military use of schools and hospitals. To this end, the UN’s engagement with parties to the conflict is critical, she pointed out, noting the importance of data on this scourge. In 2022, Council Members requested her Office to develop a guidance note for improved monitoring and reporting on the denial of humanitarian access violations, she recalled, stressing that this tool will strengthen monitoring and reporting capacities in concerned countries. Guidance will also assist humanitarian workers to better plan their programmes, identify areas where parties to the conflict could remove obstacles to facilitate humanitarian access to children and refine the accountability elements. “We cannot prevent denial of humanitarian access to children unless we understand it and reinforce our capacity to monitor and prevent its occurrence,” she asserted, adding: “We must get on with the job.”
TED CHAIBAN, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that “the denial of humanitarian access is a particularly pervasive, multifaceted, and complex grave violation”. It can mean parties arbitrarily restricting access, including through the suspension of essential services, restrictions of civilians’ movements to reach assistance and protection, and bureaucratic and administrative impediments. It can also mean outright attacks on facilities providing life-sustaining services, including water and sanitation installations, attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, and besiegement tactics. “These actions have devastating humanitarian consequences for children,” he warned.
In Gaza, widespread destruction of logistical infrastructure, a quasi-blockade on the north of the Strip, repeated denials for or delays in granting access for humanitarian convoys, fuel shortages, and electricity and telecommunications blackouts have been devastating for children, he said. Due to various constraints, children cannot access age-appropriate nutritious food or medical services and have less than two to three litres of water per day. In March, one in three children under two years of age in northern Gaza suffered from acute malnutrition, a figure that more than doubled in the last two months. Dozens of children there have reportedly died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks.
In Sudan, the world’s worst child displacement crisis, the violence and blatant disregard for permission to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance essential to protect children from the impact of conflict in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and beyond has greatly intensified their suffering. In Myanmar, the intensified conflict and significant increase in restriction of humanitarian access have hindered critical assistance. UNICEF partners have had to relocate or postpone planned life-saving responses to ensure staff safety in some areas. As the country enters the peak of its dry season, access to safe water is a major challenge for an already struggling population, including 6 million children, many living in hard-to-reach areas.
He reported that since the establishment of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, the UN has verified almost 23,000 incidents of denial of humanitarian access, with nearly 15,000 verified over the past five years and 3,931 incidents in the last Secretary-General’s report. Stressing that “children are the first to suffer and the ones who will carry the longest lasting humanitarian consequences”, he implored the Council to strengthen carve-outs designed to protect humanitarian access, use its influence to press States and non-State armed actors to prevent and end denial of humanitarian access to children and support the UN’s efforts to implement monitoring and advocacy on the ground both through resource allocation and through commitment to work with humanitarians to protect aid access to children no matter where they are.
ATIM NIGER-THOMAS, Executive Director of Authentique Memorial Empowerment Foundation, said humanitarians face risk of attack and denial of access by both Governments and non-State armed groups, despite striving to remain neutral and impartial. “This is particularly devastating for children, who bear the brunt of conflicts they did not choose,” she said. A more harmonized approach to issuing and recognizing administrative authorizations for humanitarian field operations is needed to prevent humanitarians from having to cancel distribution activities when State security forces dispute their Government-obtained documents at check points — an issue many civil society organizations face worldwide.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of restricted humanitarian access due to their heightened needs for protection, health care, nutrition, and education. She highlighted that in Cameroon education is weaponized by some non-State armed Groups, especially in rural areas, for example, armed groups enforcing a no-school policy.
She recommended strengthening local data collection, as local information and data from civil society ensures real time action to avert some of the negative impact on children of denied humanitarian assistance. The Council should ensure there are strong, well-funded monitoring and reporting systems worldwide to raise awareness, hold perpetrators accountable, and advocate for action. “What national organizations want is for the international community to be more concerned with our work, efforts, and safety on the ground,” she said, calling on Member States to use their power at the highest levels of Government and through international forums to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to support children. The Council should invite more local civil society leaders with hands-on practical experience to brief, and it should incorporate monitoring and reporting data on denial of humanitarian access into broader Council discussions, reports and resolutions.
