Checked Against Delivery
Thank you, Mr. President,
And I thank Greece for convening this meeting, and our briefers for their important contributions and leadership on this issue.
Let me also thank you, Mr. Minister, for your presence and for your country’s steadfast commitment for supporting children caught in situations of armed conflict.
Mr. President,
Thirty years ago, the international community was confronted with a devastating reality.
Children were being robbed of their childhoods, forced to fight wars and subjected to unimaginable violence.
In her landmark report from 1996, Graça Machel issued a call to action.
Her words inspired a collective commitment to protect children from the horrors of war. From this commitment, the Children and Armed Conflict mandate was established.
Today, thirty years later, we face a striking paradox.
We have built a sophisticated institutional mechanism. Yet grave violations against children have reached unprecedented levels - including in the occupied Palestinian territory, DRC, Nigeria, Myanmar, Somalia, Haiti, Ukraine, and Sudan.
This anniversary must therefore be both a celebration of achievements, and a reckoning with failures to prevent violations.
Mr. President,
We should not underestimate what this mandate has achieved.
As we have heard from the SRSG, more than 220,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups.
The mandate has reshaped international norms for the protection of children.
It has supported action plans which have transformed military practices, strengthened national legislation, and established safeguards to prevent future recruitment.
These achievements were made possible by a unique institutional framework, backed by strong, united support from this Council.
Denmark is proud to have played a part in establishing the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism and the Security Council Working Group in 2005.
Together with the Secretary-General's listing mechanism and sustained engagement with parties to conflict, these tools have helped turn promises into action, and concrete improvements for children.
The lesson is clear: credible monitoring, sustained engagement and political pressure, can change the behaviour of armed forces.
Looking ahead, Mr. President, allow me to highlight three overall challenges.
First, the growing disregard of states for grave violations against children.
For the first time in the mandate's history, government forces have been found to be responsible for the majority of verified violations.
In Ukraine, relentless Russian attacks continue to kill and maim civilians, including children, and to destroy civilian infrastructure. We condemn these and all other such attacks and reiterate our call for the return of all unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
In Gaza, the suffering of children remains catastrophic. More than 340 children have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. That is almost one child every single day. Israel must comply fully with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.
No party to conflict, whether State or non-State, can be exempt from scrutiny or accountability.
Second, the devastating consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas.
As we have heard, airstrikes, artillery and other explosive weapons continue to kill and maim children, destroying schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure.
Denmark calls for full compliance with International Humanitarian Law and strengthened implementation of the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and the Safe Schools Declaration.
Third, emerging technologies are creating new risks for children.
Drones, artificial intelligence and AI-enabled targeting systems are transforming warfare, increasing the risk of harm to civilians.
Their development and use must comply fully with international law. Control and human judgement as well as accountability must be maintained.
We commend Greece for its efforts to ensure the Council spoke with one united voice on these issues when we last week adopted resolution 2832 on digital technologies.
Mr. President,
Thirty years of experience have proven that this mandate can make a real difference. The framework is there. The mechanisms are there.
But the widening gap between commitments made and commitments met demands greater political will to act on findings, uphold accountability, and act consistently without exception.
Denmark reiterates its unwavering support for Special Representative Frazier, her office, and the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism.
We continue to financially support the office of the SRSG and UNICEF. We encourage others to do the same. To join us to deliver on the promise of this mandate, for every child.
Thank you.
