Thank you, Madam President.

Germany aligns itself with the statement by the Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict and the one to be delivered by the European Union.

We would like to thank the Colombian Presidency for convening this critical debate. We also express our gratitude to Special Representative Vanessa Frazier and the Executive Director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, for their sobering briefings and unwavering commitment to the child protection mandate.

This year’s report outlines a devastating trajectory, recording again a record number of grave violations in the mandate’s 30-year history.

We remain deeply concerned by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, which continues to strip Ukrainian children of their safety, their education, and their futures through grave violations against children’s rights, including relentless bombing as well as abduction and unlawful transfers of Ukrainian children.

We are particularly alarmed by the - reported - unprecedented surge in grave violations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, especially in Gaza and the West Bank. The sheer scale of reported cases is unbearable. We urge all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and to implement measures to ensure the protection of civilians, especially children.

We are alarmed by the deteriorating situation of children in DRC, Nigeria, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan. Regrettably, these crises represent only a fraction of the global conflicts where children bear the heaviest burden.

Allow me to highlight three priorities to address this devastating trajectory:

First, prevention based on early warning. We must strengthen early warning mechanisms that integrate child-specific risk indicators, such as school closures and weapon contamination to allow prevention before vulnerabilities escalate.

Second, accountability. Peace is unsustainable without justice. Long-term stability cannot be achieved when perpetrators act with impunity. Strengthening national and international judicial systems, such as the ICC, is our most powerful deterrent, and we need to strengthen those mechanisms.

Third, a survivor-centered approach: For survivors the end of hostilities is only the beginning. We must adopt a holistic approach that guarantees medical care, psychosocial support and age- and gender-sensitive reintegration programmes.

Madam President,

Reversing this deeply concerning trend requires our renewed collective efforts, full adherence to international law, and an unyielding commitment to hold perpetrators accountable.

Thank you.