Strengthening the capacity of local humanitarians to navigate challenges and deliver aid effectively is crucial, she said. Despite learning thanks to support from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other partners, gaps remain for local organizations who need funding to access such training. There needs to be an unlocking of opportunities for civil society organizations to learn and become empowered. “This must be matched by a commitment to meaningfully include local organizations at every level of the humanitarian decision-making process, including in Council decisions, so that local experiences can help identify and deliver realistic solutions,” she said.
She said local non-governmental organizations will remain in their communities when the UN and international non-governmental organizations leave. Therefore, she called on the Council and the UN more widely to strengthen their engagement, ensuring support systems and safety nets are carved out for local civil society organizations — “the first and last respondents on the ground”. This will go a long way to ensure better humanitarian access to children around the world.
Statements
The representative of Malta paid tribute to the World Central Kitchen staff members killed by an Israeli strike yesterday in Gaza, recalling that humanitarian personnel should always be protected under international humanitarian law. Spotlighting instances of denial of humanitarian access, she said that, in Sudan, the escalation of conflict has displaced over 4 million children, making it the world’s largest displacement of children. Moreover, 14 million children need urgent humanitarian assistance. “In Gaza, the continued conflict and near-complete lack of humanitarian access have been catastrophic for children,” she stressed, adding that without an immediate and permanent ceasefire, “the denial of essentials such as food, medicine, and clean water is accelerating acute malnutrition and mortality”. As well, she expressed alarm over the denial of access to children who have been detained, abducted or subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. The deteriorating situation in Haiti is equally concerning, she said, noting that the escalating violence and displacement have deprived more than 3 million children of essential services.
The representative of Mozambique said that “denying much-needed humanitarian access to children, as a war tactic, is unacceptable and violates children’s rights under international human rights and international humanitarian law,” urging all warring parties to create the necessary conditions for humanitarian access to children affected by conflicts. These include: fully implementing all relevant resolutions, including resolution 2664 (2022) and the recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; enhancing cross-border cooperation to ensure safe passage for humanitarian aid; strengthening enforcement of international humanitarian law and prohibiting denial of access; and raising awareness and advocating for unimpeded humanitarian access. Donors and development partners should scale up their support to increase humanitarian response and address development needs, particularly at the community level. “Addressing the root causes of conflict is a more sustainable approach to addressing grave violations against children,” he concluded.
The representative of the United States underscored that “any threat to peace and security is a threat to children”. Children in conflict zones everywhere — such as Sudan, the Sahel, Ukraine and Israel — require the essentials of life. In Gaza, where thousands of children have been injured and often killed in the last few months, doctors have spoken of treating children suffering war wounds and watching children die from acute malnutrition. “Humanitarian assistance is desperately needed now, and it must be facilitated to mitigate the impact of an impending famine,” she said. She hailed the Council’s adoption of resolution 2664 (2022) as an important step to expedite food, medicine and humanitarian aid to conflict areas and uphold sanctions on those putting people at risk. She called on national Governments to integrate humanitarian exemptions into all domestic sanctions regimes; enhanced monitoring and reporting of denial of humanitarian access; protection for those working in conflict zones; and help for children affected by conflict to return to school.
The representative of Ecuador underlined the need to identify strategies to prevent the six grave violations against children and focus on the physical and mental health of victims. Particularly concerning are cases of State and non-State forces hampering access to humanitarian assistance and destroying schools and hospitals, in breach of international humanitarian law. The exponential increase of children dependent on humanitarian assistance is connected to the worsening of several variables, including the escalation of conflict-related violence, in particular in Ukraine and Gaza; and the increase in natural disasters resulting from climate change. Against this backdrop, he underscored the need to increase parties’ awareness vis-à-vis children's rights, create institutions to promote accountability, restore the rule of law, and increase cooperation with local and regional organizations.
