Statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic, Ambassador María del Carmen Squeff

October 9

 

Thank you very much Mr. President,

First of all, Argentina thanks the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, Mrs. Virginia Gamba, for presenting her Report A / 75/203. It also wishes to express its appreciation for her outstanding work and reiterates its full support for his mandate.

My country recognizes the importance of the initiatives "Act to Protect Children Affected by Conflict" and the "Global Coalition for Reintegration" as key tools for strengthening collaboration between the United Nations, civil society and the international community. to support actions to end and prevent serious violations committed against children in the context of armed conflicts. In addition, we highlight their contribution to advance towards a comprehensive and sustainable reintegration, oriented to the needs of children and receiving a humanitarian, peace and development approach.

Argentina expresses its great concern and its strongest condemnation of the more than 25,000 serious violations against children, the considerable increase in the denial of humanitarian access, the arrests of children, the high number of attacks perpetrated against schools and hospitals, the sexual violence against boys and girls and the high rate of non-reporting of such acts during the period from August 2019 to July 2020.

Mr. President,

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the levels of extreme vulnerability and lack of protection faced by children who are victims of armed conflict. We are faced with the imperative need to take concrete and urgent actions in order to redouble efforts to prevent and combat the six serious violations against children, guaranteeing access to justice, the prosecution of the guilty and placing the rights and the needs of children at the center of all phases of conflict.

I would like to conclude by asking the Special Representative a question:
Faced with the exacerbation of vulnerability faced by children caused by the pandemic, how could international cooperation strengthen the coordination of mechanisms that ensure the implementation of a prevention and response approach focused on victims, guaranteeing full protection and comprehensive of the rights of all boys and girls?

 

Thank you very much.