Moreover, the year 2024 was already recognized as the most challenging in nearly three decades of the UN mandate on children and armed conflict, with the highest number of serious violations related to childhood.
“We cannot allow these shocking statistics to become the new norm,” said Vanessa Fraser, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, in her New Year’s address.
She called for urgent action to improve conditions for children in crisis regions in 2026.
Ensuring the protection of children in conflict is not only a moral or political choice but also a requirement of international law. Violations of children's rights can be classified as war crimes.
Vanessa Fraser
Vanessa Fraser also urged states to provide and strengthen funding for child protection programs, emphasizing that monitoring, accountability, response, and ensuring justice depend on this support. She highlighted the importance of investing in peacebuilding initiatives, conflict prevention, and long-term recovery.
The UN Special Representative appealed to all parties in conflicts to adhere to international humanitarian law, cease violations, and hold perpetrators accountable. She noted that the commitments made to children in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict must be fulfilled, including every child's right to life, development, and the opportunity to be heard — the right to childhood.
