Checked Against Delivery
Thank you, Mr. Chair,
And let me also thank Somalia for convening and DRC and Liberia for sponsoring today's Arria-Formula meeting, and the briefers for their presentations as well as the Deputy Secretary-General for her remarks and presence at the opening of this meeting.
Mr. Chair,
The numbers speak for themselves. As the war in Sudan continues to rage, children continue to pay a heavy price.
Today, eight million children in Sudan are out of school. Nearly half of all school buildings are either destroyed, damaged or repurposed as shelters. The Secretary General's latest report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded a sharp increase in attacks on schools between 2024 and 2025. This is not only devastating for the children of Sudan, but also for Sudan's future which is in the hands of the next generation.
In El Fasher in particular, children have suffered unimaginable horrors as both victims, and witnesses of extreme violence and mass atrocities.
All of these facts point to a deeply troubling pattern of disregard for children's rights and the Safe Schools Declaration that Sudan has signed.
Mr. Chair,
This erosion of Sudan's educational system is deeply concerning. But it is not accidental.
It is a direct consequence of the warring parties' choices – to continue the meaningless war, to fight in populated areas, to occupy and attack schools, to treat civilian infrastructure as expendable. In El Obeid, reports of drone strikes on schools represent clear violations of international humanitarian law. Those responsible should be named and held accountable.
Mr. Chair,
Education can be an instrument for protection, cohesion and recovery. It should therefore be treated with urgency and seriousness in any ceasefire talks or political negotiations.
However, we must also be clear: no education strategy, nor development plan, however well designed, can be a substitute for ending the war.
In a protracted conflict of this scale, there can be no genuine 'recovery' without the parties engaging in dialogue rather than military force. Only a sustainable peace will allow all children in Sudan to return to functioning classrooms.
Civilian protection and the parties' obligations cannot remain rhetorical.
The Council must ensure sustained pressure on the parties to meet their obligations, including protection of civilian infrastructure like schools, and to ensure full and unimpeded humanitarian access. Accountability for violations must be also be pursued, including through an expansion of the mandate of the International Criminal Court for the entire Sudan.
In closing Mr. Chair,
We must move the children of Sudan out of the conflict zone and back into safe learning opportunities. That starts with a cessation of hostilities and a scaling up of humanitarian assistance. Denmark remains fully prepared to support any and all initiatives to this end.
I thank you.
