Saudi UN envoy demands global action to protect kids in conflict zones, condemns Gaza violence
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting convened to discuss the effects of armed conflicts on youngsters, Alwasil emphasized the importance of protecting children, describing it as a legal obligation and moral responsibility, particularly in nations affected by prolonged violence.
During the session, UN officials detailed an unprecedented surge in the number of grave violations against children during armed conflicts worldwide.
The meeting followed the publication of a devastating annual report by the UN secretary-general's special representative for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba. It documented 41,370 grave violations against children during 2024, a 25 percent increase compared with the previous year, and the highest number since the UN's Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism was established in 2005.
The verified abuses of children spanned 25 countries and included killings, maiming, recruitment, abductions, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of access to humanitarian assistance.
'This year marked a devastating new record,' Gamba told council members. 'Behind these numbers are the shattered stories, dreams and futures of over 22,000 children.'
She cited a sharp increase in 'compounded violations,' in which children were abducted, recruited and sexually abused, often simultaneously, in the context of deteriorating humanitarian crises.
Israel was responsible for the highest number of violations by a single country against children in 2024, the report stated.
Alwasil said: 'As we approach the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1612, which established mechanisms for monitoring violations against children in armed conflict, the international community must focus on two priorities: We must break the cycle of violence and create an environment that rejects extremism and fosters resilience.'
The envoy expressed appreciation for Gamba's work, and emphasized the Kingdom's commitment to the application of international legal instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols. He stressed the shared responsibility of all parties for the protection of children and for efforts to address the root causes of armed violence.
Turning to the crisis in Gaza in particular, Alwasil sharply rebuked Israeli authorities over their military operations in the territory.
'What is happening in Gaza now is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and humanitarian values,' he said.
'Civilians live under constant bombardment and a suffocating blockade, facing systematic aggression by Israeli armed forces. This has led to the deaths of 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.'
The war has deprived more than 1 million children in Gaza of basic necessities, including food and medicine, Alwasil said. He called for immediate international action to end the conflict, protect vulnerable populations and hold accountable those responsible for violations.
'The Kingdom affirms that the protection of children in areas of armed conflict is a legal duty that cannot be shirked, and a moral responsibility that cannot be ignored,' he concluded.
'Saudi Arabia supports all UN efforts aimed at protecting civilians, and enhancing international cooperation to respond to the suffering of children affected by war, wherever they may be.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
6 minutes ago
- Arab News
Yemen appeals for urgent global aid as hunger crisis deepens
DUBAI: Following the UN warning that food insecurity in Yemen has reached 'disastrous' levels, the country's government told the Security Council it is on the brink of economic collapse and urgently needs international support to avert further humanitarian catastrophe. Yemen's UN envoy Abdullah Al-Saadi said the loss of oil revenues, which once made up 70 percent of public income, has crippled state services and worsened living conditions for millions already struggling with hunger and displacement, state news agency SABA reported on Tuesday. Nearly half of Yemen's children under five suffer acute malnutrition, with many already dying in displacement camps, the UN said. The government warned that the economic crisis, compounded by conflict, climate shocks, and declining aid, is pushing more people toward famine and eroding any prospects for recovery. Al-Saadi urged donor nations and organizations to step up funding ahead of a planned international food security conference in October, saying Yemen 'stands on the threshold of a difficult phase' and cannot stabilize without sustained external assistance.
Argaam
2 hours ago
- Argaam
Nazaha initiates proceedings in some criminal cases
The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) initiated proceedings in 10 criminal cases that involved over 38 employees of various ministries and government entities. The action were in coordination with the competent authorities. Regulatory procedures against the perpetrators are being pursued to completion.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump and Putin: a strained relationship
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump styles himself as a strongman. And that's exactly what he sees in Vladimir Putin. Their complicated relationship will be put to the test at a summit in Alaska on Friday, where the two leaders who claim to admire each other will seek to outmaneuver one another over how to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While the two were close to a bromance during Trump's first term (2017-2021), their relationship has grown strained during his second term. The US president has expressed anger with Putin for pressing on with his brutal three-year-old war in Ukraine, which Trump calls 'ridiculous.' Trump describes the summit as 'really a feel-out meeting' to evaluate Putin's readiness to negotiate an end to the war. 'I'm going to be telling him, 'You've got to end this war,'' Trump said. The two leaders notably have radically different negotiating strategies: the Republican real estate magnate usually banks on making a deal, while the Russian president tends to take the long view, confident that time is on his side. Referring to Trump's meeting with Putin, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Trump needs 'to see him face to face... to make an assessment by looking at him.' Trump praised Putin for accepting his invitation to come to the US state of Alaska, which was once a Russian colony. 'I thought it was very respectful that the president of Russia is coming to our country, as opposed to us going to his country or even a third place,' Trump said Monday. It will be only the second one-on-one meeting between the men since a 2018 Helsinki summit. Trump calls Putin smart and insists he's always 'had a very good relationship' with the Kremlin leader. But when Russian missiles pounded Kyiv earlier this year, Trump accused him of 'needlessly killing a lot of people,' adding in a social media post: 'He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' For his part, Putin has praised the Republican billionaire's push to end the Ukraine war. 'I have no doubt that he means it sincerely,' Putin said last year when Trump was running for president. Since returning to the White House in January, the American president has forged a rapprochement with Putin, who has been sidelined by the international community since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump and Putin, aged 79 and 72 respectively, spoke for 90 minutes by phone in February, both expressing hope for a reset of relations. But after a series of fruitless talks and continued deadly Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities, Trump has appeared increasingly frustrated. 'I am very disappointed with President Putin,' Trump told reporters last month. 'I thought he was somebody that meant what he said. And he'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that.' Trump and Putin have met six times, mostly on the sidelines of international events during Trump's first term. In his recent book 'War,' Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward wrote that Trump spoke to Putin seven times between leaving the White House in 2021 and returning there earlier this year. The Kremlin denies this. But the defining moment in their relationship remains the July 16, 2018 summit in the Finnish capital Helsinki. After a two-hour one-on-one meeting, Trump and Putin expressed a desire to mend relations between Washington and Moscow. But Trump caused an uproar during a joint press conference by appearing to take at face value the Russian president's assurances that Moscow did not attempt to influence the 2016 US presidential election — even though US intelligence agencies had unanimously confirmed that it did. 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said. 'He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.' Given this history, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen is worried about what could happen at the Trump-Putin summit. 'I am very concerned that President Putin will view this as a reward and another opportunity to further prolong the war instead of finally seeking peace,' she said.
