Children

The Secretary-General and top UN officials held a virtual briefing for Member States to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic as his call for global ceasefires saw positive gains in Colombia, Syria and Yemen and UNICEF continued to procure and ship protective equipment and other vital supplies to affected countries.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, has condemned continued attacks against health facilities in Taizz, which are threatening services for hundreds of thousands of people.  Preliminary reports indicate that two buildings at the Al-Thawra General Hospital were hit by missiles on 13 March.

Today, a Commission convened by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and The Lancet said that no single country is adequately protecting children’s health or their environment to ensure a healthy future, warning that climate change and processed food intake are set to reverse child health gains.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council briefing on “Children in armed conflict:  introducing practical guidance on the integration of child protection issues in peace processes”, in New York today:

The Security Council reiterated its strong condemnation of all illegal recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict, as well as their re-recruitment, killing, rape and abduction, as the Secretary-General today launched a set of guidelines and the 15-member organ marked the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers.

The General Assembly concluded its high‑level meeting on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, hearing from youth delegates who called for action on protecting their rights, planet and future.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the General Assembly high‑level meeting on the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in New York today:

The world has not kept its promises to its children, many of whom are at risk of “being left behind”, the General Assembly heard today as it marked the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child — also known as the most widely adopted international treaty in history.

Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message on the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, observed today:

On 29 July 2019, Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefed the 2127 Sanctions Committee concerning the Central African Republic and the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.