Intervento Nazionale dell’Italia all’Evento ONU in occasione del 25^ Anniversario del “Children and Armed Conflict Mandate with Launch of the Study on the evolution of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate (1996-2021)” —
Italy would like to thank Norway, the cosponsors, and the Office of the SRSG CAAC for organizing this high level event to mark the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and for giving us the opportunity to take stock of the progress achieved over the past 25 years and the additional efforts we all need to carry out in light of the current situation.
I would like to congratulate the SRSG Gamba for her excellent work and dedication, for her commitment to awareness-raising and her engagement with all the relevant stakeholders to best fulfil her mandate, of which Italy has been a staunch supporter since the beginning.
The protection of children must be prioritized on every international agenda to guarantee a peaceful, safe, and sustainable development. This is especially evident today, since the conditions of vulnerable children have worsened due to the pandemic, the increase in armed clashes, and climate change.
It is a moral imperative to put an end to the worst forms of violations of the rights of children during armed conflicts. This is why Italy is committed to a number of initiatives in this regard, including the promotion of the widest possible support to the “Safe Schools Declaration”.
We are also proud that the Universities Network for Children and Armed Conflict, launched in 2020 upon the initiative of the University of Perugia with the support of the Italian Government, has been developing its activities, in cooperation with the Office of the SRSG, and further growing, over the last year, to earn full international recognition as an academic reference in this field.
We are ready to do more. We look forward to thoroughly study and make full use of the new document that was launched today, and increase our efforts to contribute to the implementation of the CAAC agenda. Please count on us.
I thank you.
