Statement by H.E. Mr. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, at the UN Security Council Open Debate under the agenda item «Children and armed conflict»

25 June, 2026

Madame President,

Armenia thanks the Presidency of Colombia in the UN Security Council for convening this open debate on Children and Armed Conflict. We also express our gratitude to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Mrs. Vanessa Frazier and the Executive Director of UNICEF, Ms. Catherine Russell for their comprehensive statements.

We are deeply worried by the alarming picture presented in the Secretary-General's latest report on Children and Armed Conflict, which records unprecedented levels of grave violations against children in armed conflict in 2025. The continued killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, incitement to hate, recruitment, indoctrination and use of children, abductions, and denial of humanitarian access represent a profound failure to uphold the protections to children under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Particularly concerning is the sustained pattern of attacks against schools and educational facilities. Schools must remain safe spaces for learning, development and protection. Attacks on education not only endanger children's lives and well-being but also deprive them of opportunities for development and undermine prospects for sustainable peace and recovery.

As a State Party to all core international instruments on the rights of the child, Armenia remains steadfast in fulfilling its international obligations and strengthening national systems to ensure the full and effective protection of children's rights. We have further reinforced our commitment through the endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration, the Paris Principles and the Vancouver Principles.

In recent years, Armenia has faced significant humanitarian challenges in hosting more than 115,000 refugees, including over 36,000 children. Nearly 17,000 refugee children have been integrated into public schools and provided with educational and psychosocial support. Through close cooperation with UNICEF and UNESCO, Armenia has strengthened child protection responses and facilitated the inclusion of refugee children in the education system.

Madame President,

Building on the understanding that protecting education requires more than safeguarding schools from physical attacks, Armenia initiated the General Assembly resolution "Education for Peace," adopted without a vote earlier this month and co-sponsored by around 100 Member States. The resolution recognizes the important role of education in fostering a culture of peace and non-violence, combating racism, xenophobia, and hate, and promoting respect for diversity, and human dignity.

These principles are particularly relevant in conflict and post-conflict settings, where education can contribute to reconciliation, social cohesion, and sustainable peace, while helping prevent the recurrence of violence and future grave violations against children.

Madame President,

Summing up, the current situation highlights the importance of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in advancing the Children and Armed Conflict agenda across the United Nations system and fostering cooperation with regional organizations, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen the protection of children and support effective implementation on the ground.

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