The representative of the Republic of Korea urged the Council to stand firm on its zero-tolerance against the denial of humanitarian access to children. “There can be no room for geopolitical considerations in this regard,” he said, underscoring the need to reinforce child protection capacity on the ground, including the deployment of child protection advisers within UN peacekeeping operations, and the need to develop more systematic and detailed guidelines that reflect the various views of humanitarian actors. Drawing the Council’s attention to the grim situation for children in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he said that the minors in that country face egregious human rights violations, including the death penalty for distributing South Korean dramas. Moreover, children there face a devastating humanitarian crisis as Pyongyang relentlessly pursues its nuclear and ballistic missile programme. Consequently, some 17 per cent of the country’s children reportedly suffer from growth stunting due to rampant undernourishment, he added.
The representative of Guyana said that despite a robust legal regime, in recent years, humanitarian access for children has consistently been denied. She highlighted situations of malnutrition in Sudan, Gaza — “while food is available but access is restricted by the occupying Power, Israel” — and Haiti. She called for accountability saying the impeding vital humanitarian support to children must never be condoned. This includes suspension of aid delivery, attacks on humanitarian workers and convoys, administrative impediments, and the adoption of restrictive laws and decrees related to humanitarian work and workers. Counterterrorism measures and sanctions regimes must be consistent with international law and not restrict or criminalize the delivery of humanitarian aid for children. “The Security Council must make effective use of the tools at its disposal to combat the incidence of this grave violation,” she said. Denial of humanitarian access for children should be considered as a trigger for listing in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual report.
The representative of France stressed that “children are the first civilian victims of armed conflicts” - in 2023, more than 150 million children worldwide needed life-saving humanitarian assistance. Cases of denial of access to humanitarian aid affecting children have increased significantly since the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism was established in 2005. The denial of humanitarian access has a disproportionate impact on girls and young girls, who are more likely to be out of school and face higher risks of sexual abuse or forced marriage. These obstacles to humanitarian assistance for children occur in many conflict zones, including Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan and Burkina Faso. In Afghanistan, he voiced concern over the policy of segregation that women face and restrictions on humanitarian workers. In Gaza, the humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with the imminent risk of famine, he cautioned, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire.
The representative of Japan said that “the denial of humanitarian access creates human security crises, threatening the dignity of all, especially children”, urging the international community to remove impediments to humanitarian operations, such as explosive weapons, including landmines. Global efforts must expand to support children’s right to education. “Every single day counts when it comes to children’s education and development,” he declared. In 2023, Tokyo provided more than $100 million to UNICEF to protect children’s well-being in Syria, Haiti, Mali, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Myanmar. Recently, it also announced a $12 million grant to UNICEF to support children affected by humanitarian crises in the Middle East and North Africa. The increase in violations against children is a “crisis of compliance”. Japan is a proud supporter of national efforts to build legal institutions and develop human resources around the world. “We are responsible for addressing human security threats and removing any impediments hindering children’s ability to pave their future […] because they deserve to live in dignity”, he concluded.
The representative of China highlighted that children in Gaza are experiencing a catastrophe. Some have been forced to move from one place to another under fire, “never to find a safe haven”. He said this questions the conscience of the international community and such a situation should not continue. Council resolution 2728 (2024) should be fully implemented. The blockade of Gaza should be lifted immediately so that humanitarian agencies like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) can deliver aid, especially to children. International justice must be upheld and violators of children’s rights must be held accountable. He underscored that elsewhere children need greater humanitarian assistance, citing Afghanistan, where unilateral sanctions must be lifted, and Syria, where unilateral coercive measures have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis impacting children’s well-being. All illegal unilateral sanctions should be lifted, he stressed. In Haiti, where gang violence threatens children, the Council should take concrete measures to uphold the arms embargo.
The representative of the United Kingdom, spotlighting instances of denial of humanitarian access worldwide, said that, in Sudan, humanitarian obstruction by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces has resulted in the starvation of children. In Ukraine, the Russian Federation still does not allow humanitarian organizations meaningful access to territories temporarily under its control. Also, severe humanitarian access restraints persist in Houthi-controlled areas of northern Yemen. Almost half of all verified incidents of denial of humanitarian access in 2022 occurred in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he observed, adding that today, “Palestinian children are facing unfathomable suffering.” He sounded the alarm over the killing of seven members of World Central Kitchen staff on 1 April and reports that Israel continues to block UNRWA’s access to Northern Gaza where children are “on the brink of starvation”. “Children are never responsible for wars, but they suffer disproportionately from their impacts,” he said, urging all parties to “do more to protect them”.
