UN Security Council

Open Debate

Children and Armed Conflict

9 July 2018

INDIA STATEMENT

Statement By 

Ambassador Tanmaya Lal

Deputy Permanent Representative

Mr. President,

Thank you for giving me the floor. We thank the briefers for this debate and congratulate Sweden on its assumption of the Presidency  for the month of July 2018. We hope that today’s debate on “Protecting Children Today Prevents Conflict Tomorrow” will allow reflection on help us identify gaps in action and how to address them.

Mr. President,

As is evident from the SG's Report on the topic before us, despite persistent efforts spanning over the last two decades, the rights of millions of children continue to be violated in situations of armed conflict in different parts of the world.

Some progress has been made in implementation of the provisions of the UNSC resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict through greater engagement between the UN agencies and the governments concerned as well as through the integration of children rights issues in the mediation processes.

However, a lot more remains to be done especially in keeping with the changing nature of armed conflicts that involves a range of non-state actors. Terrorist entities, including those designated by the Security Council continue to exploit children as part of their terror activities, with impunity.

Despite considerable international efforts, children are increasingly victimized both as targets as well as perpetrators of violence.

Killing, maiming, abductions as well as rape and other forms of sexual violence against children and attacks on schools and hospitals continue to be used as tactic of terror, making resolution of conflicts more challenging.

Reintegration of children into the society, after their release following mediation processes, remains an area that needs more focus.

Mr. President,

We believe that constructive engagement with national government concerned, especially in formulation and effective implementation of action plans are essential and integral to durable peace and security.

We need to strengthen our commitment to socioeconomic reintegration of children who have been released from armed groups, greater integration of child protection provisions in peace processes as well as greater accountability for all violations against children by state and non-state actors.

Mr. President,

India, through its active participation in the UN Peacekeeping Operations, continues to contribute to the implementation of the UNSC mandate on this subject.

Based on our experience as one of the largest Troop Contributing Countries, India remains concerned about lack of resources to implement the provisions of this mandate, including the deployment of more Child Protection Advisors and to comprehensively address the connection between conflict prevention and the protection of children.

Mr. President,

The UNSC Resolution 1379 requests UNSG to report on situations that are on the agenda of the Security Council or that may be brought to the attention of the Security Council by the Secretary General, in accordance with Article 99 of the Charter, which in his opinion threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

In spite of the clear mandate provided under the UNSC Resolution 1379, we are disappointed that the Report of the Secretary General includes situations, which do not meet the definition of armed conflict or of threat to maintenance of international peace and security.

We would like to point out that such distraction from situations that are under the mandate of the Security Council needs to be rectified and the mandate strictly adhered to.

The monitoring and reporting mechanism of the UN should be carried out in close cooperation with the country concerned. Developing capacity of the country concerned to fight against impunity and ensuring accountability will be important. It is also important that access of UN agencies to the armed groups is carried out under the cooperation framework between the UN and the government concerned.

Mr. President,

While this is an important thematic debate, there has been yet another attempt by a delegation to misuse this forum by referring to situations that are extraneous to this discussion.

In doing so they have referred to a so-called Report about the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir; a document reflecting the clear bias of an official who was acting without any mandate whatsoever and relied on unverified sources of information; a document that was not even found fit to be considered by the membership of the forum where it was submitted.

Such deliberate self-serving attempts by Pakistan seek to obfuscate the reality of their own use of terror organisations to undermine state sovereignty.

They also distract from our discussions away from the issues at hand. Such attempts have not succeeded in the past in any forum and will not do so now.

In conclusion, let me reiterate India’s strong support for the UN endeavours to protection of children in situations of armed conflict.

Thank you.