30 years of protecting children affected by armed conflict: From commitment to impact

UNICEF

NEW YORK, 26 October 2026 - "Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues …

"Thank you to Greece for convening this important meeting, and to our fellow colleagues for their remarks and their critical leadership.

"Thirty years ago, Graça Machel's landmark report on the impact of armed conflict on children confronted the international community with a devastating truth.

"Children were not simply caught in the crossfire of war. They were being deliberately targeted, recruited, exploited, and deprived of the protection they deserved.

"The report helped transform how the world understood the consequences of armed conflict for children. And it laid the foundation for the Children and Armed Conflict agenda we recognize today.

"Over the past three decades, that agenda has helped place the protection of children at the heart of international peace and security.

"We have established mechanisms to monitor and verify grave violations against children, strengthened accountability, and created opportunities for direct engagement with parties to conflict.

"And we have seen what sustained political commitment can achieve. More than 40 action plans have been signed with parties to conflict. And more than 220,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups, giving them the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

"Behind these achievements are children reunited with their families, returning to school, and reclaiming their futures.

"But thirty years on, we face a deeply troubling paradox.

"While the international community has built a strong framework to protect children in war, the reality for children living through conflict is increasingly dangerous.

"Since 2005, the United Nations has verified more than 430,000 grave violations against children in armed conflict - more than 38,000 were in 2025 alone.

"Last year, the highest number of grave violations were verified in the State of Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria.

"And these are only the violations the United Nations was able to verify. The true scale is undoubtedly greater.

"These figures represent children killed and maimed. Children recruited into armed groups. Children subjected to sexual violence, abducted from their communities, and denied the humanitarian assistance they desperately need.

"Increasingly, children are suffering multiple violations, compounding the physical and psychological harm they endure.

"During my visit to Sudan last December, I met a girl named Nahed. She was just 16 when the war broke out. Her family fled Khartoum, seeking safety.

"But the war followed them.

"Armed men attacked the village where they had taken refuge. Her grandfather and uncle were killed. Girls were raped and abducted.

"Nahed managed to escape. But the terror of what she witnessed remained with her.

"Her story is a devastating reminder that behind every violation is a child whose life may never be the same.

"Excellencies …

"At the very moment children most need protection, our ability to reach them is being undermined.

"Since 2005, the United Nations has verified more than 44,000 incidents of denial of humanitarian access, including more than 8,000 in 2025 alone.

"These are not simply obstacles to humanitarian operations.

"They mean children going without lifesaving healthcare. Families unable to access safe water or essential supplies. Children cut off from education and the vital services they need.

"Humanitarian workers and facilities are also coming under attack, placing both those delivering assistance and the children who depend on that assistance at greater risk.

"In many conflict settings, we are witnessing deeply concerning patterns in the conduct of hostilities.

"In 2025, government forces were responsible for the majority of verified grave violations against children, including killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.

"The widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas continues to incur devastating consequences for civilians, including children.

"More than 70 per cent of verified child casualties in 2025 were caused by explosive weapons.

"These weapons do not only kill and injure children. They destroy schools, hospitals, water systems, and other infrastructure essential to children's survival and development. The consequences can last long after the fighting has stopped.

"At the same time, emerging technologies are creating new threats.

"The growing use of artificial intelligence in weaponry, including for targeting, raises serious concerns about the conduct of warfare and the protection of children.

"Armed drones are increasingly being used in conflict zones, threatening children's lives, and leaving families living in constant fear.

"Digital technologies are also creating new avenues for recruitment, exploitation and abuse.

"The Security Council's recent adoption of resolution 2832, addressing the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict, is a welcome step towards confronting these risks.

"Advances in technology must strengthen the protection of children, not expose them to new forms of harm.

"Excellencies …

"These trends are deeply alarming. But they are not inevitable.

"Three decades of experience have shown us that progress is possible when political will is matched by sustained engagement and concrete action by Member States.

"And I have seen firsthand what that support can mean.

"During my visit to South Sudan in December, I met women and girls who had experienced terrible violence.

"Two survivors told me they had contemplated taking their own lives before receiving support at a UNICEF-supported center.

"They described how counselling and peer support had become a lifeline for them.

"Their experiences remind us that protection is not only about preventing violations. It is also about helping survivors recover, restoring their dignity, and giving people hope for the future.

"Yet more than one-third of UNICEF-supported safe spaces for women and children in South Sudan closed that year because of funding cuts.

"We know what works. But we must have the commitment and resources to sustain it.

"As we mark this anniversary, UNICEF has three calls to action.

"First, all parties to conflict must cease and prevent grave violations against children and fully respect their obligations under international law. Without exception.

"Member States with influence over parties to conflict must use that influence.

"Diplomatic engagement, political pressure, and other available tools must be directed towards changing behavior and protecting children.

"Our commitment to protect children must be firm in every conflict and with all parties.

"Second, we must protect and strengthen the Children and Armed Conflict framework itself.

"This means sustained support for the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, the Country Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting, and the implementation of action plans with parties listed in the Secretary-General's annual report.

"It also means continued political engagement, including through the Groups of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict.

"These mechanisms help turn international commitments into concrete protection for children. They depend on political support and resources.

"Yet funding for humanitarian assistance and protection for children affected by armed conflict remains miniscule compared to global military spending.

"This imbalance reflects choices. And those choices have consequences for children.

"Third, is a plea on behalf of the millions children who are trapped in conflicts around the world. We must redouble our efforts to prevent and resolve the wars that are devastating their lives.

"Humanitarian assistance saves lives. Child protection mechanisms can help prevent violations and support survivors.

"But neither can substitute for political solutions to conflict.

"Political actors must provide sustained diplomacy, inclusive peace processes, and durable agreements that place children's rights and protection at their center.

"Excellencies …

"Thirty years ago, the international community recognized that the suffering of children in war could no longer be treated as an unavoidable consequence of conflict.

"That recognition helped build a framework that has changed hundreds of thousands of lives.

"But the children caught in today's conflicts cannot wait another thirty years for the protection they have been promised. We must act and we must act now.

"Thank you."

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