Madam President,

Germany aligns itself with the EU statement and the statement by the Group of Friends of CAAC.

We commend the Secretary-General for his important report. We thank SRSG Virginia Gamba for her vital work to better protect children in armed conflict.

For the second year in a row, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a devastating increase by 25 % compared to 2023.

These numbers represent shattered childhoods, lost innocence, and futures stolen by the scourge of war.

We are dismayed at the denial of humanitarian access and the escalating violence against humanitarian workers that have reached alarming scales in 2024. Unimpeded humanitarian aid is imperative. This is why Germany contributed to the funding of the Guidance Note on the Denial of Humanitarian Access, which was published two weeks ago and provides standardized reporting criteria across all conflicts.

Please allow me to highlight the following conflicts which account for a significant share of the grave violations against children documented in the Secretary-General’s report.

First, since the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October, the number of grave violations against children in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has significantly increased. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is increasingly unbearable. We are appalled by the high number of grave violations against children in Gaza mentioned in the report.

We reiterate our call on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to uphold the rights and special protections afforded to children. We also reiterate our call on Israel to immediately facilitate a full resumption of humanitarian assistance into Gaza to ensure children receive live-saving food and medical care.

Second, Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups are rightfully listed as persistent violators on the list of shame for the third consecutive year. We are horrified by the over 100 % increase in grave violations against children in Ukraine as victims of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We reiterate our call on Russia to end this war.

Thirdly, we are deeply concerned by the surge in sexual violence and the high number of children recruited by armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti. We must redouble our efforts to put an end to the recruitment and use of children by armed groups and to cease all forms of sexual violence against children.

Unfortunately, these are only some examples of many situations in which children suffer from war. Let us give equal importance to all children, everywhere.

Germany fully supports the Secretary-General’s recommendations, and urges all parties to conflicts

• to comply fully with international law, and
• to engage with the UN to implement action plans to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children.

We remain committed to the CAAC mandate as UNICEF’s second largest state donor in 2024 and support the global “Prove it Matters” campaign by SRSG Gamba that was launched in Geneva in March this year, calling for the urgent need to uphold the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to protect children in conflict.

Thank you.