Effective protection of children urged 2026-10-28    ZHAO HUANXIN

China's permanent representative to the United Nations on Monday urged warring parties to end hostilities and called for stronger accountability for abuses against children, as a UN report documented record violations in 2025 and aid officials warned that funding cuts were weakening protection services.

Ambassador Fu Cong told a UN Security Council briefing that ending conflict and violence was the most direct and effective way to protect children.

"China urges all parties to conflicts to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, cease hostilities, strictly comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, and refrain from attacking civilians and civilian facilities, such as children and schools," Fu said.

The briefing, a signature event of Greece's October Security Council presidency, marked 30 years since the UN General Assembly established the children and armed conflict mandate.

The UN secretary-general's latest annual report on children and armed conflict, which covers the period from August 2025 to July 2026, said the UN verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children last year, the highest figures since the mandate began.

The highest number was recorded in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, with 12,445 violations, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia.

"Killing and maiming of children increased to alarming levels, with surges of 34 percent and 10 percent, respectively," the report said.

In his speech, Fu highlighted threats to children in the occupied Palestinian territory, Haiti and elsewhere, saying that generation after generation has been robbed of a happy childhood.

"China supports the Security Council in resorting to necessary tools to ensure strict accountability for wanton abuses of children," he said.

Development is the fundamental solution to the root causes of conflict, he added, urging support for governments in providing food, education, healthcare and employment to help children escape war and cycles of violence.

He called for careful use of AI and other emerging technologies to protect education for children in conflict.

Deeper cooperation

Turning to Africa, Fu urged closer UN-African Union cooperation on child protection, while welcoming Jainaba Jagne as the AU's first envoy for children affected by armed conflict.

"We will continue to provide help to the best of our ability to developing countries, including those in Africa," Fu said, calling for joint efforts to "silence the guns and end violence" so that children worldwide can grow up healthy and strong in peace and stability.

Speaking at the briefing, Vanessa Frazier, the UN secretary-general's special representative for children and armed conflict, said UN monitoring provides "a credible, United Nations-verified picture of grave violations".

For the first time in the mandate's history, government forces were responsible for most of the verified grave violations, she said. "This is deeply troubling."

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis warned that smartphones were being used to recruit and exploit children.

He welcomed the unanimous adoption of Security Council Resolution 2832 last week, which addresses digital technologies' impact on children. He also called for predictable funding for protection work while highlighting the need to "give due consideration to the voices of children and young people in shaping our policies and responses".

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that AI in weaponry, armed drones and digital technologies presented new dangers.

Recalling her December visit to South Sudan, Russell said funding cuts had closed more than one-third of UNICEF-supported safe spaces for women and children there during that year.