On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the mandate on children and armed conflict, the General Assembly held an informal meeting in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, focused on reviewing achievements of the children and armed conflict mandate over the past 20 years.
Organizing this informal meeting, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, the President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, gave the UN membership an opportunity to be heard on this important topic.
In his introductory statement, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, called for a concerted effort to protect children in armed conflict as part of the international community’s commitments to peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.
Speakers also included Maria Luiza Ribeira Viotti, Chef de Cabinet to UNSecretary-General António Guterres; Ms. Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Mr. Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF; Mr. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs; Mr. El Ghassim Wane, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. Special guest speaker Ms. Ilwad Elman, Director at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia shared her inspiring first-hand experience in fighting for the reintegration of child soldiers into the society.
Presentations by the panelists were followed by interventions from Member States. Hungary joined the statement made by the Group of Friends of Children in Armed Conflict as well as that of the European Union, and also prepared a national statement, welcoming the work of the Special Representative and recalling the remaining challenges in the field.