The representative of Sierra Leone said that it is yet to be agreed whether the denial of humanitarian access should become a “trigger” for listing in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict and that it is currently the only grave violation that is not a “trigger”. Where there is the denial of humanitarian assistance through the intentional behaviour of certain persons, due consideration should be given to regard it as a “trigger”. Given his country’s experience with conflict and its horrendous impact on children and the importance of accountability to address impunity, he said that he has “no option but to point out any issue that can be considered to be a trigger of a grave violation”. Member States and the Council should strengthen conflict prevention tools and strategies, including those for protecting children in conflict situations, as well as accountability mechanisms against child rights violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access.
The representative of Slovenia said she is “appalled that denial of humanitarian access to children still exists and is increasing”, adding, “even in wars, there are rules”. Denying children humanitarian access is cruel and inhumane. “This has to stop. How can we consider ourselves a civilization if we are able to inflict so much pain on our most vulnerable members?” she asked. All parties must guarantee rapid, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian delivery at all times. She noted that to that end the Council has adopted a humanitarian carve-out in sanctions regimes and said it is imperative that States harmonize their national counter-terrorism legislations. She highlighted the alarming situations for children in Sudan, Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar. Efforts to safeguard the rights of children must be comprehensive, encompassing prevention, accountability, and rehabilitation, including psychosocial support for children traumatized by armed conflict. Collaboration among Governments, humanitarian organizations, local communities, and individuals is required to ensure a future where every child is safe from the horrors of war, she added.
The representative of Algeria said he is “astonished” that in her briefing, Ms. Gamba did not say “a single word” on the dire situation of the children in Gaza. The Israeli occupying Power in Palestine has for months deliberately denied humanitarian access, causing children to die from malnutrition, dehydration and the lack of health care. Those who will survive will be scarred for life, he said, noting that “their dreams have been shattered”. Detailing the horrific situation in Gaza, he said that more than 600,000 children are trapped in Rafah, with nowhere safe to go. According to UNRWA, more children have been killed in recent months than in four years of conflict worldwide. This Council is responsible for the fate of children affected by war, he said, stressing the need to empower monitoring mechanisms and ensure safe and unhindered passage for humanitarian workers and supplies, without preconditions.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that Israel’s blockade has already resulted in large-scale hunger, with children in northern Gaza already dying of starvation, condemning Israel’s decision to ban entry of UNRWA humanitarian convoys with food into that part of the Strip. If the overall situation remains unchanged, a similar fate awaits children in the entire Strip. The current humanitarian delivery volumes, including by air and by sea, are not sufficient and have not improved the harrowing situation. More than 13,000 children have already died and schools and hospitals have been razed to the ground since October 2023. “Not a single child in Gaza has access to education,” he pointed out, urging the Special Representative to prioritize a visit to the Strip to assess grave violations against children. In this regard, she called on Israel to immediately provide the Special Representative access to the region.
The representative of Switzerland said thousands of children worldwide are suffering the consequences of restrictions on humanitarian access. In Gaza, the first children have died from acute malnutrition. Sudan is also being pushed towards famine. “In both Gaza and Sudan, we call on the parties to implement the resolutions of this Council calling for an immediate ceasefire,” he said, adding that “aid deliveries and other humanitarian services must be ensured without further delay — through all possible crossing points and routes”. All parties must respect international law, in particular international humanitarian law and human rights in all circumstances. Sufficient, predictable funding for aid must be ensured. Council resolution 2664 (2022) on humanitarian exemptions in all UN sanctions regimes must be fully implemented, thus helping to ensure the flow of funds for humanitarian action and access in highly complex contexts. The cycles of violence and suffering must be broken by finding political solutions to conflicts, including within the Council, he added.